Voice of London

Competitor ThirdLove has some choice words for Victoria’s Secret, and they aren’t pulling any punches.

“We’re done with pretending certain sizes don’t exist or aren’t important enough to serve,” says ThirdLove founder Heidi Zak in an open letter to Victoria’s Secret.

In the interview, Razek fiercely defended the Victoria’s Secret brand on why they don’t include transgender or plus size models. He also took a shot at competitor ThirdLove: “We’re nobody’s third love. We’re their first love.”

A relatively young start-up, many people may not have heard of ThirdLove until the interview. But in a scathing response, ThirdLove founder Heidi Zak sent Victoria’s Secret an open letter via the front page of The New York Times.

Zak opens her letter by calling attention to the “demeaning” comments Razek made to Vogue. She then goes on to say, “You market to men and sell a male fantasy to women. But at ThirdLove, we think beyond, as you said, a ‘42-minute entertainment special.’ Your show may be a ‘fantasy’ but we live in reality.” And for ThirdLove, their reality is that women come in all shapes and sizes and backgrounds.

In a statement sent to Voice of London, Zak said, “I felt like it was the right moment to respond to Ed’s comments about ThirdLove directly and to demand more from Victoria’s Secret. It’s the year 2018 and I believe women deserve to be treated and marketed to in a more authentic, realistic way. My hope is this year is the last one for the fashion show — that enough public pressure will be placed on VS to make some real and meaningful changes to their organization and to the messages they are sending to women everywhere.”

And ThirdLove’s response has had an impact. Twitter users have been echoing ThirdLove’s sentiments while also calling to #cancelVS.

However it’s not just ThirdLove that’s had enough of Victoria’s Secret. Several notable transgender women have spoken up about Razek’s comments as well. American TV personality Carmen Carrera went to Twitter simply to ask Victoria’s Secret: “Why do you hate me so much?” YouTuber Gigi Gorgeous also took to Twitter to express her distaste.

Since the initial Vogue interview and ThirdLove’s response, Ed Razek has since apologised for his comments admitting that they “came across as insensitive.”

Ultimately, it’s the consumer who will decide if they believe Razek. In 2018, it’s not uncommon for social media users to call for boycotts of certain brands.

Do you agree with the boycott? Or do you think Victoria’s Secret is free to do what they want with their brand? Let us know.

Words and featured image: Elise Fritts | Subbing: Claire Chung