Victoria's Secret faces 'shocking' allegations of sexual harassment; former angels stand against lingerie giant

Model Doutzen Kroes presents a creation during the 2009 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York.
Model Doutzen Kroes presents a creation during the 2009 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York. Reuters

Victoria's Secret, the famed lingerie brand is facing some serious accusations of sexual harassment. Reportedly, over 100 models — including former Angel Doutzen Kroes and Christy Turlington — have called out Victoria's Secret for sexual harassment and abuse in an open letter to the lingerie brand's CEO.

Victoria's Secret has long been the pinnacle of success for many models in the industry, being a Victoria's Secret Angel was a career highlight for many, including legendary models like Adriana Lima and Heidi Klum.

It is being reported that the open letter penned directly to Victoria's Secret CEO John Mehas was published by the Model Alliance and co-signed by Time's Up, with more than 100 models also signing their names to express concern about allegations against the brand.

'We are writing today to express our concern for the safety and wellbeing of the models and young women who aspire to model for Victoria's Secret,' the letter read.

The letter continued: 'In the past few weeks, we have heard numerous allegations of sexual assault, alleged rape, and sex trafficking of models and aspiring models. While these allegations may not have been aimed at Victoria's Secret directly, it is clear that your company has a crucial role to play in remedying the situation.'

The lingerie brand has been putting out fires for a while now, which include their chief marketing officer's comments to Vogue about including transgender and plus-size models for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Many influential photographers have been named in the letter for abusing their power and sexually harassing vulnerable models. The letter also asks the brand to implement a RESPECT Program, In order to protect future models against abuse and harassment. We hope the brand is able to better protect the models in its employ in the future. You can check out the letter here: