Victoria's Secret is featuring a plus-size model in a new lingerie campaign as it takes steps to shed its much-criticized image

• Victoria's Secret announced Friday that it is partnering with UK-based lingerie brand Bluebella to bring its collection to select Victoria's Secret stores and online. Bluebella is known for its inclusive campaigns that feature a diverse selection of models.
• Plus-size model Ali Tate, who will be modeling part of the collection, said on Instagram that she believes she is the first US size 14 model to appear in a Victoria's Secret campaign. She celebrated the news, saying this was a "great step in the right direction for bodies."

• This marks a distinct change in Victoria's Secret's strategy and one that will be applauded by many critics who have been asking the brand to be more inclusive in its sizing and marketing for the past few years.

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Victoria's Secret is starting to listen to its critics.

The lingerie powerhouse announced Friday that it will be collaborating with the lingerie brand Bluebella to bring its collection to select Victoria's Secret stores and online. The UK-based brand is known for its inclusive campaigns that feature a diverse selection of models.

Plus-size model Ali Tate, who will be modeling parts of the collection, celebrated the news on Instagram, saying that she believes this makes her the first US size 14 model to appear on Victoria's Secret.

"I'm pretty stoked to work with a brand I idolized when I was a teen. Great step in the right direction for bodies," she said.

In an interview with E! News on Friday, Tate said that while she is not the first plus-size model to have worked with Victoria's Secret, she is the first size 14 model to do so.

"Size 14 is actually the average size of women in America and I do think that we need to see more of it in media and fashion because most women are that size," Tate told E! News.

She added: "For Victoria's Secret I am so excited that they decided to put a size 14 women like me on the wall. I feel like they are headed in the right direction and they are listening to their audience who have requested to see more women of diverse shapes and sizes. I think if they continue to head in that direction they will be on to a jackpot because that is reflective of what the average woman is in America."

A spokesperson for Victoria's Secret did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. Tate confirmed to Business Insider in an email that she was hired by Bluebella and that her future involvement with Victoria's Secret is unknown at this point.

Read more: Victoria's Secret is taking steps to shed its much-criticized image. Here are 4 things that the brand has changed this year.

The decision to partner with Bluebella and feature plus-size models in its ad campaigns marks a distinct change in Victoria's Secret's strategy and one that will likely be applauded by critics who have been asking the brand to be more inclusive in its sizing and marketing for the past few years.

After a rocky 2018, Victoria's Secret looks to be making substantial changes to keep up with its more body-inclusive rivals that have been slowly chipping away at its market share.

Earlier this year, the company announced that Barbara Palvin would become one of its newest Angels. The news was immediately celebrated because while Palvin is not a plus-size model, many Instagrammers perceived her to be curvier than some of the brand's other models.

Then, in August, news broke that Victoria's Secret had hired its first transgender model.

If you are an employee of Victoria's Secret and have a story to share, contact this reporter at mhanbury@businessinsider.com or securely via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 (646) 768-4716 using a non-work phone.