Big ol’ day for resignations today. Dominic Raab is gone. Esther McVey is gone. Half the British cabinet will undoubtedly be gone by the time you have finished reading this article. Oh an the CEO of Victoria’s Secret is gone too. Although not in a Brexit related protest.
After just two years in the role, CEO Jan Singer resigned abruptly on Wednesday, after a disastrous week for the company. Following their annual show — with the usual angel wings, body glitter and 2007 school disco aesthetics — Victoria’s Secret was rocked by criticism when their Chief Marketing Officer and head of Public Relations Ed Razek made offensive comments on the use of trans and plus sized models on VS runways.
Speaking to Vogue, the executive spoke out against the use of “transsexuals” in the show — something Victoria’s Secret were forced to issue a weak apology for earlier this week. To be clear,” the apology read, “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.” It was quickly criticised by transgender activists and fans on social media as another example of the lingerie brand being out of touch with the modern, millennial consumer.
Jan Singer’s resignation couldn’t come at a worse time for the brand, which has been staring down the barrel of dwindling sales for some time now, something she was originally hired to help alleviate by reworking the brand’s lingerie for the fast fashion market. Let’s see what 2019 holds.