Disappointment abounds.
Victoria’s Secret is the latest company to officially release its Super Bowl ad as is the custom. But not before ramping up buzz for its newest (and probably most expensive) commercial by having released a teaser beforehand.
Last week, we got all excited about the lingerie line’s teaser, which showed fully clothed, football jersey-clad Angels getting down and dirty on the gridiron. It appeared that the beauty brand might be making a monumental shift in its advertising game. A shift away from the sexual objectivity of women (really who are those ads for anyway…?!) and toward a more powerful, less fragile breed of Angels.
www.youtube.com/embed/S5-sx-Qgd_M
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Well, all of our hopes were dashed with the full commercial’s release.
Back are the scantily clad, bed writhing, catwalk-stomping vixens with suggestively placed bags full of Victoria’s Secret.
So what was the point?
Why release a teaser like that then pull a 180 and march right back where you came from?
Was it not received as well as they had hoped?
Were they scared all of a sudden women might realize, “Hey, this is kind of awesome,” and men might burn down the town of Glendale after the two-minute warning, when the commercial is set to air?
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Oh, I get it now. You’ve got to wait for the end.
The tagline at the end of the full commercial makes it all make sense: Women don’t play real sports or compete in real games. The real game doesn’t begin until you are in the bedroom.
Because, after all, they just finished playing a football game, got out of the uniforms and slipped into some lingerie and now the real game begins. Right? Is that what you’re telling us?
Gag. Barf. Eye roll. Sigh.
As a female athlete, these commercials are not only offensive but can do some real damage in terms of furthering women in sports and self-confidence, in general. They are telling us you are only worthy of true competition when you are in the bedroom. Which literally makes me laugh out loud at how ridiculous that is.
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You might at first glance say they are talking about the Super Bowl game… but that theory is dashed when you remember: They just released a video of the same women playing a football game themselves.
They are clearly referring to the teaser ad.
Listen, Victoria’s Secret marketing team: not cool.
Now don’t get me wrong. I love Victoria’s Secret, their products, and I love watching the fashion show. I think the women on stage are beautiful and deserve everything for which they have worked.
But this is a bad message. It wouldn’t be so bad without the teaser. It’s head scratchingly absurd.
Watch the official ad here, and after having watched the teaser… what do you think?
www.youtube.com/embed/8lZgpaVpKQk
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