Former Victoria's Secret Model Slams Lingerie Brand For Weight Issues, Mental Health Woes

Recalling herself as a sad and underweight girl at the height of her career as a model with Victoria’s Secret, 29-year-old Bridget Malcolm took to TikTok on Sunday to open up about the stark realities behind the supposedly glamourous job.

In her post, Malcolm slammed the lingerie brand in a video captioned, "too little too late Victoria's Secret." In the video, the model is seen holding a size 30A lace white Victoria’s Secret bra that she wore in a previous event. She then says: "I am now a size 34B…which is healthy for me."

According to Eonline, the model was referring to the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which was her second and final walk for the brand.

In her video, Malcolm called out Victoria's Secret's former executive Ed Razek and revealed how she got turned down for a show because she was not fit to walk down the runway.

"I was rejected from the show in 2017 by Ed Razek. He said 'my body did not look good enough.'"

"Victoria's Secret, your performative ally ship is a joke,” Malcolm continued.

Razek previously served as the marketing chief of L Brands, Victoria’s Secret parent company. He resigned in 2019, nearly a year after he made some controversial remarks against a competitor’s show and on his disapproval over having transsexual models for the show.

Last month, the well-known lingerie company formally ditched its "Angels" brand amid years of strong public criticism that reached its peak in 2018 following Razek’s interview with Vogue where he made unsavory comments against a show of rival upstart brand, Savage x Fenty by pop star Rihanna.

“Everybody keeps talking about Rihanna’s show. If we had done Rihanna’s show, we would be accused of pandering without question… Because the brand has a specific image… By the way, we’ve had three pregnant models walk the show. Everybody had the conversation about Savage [x Fenty] having the pregnant model in the show. We watch this, we’re amused by it, but we don’t milk it. And all of these things that they’ve “invented,” we have done and continue to do,” Razek told Vogue in the November 2018 interview adding that they could not allow having transsexuals in the show.

Razek swiftly apologized for the comment but just a week later, the brand’s CEO, Jan Singer, resigned from the company, citing declining sales, according to this Eonline report.

In August 2019, Razek also resigned from his post.

The "Angels" was recently replaced by the "VS Collective," a more inclusive group of seven ambassadors that include actress and entrepreneur, Priyanka Chopra Jonas; refugee and mental wellness supporter and model, Adut Akech; a journalist and equality advocate, Amanda de Cadenet; athlete, Eileen Gu; activist and model, Valentina Sampaio; model and community creator, Paloma Elsesser; and LGBTQIA community advocate and professional soccer player, Megan Rapinoe.

Asked by a fan why she did not speak up sooner, Malcolm replied that she dealt with mental health struggles to meet modeling beauty standards.