Victoria’s Secret Under Fire After ‘Little Geisha’ Lingerie Sparks ‘Racism’
Famous lingerie brand, Victoria's Secret, just removed their "Go East" collection from their website after one particular outfit under the name "Sexy Little Geisha" was labeled "racists" by some.
The Asian inspired lingerie was a cut-out teddy which comes with an obi removable belt, chopsticks for the hair and a fan. The lingerie was described as "your ticket to an exotic adventure" which instantly sparked conflict from offended critics.
Victoria's Secret, who is yet to release their official statement made their first move by taking down the lingerie product from their page as well as the other items from their "Go East" collection. Racialicious, a website known to dissect race and culture fires against Victoria's Secret for stereotyping the Asian culture only for exotic sexuality. Other critics followed on with the suit.
"A troubling attempt to sidestep authentic representation of a culture and opt instead for racialized fetishizing against Asian women," said in a statement by Racialicious.
"There's a long-standing trend to represent Asian women as hypersexualized objects of fantasy, so it's telling that none of the models wearing the Go East collection appear to be Asian."
"Sex and sexuality don't live in a bubble. They intersect with our historical and cultural contexts. Donning a "sexy Geisha" outfit to get the ball rolling in the bedroom remains offensive because it confirms a paradigm in which Asian people and their culture can be modified and sexualized and appropriated for the benefit of the West," the statement continued.
Another popular website, The Frisky, agreed with what was said by Racialicious. They added that the label's move to sell role-playing lingerie is "a bit tasteless."
The controversial "Sexy Little Geisha" costume was modeled by Victoria's Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel. If criticism against the big lingerie brand continues, it may highly affect the outcome of their annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show which takes place every November.
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