The Australian Bridget Malcolm worked for the lingerie label Victoria’s Secret for several years. In an interview, she spoke about the brand’s toxic body cult. The pressure to be slim made her sick.
The Australian Bridget Malcolm looks back on a career that many young girls dream of: At the age of 14 she was discovered by a model scout on the street and got her first contract with an agency. Two years later, she moved to New York to pursue her career. Malcolm was doing well. It ran for designers like Ralph Lauren and Stella McCartney and graced the covers of major fashion magazines. In 2015, she hired the lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret for her catwalk show. The following year, Malcolm could also be seen on the catwalk in underwear. However, the 29-year-old has no good memories of her collaboration with the US label.
In an interview with Malcolm now spoke about the toxic physical culture that prevailed at Victoria’s Secret. It was made unmistakably clear to her that she had to stay thin and should even lose weight if she wanted to become a Victoria’s Secret angel one day. The models, who walk the catwalk with huge angel wings, were considered the stars of the brand – and were also best paid.
“I had an eating disorder, was on anxiety medication, had constant panic attacks, and was exhausted. My body was malnourished, my mind was malnourished, it was relentless,” said Malcolm of her time at Victoria’s Secret. The company exploited and controlled its models.
Victoria’s Secret model Bridget Malcom starved for days
But other companies and customers were also extremely fixated on their figure. At the age of 15, Malcolm heard from her agent that she had to lose weight. The struggle with one’s own body lasted ten years. Malcolm reported in the interview that she once did not eat anything for three days, only drank. “I had to stop because I kept passing out. I was annoyed with myself because I wanted to last five days.”
In early 2017, after two years as a Victoria’s Secret model, she was so malnourished that she could barely climb a flight of stairs. “I had just got to the top and had this terrible, empty feeling: This is what the rest of my life will be like if I don’t do something about it right away,” said Malcolm. In the meantime she chooses the companies she works with very carefully. “I no longer have the feeling that I’m being made an object. I work with brands that are nice, who treat women like women, who don’t sexualise me and who treat me with respect on set,” said the Australian.
A spokesman for Victoria’s Secret responded to the allegations made by Bridget Malcolm, pointing to the brand’s new image, which is supposed to be more diverse and celebrates women for their achievements instead of their looks. Malcolm criticized the re-branding as a “joke” a few months ago.
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I am a 24-year-old writer and journalist who has been working in the news industry for the past two years. I write primarily about market news, so if you’re looking for insights into what’s going on in the stock market or economic indicators, you’ve come to the right place. I also dabble in writing articles on lifestyle trends and pop culture news.
