The Angels and the Body Shamers

If you're a consumer in the 2016 world of consumerism, you know about Victoria's Secret. Slated as the sexiest store in the mall, VS is known for their itty, bitty, teeny tiny lace underwear, attached to the hips of their itty, bitty, teeny, tiny models.

With the new wave of technology and digital content at the forefront of the entertainment industry, body image and body shaming, in particular, has been blasted into the spotlight.

Victoria's Secret in particular has come under fire recently, as competitor underwear chain, Aerie, has ousted Photoshop and retouching of their models completely. Leading the body revolution with the campaign, "#AerieReal," the chain claimed natural beauty, and they felt wrong showing off unrealistic body expectations that is especially damaging to young girls who see these images.

For as long as models have been around, murmur of unhealthy lifestyles has come into fruition (Twiggy being the face of eating disorders in modeling.)

Dove has lead multiple powerful campaigns in the past few years, celebrating natural beauty and the power of confidence.

Then in the fall of 2014,  Aerie made waves for being the first "popular" underwear chain to stop retouching their models, and using "normal" sized women.

They began using "curvy" models as the faces of the brand, promoting health and fitness, despite the "physical" appearance. They were (or supposedly) fighting the stigma that thin=healthy,  which, is 100% not the case for every body is different.

The problem here is, so far, products, companies, & brands catered towards women are all moving towards the "millennial" woman -- women who are over photoshopped bodies in magazines. So, why isn't Victoria's Secret?

Every year millennial women -- myself included -- watch teeny models strut in over-the-top lingerie outfits with wings slapped to their back in the annual, Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. It's glitzy, glamorous, and we all joke about how badly the models make us feel about ourselves.

But what if they actually are?

It's been proven that Photoshop heavily impacts the psyche of a women, starting as early as 5 years old.

So, why do these two images still exist at the same time?

Women should celebrate their natural bodies and Victoria's Secret parade of tiny models existing in the realm of our popular culture (I mean, the fashion show's viewer count grow every year exponentially, and it trends Worldwide) only strips women of that right.

There's a battle of what defines womanhood in popular culture, and an underwear line is as intimate as it gets.

It's important to defend diversity in our popular culture, for the sake of women everywhere. And that starts with stop giving Victoria's Secret the satisfaction and devotion they do not deserve.