It's no secret that body positivity and self-love are trending all over social media. It’s a start to something much bigger, its men and women learning to accept themselves and be confident in their own skin, whether they are petite, slender, tall, voluptuous or any other body type.
Body positivity has been evolving since the 1960’s. Before social media, magazines and television were blamed for giving society a false image of what a perfect body should look like. With the dawn of social media, the perfect body was then put forefront into people’s hands and minds, along with the idea that everybody is beautiful in their own right. Body positivity is core to mental health and self-love.
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Former American Idol Contestant Sparks Body Image Positivity
Former American Idol Season 14 contestant, Jax, who came in third overall on the show, has a new song out that is criticizing Victoria's Secret. The music video by singer and songwriter Jax has gone viral, as the song is being shared between women and men alike. The artist was public about her thyroid cancer and now she has debuted her original song about body positivity.
Jax states that she was inspired to write the song for the little girl who she babysits for after the child was body shamed while she was shopping for a swimsuit. Jax wanted to support the little girl in hopes of helping her avoid body issues that she had faced in her past. Jax states she went through eating disorders from the unrealistic ideals set out by marketing campaigns.
The video for the song "Victoria’s Secret" features a photo of Jax and shows how pictures are photoshopped into a “perfect” image and then shows a side-by-side comparison at the end. The official video on her YouTube (GOOGL) has been viewed over 5 million times on different streaming and social media platforms. The song also just made it to the iHeartRadio (IHRTB) Top 100 and it reached Top 5 on Spotify (SPOT).
The song has resonated with both men and women. Social media comments from all over are that people relate to the words in the song and that they want to push for body acceptance and for self-love.
Victoria's Secret Exec Takes Notice
Victoria’s Secret & Co. (VSCO) CEO Amy Hauk responded to the viral song and the company's past via Instagram (META). She stated that she has heard the song and it does address important issues. Issues like the company's past involvement in shaping body images.
Inclusivity has been knocking at the door of Victoria’s Secret. In 2018, after negative comments by the company’s CMO Ed Razek, the company stated Victoria’s Secret does not include plus size or transgender models in the annual fashion show because it is meant to be a fantasy. The comments were a precursor to stocks dropping 40% in one year. The declining sales were a wake-up call that the company needed to take a good look at what the company model is after.
The new CEO, Hauk, makes no excuses for the past, but states that the company has been making strides to move its focus in the right direction of advocating for all women and has invited the artist into the conversation.
Jax responded to the CEO of Victoria’s Secret's invite to join the conversation about building body acceptance and positivity by saying ‘no thanks.’ She states she wasn’t trying to attack the company but to bring light to the idea that she had body issues and that for her personally she was impacted by the image that the company portrays.
Jax states she is just a songwriter and was speaking her truth. She said she is happy that so many people relate to her music’s lyrics, but this isn’t a new issue. She added that it takes a village and welcomes everyone to feel seen and heard.
