Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Said Victoria’s Secret “Missed the Boat” on Rebranding

There are likely a lot of reasons why Rosie Huntington-Whiteley‘s name is familiar. She’s an actor and beauty brand creator. She also used to be a Victoria’s Secret Angel, but that hasn’t stopped Huntington-Whiteley from weighing in on the changes happening with the brand.

If you’re not familiar with the overhaul happening at the brand, Victoria’s Secret announced in June that it would be replacing the Angels with the VS Collective, a group of women known for their achievements, like soccer star Megan Rapinoe, actor and activist Priyanka Chopra, and Sudanese refugee and model Adut Akech. The members of the VS Collective will both model for and promote the brand but will also be part of an advisory body that will help direct the brand toward more inclusive representation.

Huntington-Whiteley, however, said in an August 21st interview with the Sunday Times that the brand was slow to respond to the calls for more diverse representation.

“I do feel Victoria’s Secret really missed the boat with broadening themselves out in the past few years,” she said, “and really listening to the cultural shift of what people are looking for from their brand.”

Victoria’s Secret’s overhaul comes as other brands have seen not only success but praise with their inclusive sizing and diverse models. Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingerie line not only features sizing from XS-3X and bra sizing from A cup through H cups and band sizes from 30-46 but features models of different sizes, abilities, and identities.

While the changes happening at Victoria’s Secret might come after other brands’ have led the way, many women are tired of the brand reacting to the changing times rather than being a leader in the field. It remains to be seen if this rebrand will lift Victoria’s Secret back up or if it’s too little too late.