Getty Images/Dia Dipasupil
Ed Razek speaks to the 2018 Victoria's Secret runway models backstage during the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Pier 94 on November 8, 2018 in New York City.
- A senior executive at Victoria's Secret's parent company apologized on Friday after sparking outcry with comments he made about transgender models in an interview with Vogue.
- Social media users began comparing Victoria's Secret runway show to that of Rihanna's, which took place during New York Fashion Week in September and featured models of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities.
- While Rihanna has not commented on Victoria's Secret, Buzzfeed and The Daily Mail reported that the singer-turned makeup and underwear designer liked a post on Instagram that criticized the Victoria's Secret exec for his comments and praised Rihanna's brand for being diverse.
Victoria's Secret came under fire late last week after one of its executives was called out for making "insensitive" comments during an interview with Vogue.
Ed Razek, chief marketing officer of Victoria's Secret parent company L Brands, said that he didn't think the company's annual fashion show should feature "transsexuals" because "the show is a fantasy."
"It's a 42-minute entertainment special. That's what it is," he said. "It is the only one of its kind in the world, and any other fashion brand in the world would take it in a minute, including the competitors that are carping at us."
He also said that Victoria's Secret would not be adding larger sizes to its assortment and has no plans to feature plus-size models in its runway show.
"We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes [in 2000]. No one had any interest in it, still don't," he said.
These comments sparked an outcry online, which later led to Razek issuing a formal apology.
"My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive. I apologize. To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show. We've had transgender models come to castings … And like many others, they didn't make it … But it was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are," he said.
Social media users have been comparing Victoria's Secret's famous lingerie show to Rihanna's recent Savage X Fenty show, which ran during New York Fashion Week in September. At the time, Rihanna's racy show, which included models of all shapes, sizes, and ethnic backgrounds, was praised for being inclusive.
Read more: Rihanna zeroed in on Victoria's Secret's crown jewel with a raunchy new lingerie show
While Rihanna has not commented on the recent Victoria's Secret news, she appeared to subtly express her opinion by liking an Instagram post that a fan had shared, criticizing Victoria's Secret but praising Rihanna for the diversity in her campaigns. Both Buzzfeed and The Daily Mail spotted that she had apparently liked the post.
This Instagram post was a screenshot of a tweet put out by plus-size model Louise O'Reilly on Saturday.
Prime example of why brands need to be careful of casting directors opinions. Especially when it's a 70 year old man who's living in the past. Thank god @rihanna brought us @SavageXFenty this year with genuine attention & love of diversity in her branding 🙌 https://t.co/pdCk2ueSGq
- Louise O'Reilly (@StyleMeCurvy) November 11, 2018