Erin Heatherton And Former Model Jill Goodacre Band Together Against Victoria’s Secret


Victoria’s Secret is one of many brands learning that, along with the increased connectivity with potential customers, the online community also provides a transparency never before experienced by costumers. Now, those ugly little secrets shared only by a small gathering of employees are coming under a harsh light, leaving companies like Victoria’s Secret to answer for unsavory and damaging practices, like fat shaming models into near-anorexic physiques.

This was the complaint Erin Heatherton took to the public and, while the support Heatherton received from fans was certainly a boost, it was the show of solidarity from Jill Goodacre, another former Victoria’s Secret model, that really boosted Heatherton’s damaged ego.

Jill Goodacre Shows Support For Erin Heatherton In Victoria’s Secret Body Shaming Controversy

Ms. Goodacre is no stranger to the secret body shaming tactics employed by Victoria’s Secret, having modeled for the lingerie brand through the 80s and 90s, so her words of support for Heatherton come from being informed through personal experiences.

Jill may have a point, as she suggests Victoria’s Secret may be having the opposite effect on their models by asking them to drop pounds or lose their jobs. Such tactics affect one’s morale, so, even when models do comply, they come to the sets and fashion shows with low self-esteem and possibly even feeling depressed. The stress of the situation most certainly limits the sex appeal models exude, which is the aim of fashion brands like Victoria’s Secret.

“I think every female should be happy in their own skin and if you see a curvy woman, that’s beautiful,” says Jill Goodacre, who shares three children with actor Harry Conick, Jr. “I mean, you exude how you feel and there should be no pressure to lose weight. I think that’s wrong, I really do.”

Erin Heatherton Takes A Stand Against Body Shaming And “Unrealistic Beauty Standards” In Fight With Victoria’s Secret

Recently, Cara Delevingne spoke about the stress of modeling and sounded very much like a converted spokeswoman for the entire modeling industry, singing its praises and declaring that she didn’t blame the industry for anything. Erin Heatherton has come out voicing an extremely opposite point of view, essentially declaring that enough is enough. Erin says she has complied with Victoria’s Secret’s physical demands for two years and she now looks back on those incidents, wondering what made her comply with those demands in the first place.

“My last two Victoria’s Secret shows, I was told I had to lose weight,” Heatherton said. “I look back like, ‘Really?'”

Ms. Heatherton reveals that she nearly killed herself, trying to assimilate to the strict guidelines, before a 2013 Victoria’s Secret runway show. She adapted to a new diet and talks of having spent a good fraction of each day enduring intensive workouts to drop the required pounds, but Erin says her body “just wouldn’t do it”.

For those interested to know what Victoria’s Secret considers overweight, Heatherton stands at 5’11” and fits into a size 4 dress. Erin’s measurements have been recorded with precision at 33-24.5-34.

It wasn’t long before the demands Victoria’s Secret executives placed on Erin had a negative impact on her psyche, leaving her feeling depressed and unmotivated. Heatherton recalls arriving home from a workout and thinking about having put in maximum effort only to achieve very minimal results, and she says she just considered not eating her meal at all. For Erin, that moment was a wake up call.

“I realized I couldn’t go out into the world—parading my body and myself in front of all these women who look up to me—and tell them that this is easy and simple and everyone can do this.”

Erin Heatherton has left Victoria’s Secret.

[Image by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated]

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