When someone publicly slams a company and its well-known (previous) questionable practices, you’d expect that company to hit back contentiously.
SOPA Images | Getty Images But in the case of songwriter Jax and Victoria’s Secret, the opposite seems to be coming true.
Popular TikTok singer/songwriter and former American Idol alum Jaclyn Cole Miskanic (or Jax, as she’s called professionally) recently went viral for a song she wrote aptly called “Victoria’s Secret,” in which she called out the lingerie company for encouraging unrealistic body standards for women, alluding to Victoria’s Secret former contentious CEO Les Wexner.
@jaxwritessongs I wrote a song called Victoria’s Secret and I always wanted to be part of a Flash Mob. #victoriassecret #flashmob #bodypositivity #foryou ♬ Victoria’s Secret – Jax
“I know Victoria’s secret, and girl, you wouldn’t believe,” Jax sings on the song that debuted at #83 on Billboard’s Hot 100. “She’s an old man who lives in Ohio, making money off of girls like me.”
The song became an instant sensation and body-positivity anthem, which caught the attention of Victoria’s Secret current CEO Amy Hauk who penned an open letter to the artist which she posted on Victoria’s Secret Instagram account.
“Thank you @jax for sharing your truth,” the post was captioned alongside a photo of the handwritten letter. “To everyone out there, living authentically and bravely every day, we see and hear you.”
Hauk’s letter touched on not making excuses for the past yet being focused on transformation and the advocacy of all women moving forward while embracing vulnerability.
“As CEO of Victoria’s Secret and Pink, I can wholeheartedly say that we are all committed to building a community where everyone feels seen and respected,” she penned. “And if we mess up or can do better, we want to know.”
Hauk’s thoughtful and honest response caught the attention of Jax who then responded back to the original letter via TikTok in a video that’s since garnered over 1.6 million views.
“It was inspired by a young girl I babysit who was feeling insecure about her body. And it was a personal song for me because when I was her age, I compared my body to the one body type,” Jax explained about her decision to write the song. “Companies like Victoria’s Secret strategically advertised and that’s when I started developing eating disorders and body dysmorphia. So my goal was to make sure [she] and her friends don’t go through the same thing that I went through and never expected.”
She then called on her followers to follow up on what Hauk asked for in her post: accountability.
“Since Victoria’s Secret is paying attention to my account, I am asking anyone who feels like they never had a voice or ever had a say in the matter to comment on this video,” she told her followers. “You let them know what you need to feel safe and represented and comfortable and beautiful. In today’s society, Victoria’s Secret, if you’re watching this, you said in this letter that you’re committed to building a community where everyone feels seen.”
Victoria’s Secret has long been called out for its misogynistic and non-inclusive culture, going so far as to rid their iconic ‘Angels’ label on models to run a new campaign called the VS Collective a new platform featuring diverse and influential women.
This past February, the lingerie giant debuted its first-ever model with Down syndrome, Sofia Jirau.
A contentious document about the history of the company debuted on Hulu earlier this summer which focused on the scandal and controversy surrounding former CEO Les Wexner, including his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Victoria’s Secret (which encompasses Victoria’s Secret Lingerie, Pink and Victoria’s Secret Beauty) was down over 44% in a one-year period as of early Thursday afternoon.
