Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show- STOP HEIGHT DISCRIMINATION!
Bella Petite EDITOR NOTES
By Ann Lauren: How many petite women buy clothing and lingerie from Victoria’s Secret? After discussions with Victoria’s Secret executives, it’s clear they know their consumer, and that consumer is most often petite. Not “amazon,” not full-figured, but undeniably petite. They have done their due diligence to provide accurate sizing for petites. In fact, their designers primarily use petite fit models.
FACT: Victoria’s Secret will not use petite models in their catalogs or in their precious fashion shows! Victoria’s Secret knows their market is majority petite, yet they blatantly discriminate against the petite look!
WHY? Industry standards only apply if the retailer goes along with it. Designers and advertisers are not forced to uphold the 5′8″-plus modeling standard, they choose too!
VICTORIA’S SECRET STOP THE INDUSTRY DISCRIMINATION
We are here to tell petite ladies that you must let the industry know how you feel about the blatant discrimination of petites. The
best way to do this is to request petite models who represent our look. Haven’t we learned anything from our amazon and full-figured counterparts? These ladies have kicked and screamed, joined petitions, and organizations that fight themselves! You can do the same here at Bella Petite. The full figured women’s market actually has real working overweight models. The petite women’s market does not.
Simply stated, it’s time to make the industry take notice of the petite women’s market. We have all the buying power and that’s what counts. Retailer’s want to sell their clothing, products and services to petites. We don’t want to see stick-thin amazon models wearing clothing and lingerie designed for us, because we all know it doesn’t look the same on our frame. These deceptive marketing practices suck us in and are engineered so we feel inadequate and buy their wares because, they will bring us closer to achieving their “ideal image.” It’s insulting and we need to get serious about change!
No way! The fact is retailer’s want petite women to keep spending and supporting their companies, all while they discriminate and insult the petite woman’s image. After watching “America’s Next Top Model” and “Victoria’s Secret fashion show and Model Search” we petites have had enough! It’s time to take a stand and fight for our fashion rights. It’s time petite women become FASHION RECOGNIZABLE. It’s time the industry caters to our demands. After all, the entertainment industry is majority petite.
The best part of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show was Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas. Atleast, 5′1″ Fergie rocked the runway with real curves a real body, hips and breast. She’s got it all, what a breath of fresh air! In my opinion her body put the amazon models to shame. It’s a joke
the VSC models have to wear “pump-up bras” to increase their non-existent breasts by two+ bra sizes, so when they take their clothes off their man has been deceived, along with the rest of us! Petite women’s faces match their beauty and our bodies outshine amazon women too!
HELP FIGHT HEIGHT DISCRIMINATION
The full-figured ladies know how it’s done. Petite ladies take note: if you want to see the industry standards include petite models and more petite retailers, join Bella Petite now and become an advocate for change. We need millions of petite women to unite here on Bella Petite and get involved to help force a paradigm shift in the fashion world.
Become a BellaPetite member today, it’s free & easy! Get 20% off at Fernanda Carneiro, Allison Izu petite premium jeans, 30% off at My Sweet Petites Apparel and more discounts with select premium retailers, when you become a Bella Petite MEMBER. You’ll be eligible to enter our model searches and promotions for PETITE women. Plus, you’ll receive a FREE Trial offer for Bella Petite Magazine!
VICTORIA’S SECRET FASHION SHOW PERFORMANCE FERGIE AND BEP
I hate watching these shows just a bunch of gangly no bodied women! For real petite models are better. Look at playboy magazine most of the centerfolds are petite I know, my boyfriends gets the mag. The tall women don't have good proportions. Great points you make! I'm joining bella petite! I want to see petite women rule fashion!
This is so true petite women need to join this site that advocates our look! The retailers will get the message when they see millions of women want this to happen. Really great article!
You go girl! You da bitch! Nice to see someone's got we petites back. I'm in the gang now!
Best advice ever to petite women! I get what I got to do! I'm in with Bella Petite forever! I love you guys this site is dope!
Amen!! It's time to show the world how gorgeous we are!
So glad I found this website now that I'm a member what can I do to help further the petite cause. We can't let the full figured women have a greater identity in the fashion world than petite women.
Im so glad websites like this exsits, IT WAS ABOUT TIME!!! petite women look better. They are more proportioned and look more feminen than taller ones. well at least thats what all my guyfriends say and think. Im gald I joined in.
Ladies stand up and fight for the petite movement! I am tried of seeing women who do not represent my figure. Everyone join Bella Petite. I DID!! Keep up the good work Ann Lauren we are with you all the way.
