Victoria’s Secret announced that it will no longer use its “Angels” to advertise its products. We’ve all seen the Angels. They are the barely clad, perfectly sculpted examples of the feminine gender. I would hazard a guess that these women have been instrumental in developing the company into the $5 billion behemoth that it is. However, they are now gone.
Why? The reasons are well explained in a New York Times column by Jennifer Weiner. She complains that the Angels sent out a message to women and girls that Angel bodies were the bodies that all women were supposed to want. Ms. Weiner says that every time she went to the mall in the 90’s she saw the Angel’s flat bellies, narrow hips, toned thighs and improbably full bosoms (excuse me for a moment, as I typed this, I felt an urge I must satisfy).
Because all women couldn’t look like this, it made them feel badly. Thus, the Angels must be abandoned. Apparently, the point is that those with exceptional physical gifts should be prevented from demonstrating them because it will make the rest of us feel badly.
Ms. Weiner is missing something. Hasn’t Ms. Weiner noticed that in every ad that includes a gorgeous woman, there is also a gorgeous man? Has Ms. Weiner noticed that in the movies, the guy who gets the girl isn’t ever fat and bald? Does she think that Brad Pitt is so successful because his acting skills rival Laurence Olivier’s? And Sir Laurence wasn’t half bad-looking either.
And it’s not just about looks. Most boys grow up wanting to emulate a famous athlete. They want their picture on a Wheaties box. Then they grow up and learn that, except for .00000000001% of them, this is not going to happen. This is disappointing. It makes them feel badly. Based on Ms. Weiner’s logic, we should now also prevent those with exceptional athletic skills from being able to demonstrate them.
Let’s then take it another step. Let’s eliminate everything that makes us feel badly. Personally, there are the people who write so much better than I do. They really depress me. Let’s get rid of them. And how about all the brilliant people. They just make us feel badly that our intelligence is inferior to theirs’. Out they go.
By the way, speaking of the brilliant people, Jennifer Weiner is not one of them.
We were right 
What are the chances of getting a response if we send your post to Jennifer? Yeah, I didn’t really think so either. But I like your point anyway.
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When my kids were in elementary school, it was proposed to the principal that a student’s artwork should be chosen each year to be framed and displayed in the school’s hallway. He refused saying that it would make those whose work wasn’t chosen, feel badly. Sheesh!
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