Victoria's Secret has undergone dramatic changes in the past year and in its latest move has revealed the brand's first male model.
Since its establishment in the late 1970s, Victoria's Secret has only presented women as the face of its various campaigns but 30-year-old Darren Barnet is changing that as he joins the company as an ambassador for its Pink gender-free collection.
Amy Hauk, chief executive officer of the Victoria's Secret Pink campaign, described Barnet, who stars in "Never Have I Ever," as a "positive role model for teens and young adults," making him the obvious choice for the position, according to Yahoo!
"As we focus on expanding our gender-free offerings and continue to evolve as a brand, we want to ensure our partners not only represent the diversity of our customers, but also embody individuality and self-confidence," she said.
Barnet took to his Instagram Story to share the news, saying that he was excited to be a part of the campaign. The Victoria's Secret Pink range includes shorts, T-shirts, accessories and more.
"They’re focusing a lot on mental health awareness, inclusivity, community. I could not be more stoked about it, and I will be helping to launch more styles in their gender-free collection," Barnet said of the brand.
Last year Victoria's Secret announced it was doing away with its Angels models in an effort to be more inclusive of women with various body types. As part of that campaign, the VS Collective, the retailer instead introduced high-profile women known for their achievements to represent the brand. Among those ambassadors was soccer star Megan Rapinoe, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, transgender model Valentina Sampaio, freestyle skier Eileen Gu, model and refugee Adut Akech, and model Paloma Essler.
"When the world was changing, we were too slow to respond. We needed to stop being about what men want and to be about what women want," chief executive Martin Waters told The New York Times at the time.
"I’ve known that we needed to change this brand for a long time, we just haven’t had the control of the company to be able to do it," Waters continued, adding that he doesn't see the Angels as "culturally relevant."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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