By Thaler
Victoria’s Secret became a lightning rod for criticism after apologizing to a transgender woman who said she had a “thoroughly dehumanizing” in-store experience when she was denied from trying on a bra in a dressing room at the same time as other female customers.
The trans woman, known only as @Microdragons1 on social media, wrote on X on Monday: “I went through a thoroughly dehumanizing experience at Victoria’s Secret today due to my status as a trans woman,” according to Newsweek.
“I was trying to find a cute bra at Victoria’s Secret, and they made me wait until every cis woman left the dressing rooms before I could go into just one of them. They even made other cis women wait until I’d had my turn so no cis women would be in any of the 5 other rooms,” @Microdragons1 added in a subsequent post.
@Microdragons1 — who boasts an emoji of a Palestinian flag in her username and has since made her account private — later wrote on the platform: “I just called VS corporate, they’re correcting the behavior of this store,” per Newsweek.
Victoria’s Secret’s official X page replied to the woman, apologizing and providing contact information for her to contact them. “We would love to speak to you directly,” the lingerie giant wrote.
However, rather than quell the situation, Victoria’s Secret outraged spectators who argued that the company should not be apologizing for protecting women’s privacy.
One outraged X user by the name Siobhan called the apology “abusive and sick.”
“How dare you humor a man’s sexual fetish as if it counts for anything. Why does a man want a bra so badly that he goes to Victoria Secret for a bra fitting?” Siobhan added.
Another added: “We, the women, are not sorry the store kept our changing room area for women. You have a choice. You can please this man and enrage all of us. Or protect the women who shop in your store. They bent over backwards for this man and it still wasn’t enough.”
“Your staff did well and you apologize for it? You suck.” yet another wrote.
Other commenters pointed out that before @Microdragons1 set her account to private, she previously shared videos in skimpy clothing that showed off her body.
“This is who you are dealing with,” a user shared alongside screenshots of @Microdragons1’s previous posts, including one with a racy photo of her kneeling naked in front of a large window captioned: “Been feeling sl-y all day,” and others of her in BDSM wear.
Another screenshot revealed a tweet from last December when @Microdragons1 said: “I currently only craft with bones and macerate roadkill. Some days I really do regret going to normal college instead of mortuary school. Such artistry to [be] done!”
It wasn’t immediately clear what @Microdragons1 was “crafting.” She couldn’t be reached for comment as her account is no longer accessible to the public.
“Will @VictoriasSecret budlight itself?” another questioned, referring to Bud Light’s monthslong boycott that was sparked by tapping trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney to star in a disastrous social media campaign.
The Anheuser-Busch-made beer has since been dethroned as America’s top-selling brew, a title that now belongs to Mexican import Modelo Especial.
A Victoria’s Secret spokesperson told: “We are committed to ensuring a great experience for our customers, so we always welcome feedback. Our associates are focused on providing exceptional customer service, especially during this busy shopping season.”
Victoria’s Secret has previously faced controversy over its stance on trans issues – first in 2018 when then-chief marketing officer Ed Razek told Vogue that transgender and plus-sized models wouldn’t be cast in its controversial Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Within 24 hours, Razek was backpedaling and apologizing to the company’s trans fanbase. He failed, however, to apologize about the plus-size remarks.
A year later, Victoria’s Secret hired its first openly transgender “Angel” – Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio.
Just days after Sampaio broke the news by posting a sultry selfie from her “VS Pink” shoot, Razek resigned from his role at Victoria’s Secret’s corporate parent, L Brands.
