‘Survivor Bra’ Petition Gets Victoria’s Secret To Respond

An online petition to encourage Victoria’s Secret to produce a “survivor bra” line has gotten a positive response from the famous retailer.

The petition asks Victoria’s Secret to consider developing bras that would be designed specifically for women who have undergone mastectomy surgery. The document rapidly gathered over 118,000 signatures following its posting online in mid-January.

The attention it gained was enough to spark an interest by the lingerie titan, who agreed to discuss the concept with the initiative’s creators.

An article by Mother Nature Network writes that the petition, posted on Change.org, began with Allana Maiden and her mother Debbie Barrett. Allana, now 27 , was just six years old when Debbie was diagnosed with breast cancer and endured the subsequent mastectomy.

Frustration at the lack of aesthetically pleasing lingerie options for breast cancer survivors inspired the mother and daughter to take action. Maiden’s plea on behalf of mastectomy survivors like her mother reads in part:

“My mom is a breast cancer survivor — 21 years cancer-free! I’m so inspired by her strength and hope, and after everything she went through, it doesn’t seem fair that shopping for bras is such a discouraging, time consuming and frustrating ordeal.”

The petition reaches out to Victoria’s Secret specifically:

“Victoria’s Secret stores are located all across America and the sales women are always helpful with fittings. The designs are beautiful and can do wonders to boost a woman’s self esteem, which is definitely needed after a life-changing experience like breast cancer and major surgery.”

According to ABC News, Victoria’s Secret responded positively to the idea of a “survivor bra”. Maiden and Barret soon met with Tammy Roberts Myers, Vice President of External Communications for Limited Brands, parent company of Victoria’s Secret.

Following the meeting Maiden expressed her feelings on the outcome:

“We were just blown away. They actually want to send us out there and are taking this seriously. I didn’t know what to expect meeting someone so high in the company. I thought it would just be a pat on the back — ‘Good job, we can’t do it.’ It was amazing. I do think that [Victoria’s Secret] is interested in figuring out how to do this.”

Although Limited Brands has not publicly committed to releasing a “survivor bra” for mastectomy survivors, the company did say the following in a statement to ABC News:

“Ultimately, we are working towards celebrating the day when breast cancer is a thing of the past. In the meantime, we are listening and learning to understand if there are additional ways for our company to continue to extend its support.”

Do you think Victoria’s Secret should create a “survivor bra” like Maiden’s petition suggests?