Victorias Secret facing backlash over Bright Young Things campaign

Victoria's Secret says its PINK line is 'for the independent spirit on campus', but its new campaign has angered so many parents that a Facebook page entitled 'Dear Victoria's Secret: Pull "Bright Young Things" and an online petition have been launched.

The Bright Young Things campaign ties in with PINK's Spring Break line - the name given to the Easter Holidays in the U.S., but many have interpreted it to be a sub-brand aimed at those of middle-school age. Knickers featuring glittery slogans such as 'Call Me', 'Wild' and 'Feeling Lucky' form part of the mix alongside brightly coloured hoodies and jersey basics.

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Stuart Burgdoerfer, the chief financial officer and executive vice president of Victoria's Secret brand owner Limited Brands, may have fuelled the belief that Bright Young Things was in fact a new line aimed at a younger audience when he was quoted as saying: "When somebody's 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be? They want to be older, and they want to be cool like the girl in college, and that's part of the magic of what we do at PINK."

The online petition lobbying for Victoria's Secret to pull Bright Young Things from shelves has been penned by Diana Cherry, a mother-of-four from Seattle, and has over 720 signatures. She writes: "I don't want a brand like Victoria's Secret telling my daughters what sexy should be and my son that girls have to look or dress a certain way. Sexualisation of girls by marketers has been found to contribute to depression, eating disorders, and early sexual activity -- and this new ad campaign is a glaring example of a culture forcing girls to grow up too fast."

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Both the official Victoria's Secret and PINK fan pages on Facebook have been inundated with messages from people boycotting the brand.

The brand responded by writing the following statement: "In response to questions we recently received, Victoria's Secret PINK is a brand for college-aged women. Despite recent rumours, we have no plans to introduce a collection for younger women. "Bright Young Things" was a slogan used in conjunction with the college spring break tradition."

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