The Perfect Body, Essay Example

My reason for writing to you is to address my personal outrage concerning the recent advertisement campaign launched by Victoria’s Secret called “The Perfect Body.” Recently, while browsing through the World Wide Web, I came across your advertisementthat features the typical Victoria’s Secret supermodels smiling with contentment and satisfaction across the typical Victoria’s Secret white background. However, unlike earlier exposure to the advertisements for Victoria’s Secret, it was not the physical attractiveness or “natural beauty” of the supermodels that captured my attention but the words that were emblazoned over them–namely, “The Perfect Body.”

Besides these three little words that are capable of bringing to mind hundreds of mental images, everything else within the advertisement was the same, just like all  other advertisements for Victoria’s Secret. For lack of a better description, your “Angels” stood tall and proud with their thin, sexy, hourglass figures, all dressed in alluring lingerie, with each of the “Angels” appearing physically similar. So, where is the problem with this, you may be wondering? Why did I have such a negative reaction to a grouping of sexy-looking supermodels?

The answer is easy–each of thesupermodels shared the same basic physical appearance, the same basic supermodel figure that many Americans see as symbolic of true beauty. But most importantly, I immediately recognized that these supermodels bear no resemblance whatsoeverto what an ordinary, everyday American woman looks like, even when wearing some of the sexy lingerie dreamed up by Victoria’s Secret.

Personally, I find this to be absolutely insulting and unrealistic. Since I am a very impressionable teenage girl, Victoria’s Secret’s “Angels” have always been a popular topic among my friends and myself, with their hot bodies as advertising labels that are known throughout the world, not to mention all of the allure and “natural beauty” that goes along with their annual fashion model shows. To be truly blunt about it, a large multinational company like Victoria’s Secret which does not even try to be modest about its huge impact on women from around the world, has produced an advertisement that is utterly insensitive and inappropriate for women who just happen to be “normal” looking.

In my humble opinion, this advertisement has tarnished the reputation of the “Angels” by creating many negative comments and opinions among millions of average American women like myself who, to say the least, are sick and tired of the advertising industry’s insensitivity when it comes to selling a product. And since you represent Victoria’s Secret, you have tarnished your company’s image by allowing for such an advertising campaign that denigrates women.

Victoria’s Secret labeling of the “The Perfect Body” in regards to the “Angels” is way off-base, due to the fact that the image of a “perfect body” is mostly subjective, meaning that what one person sees as perfect does not necessarily indicate that another person will it the same way, especially if he/she happens to be from a different culture. Many women (perhaps the majority) out there in the world which includes most of my friends, probably your friends, my family, and probably your family, have not been blessed with a “perfect” angelic body.

Therefore, from the viewpoint of the advertisers and marketers, we the majority are physically flawed and occupy the lowest level of the perfection scale. Statistically, only two out of ten women are considered as physically perfect “angels.” Therefore, it appears that Victoria’s Secret is telling the average woman that they are not perfect. This brings me to an important question–have you ever considered whether you and Victoria’s Secret have the right to definefor all women the word “perfection?”

This forces me to wonder whether your company and its board of directors have made the decision to feed off the insecurities of women in order to gain recognition and profit. In basic terms, what gives Victoria’s Secret the right to make judgment calls when it comes to perfection in relation to the female body? It appears quite obvious to me that your company, like so many others that cater to women, will go to any length just to sell a product regardless of who the advertisement harms or denigrates.

As I pointed out at the beginning of this letter, I am personally and deeply offended by your advertisement campaign about the “Perfect Body;” in fact, I am so offended that I took some of my precious time to write this letter which I am certain will end up in the wastebasket along with thousands of others just like it with the exact same complaints. But guess what? Your obnoxious advertisement campaign has failed miserably. Want to know why? Because I have decided not to allow the hype and pressure of today’s modern beauty standards to sway how I feel about myself and my physical appearance.

Perhaps my greatest concern is for all of the young girls out there in America and elsewhere in the world who for the most part believe all of the hype and gimmicks related to the idea that they are just not good enough in the physical sense. They have also been swayed into believing that they must not listen to their parents when they tell them “There’s no such thing as perfect, but as far as I’m concerned, you are perfect just the way you are.” Another big concern is that millions of American women are convinced that they are far from perfect and will do anything to achieve that “Perfect Body” which includes starving themselves to death and paying tens of thousands of dollars for surgery in order to obtain the unobtainable, being physical perfection.

From a business perspective, I am certain that you consider your company as just one out of the thousands that must use the insecurities of women to make a profit. Have you ever thought about going in the opposite direction and deciding not to be like all of the others? As an idea, perfection is not suppose to be about only ONE type of body style, namely, your “Angels.” But unfortunately, our modern society, perhaps damaged beyond repair, has been convinced that perfection is symbolized by what they see in magazine advertisements and on television. Thus, is it so difficult to imagine that a company like Victoria’s Secret with great power and influence among the majority of women worldwide could actually decide to stand out from the pack and be considerate of every woman regardless of her physical attributes?

Although you have slightly altered your official online ad campaign via the new label “A Body for Everybody,” I am thrilled to know that women worldwide have taken a stance and have united as one by signing petitions requesting an official apology statement from Victoria’s Secret. But please remember that women worldwide have begun to see themselves as perfect just the way they are regardless of the message that your “Angels” might be trying to express.