I am all for petite models, after all I'm petite myself! I support models of ALL shapes and sizes and I believe they all have a place in the industry. However, when I say all, I mean ALL. I do not just support people who are my size and shape. I may be petite but I am also very skinny and not remotely curvy. What is wrong with a push-up bra? We skinny girls wear them to look more like YOU girls who are born with beautiful curvy bodies! Given the choice between a short curvier girl and a tall thin girl which do you think a guy would choose? The curvy girl of course, It is biologically imprinted into their brains. You say they discriminate against short girls and curvy girls but are you not doing just that to tall girls and thin girls? Size and shape are something you are born into, not something anyone has any control over, be they short, tall, skinny, or curvy. It is true that tall thin women have been the "it" girls for some time now, but we are each individual people! Just because A tall or thin girl has been a model doesn't mean every tall or thin girl who has a dream to be one has had the chance. I truly believe that rather than thin, the new standard should be healthy. And what about average girls? Does everyone have to be either tall or petite? The industries general height requirement is around 5'8" and to be petite you say 5'5" so what about those 5'6" and 5'7" girls? Also, have you noticed that in magazines instead of having thin as a body type, skinny girls who are not tall or athletic are called "boyish." Am I less of a Woman because I wear an A-cup?
You missed the articles point we don’t care about bra size. Our point in that remark was petite women have better curves for lingerie. Bella Petite is all about advocating the petite woman’s look. The 5′5″ and under woman that’s petite fit, thin, curvy and full figured the woman the fashion industry discriminates against. Keep in mind 70% of all women are 5′5″ and under, the average size woman is 5′3″, and 3% of women are 5′9″ plus. The only fashion models we see in fashion magazine are usually 5′9″ plus industry standard models, with a few exceptions of 5′6″-5′8″ models. Now we petites are expected to even accept 5′9″ full figured models, again petites are not represented in any fashion magazines. Bella Petite will not provide any addition positive focus and representation of tall women whether (fit, thin, curvy or full figured), she’s an illusion.
Bella Petite’s mission is to break down the fashion standards not embrace the status quo. We absolutely are taking on the fashion standards and are here to gain petite women their fair share of the market place. We want HEIGHT discrimination to stop. We don’t feel sorry for amazon thin or full figured models. I think you don’t completely understand Bella Petite’s purpose and mission.
All of the current fashion magazine’s ignore petite models all together, we could care less about the amazon models fit, anorexic, cuvry or full figured, we’re tired of their look being synonomous with fashion and beauty. We will never support women over 5′6″ plus because they’re not petite. Sorry to say the industry considers 5′6″- 5′7″ no mans land it’s neither petite or tall, not our market focus at Bella Petite. Interesting point, a girl that’s 5′6″-5′8″ has a better chance to gain modeling work over the petite model. Our niche market is to focus only on the petite fashion market at 5′5″ and under, because she’s been overlooked, treated as irrelevant and totally discriminated against in the consumer fashion and beauty market!
I’m 5′2″ and 100 lbs. As a working petite model, producer, radio personality, web community developer and magazine publisher, I clearly understand the petite woman consumer market. I will continue to advocate for petite models to TEAR down the standards and celebrate real PETITE women and accept all body types, shapes and sizes!
You are my hero!!! I am 5'5 and have always dreamt of being a model, especially for Victorias Secret. I know its nearly impossible to be seen as anything other than a height requirement and its so aggrivating to be put down due to your height especially when the people buying these products being modeled are most likely under that height requirement. You are giving me more modivation and hope than anyone has ever given me to pursue my dreams. I want to change the industry and become a new face and new size to the fashion industry and i am willing to do what it takes to get there. I will definately share the news on your goal and hope to one day grace the cover of a beautifully printed issue of BELLA PETITE! =]
–Maggie P.
I do understand what this website is about, promoting petite models. I completely support that goal, being 5'6" I am much shorter than the average model, despite not technically qualifying as a petite model. What I do not understand is how tall women are illusions? I agree with and support your goal, I just do not think the way to reach it is by putting down tall girls, but rather by promoting petites, whether you support them or not. I realize the majority of this website does just that, which I respect, this article however did not focus on the positives of petites as much as the negatives of "amazons." And, I would like to point out that anorexia is a disorder, not a body type, and that it is not necessarily synonymous with thin.
But again, I appreciate your support of shorter models and truly hope you succeed. Petite women deserve the opportunity and acceptance tall models everywhere receive. Thank you so much for replying to my comment!
-J
Tall women are illusions look around you. Only 3% of women are 5'9" plus. The fashion and beauty industry constantly promotes this look for shock value. I have substantial experience in the business. I've interviewed many industry professionals from clothing designers, producers, industry standard models, petite models, fashion photographers, and business women. We all concur about tall women being an "illusion." Tall women are not representative of the world population. This is a fallacy perpetrated by clothing designers, photographers and fashion magazines…In respect to calling tall women "amazons," I can come up with a 1000 far worse derogatory terms the fashion and beauty industry uses when describing "petite" women! I'm sure the "amazons" of the world get it. We are tired of their image being idealized as the look of beauty. It's time the retailers and fashion industry takes note. It's time they give petite women positive recognition, as opposed to all the glory going to the "amazons," a la Victoria Secret Fashion Show. As referenced in the article, the positive petite aspect of that fashion show was fact they featured the talented singer 5'1" Fergie. What I am sure of, is I don't need a lesson in how to promote the petite market. As I see it, I've stepped it up and attempted to make petite women a force to be reckoned with…Thank you for your comments and questions. Keep them coming!