Lingerie

Tuesday

Amy Rose Everett

A Christmas gift guide for her

That damn month is here again. The one where I commit to a new part-time job, my regular "to-do" list punctuated with gift research. But not researching what to buy my loved ones, you understand. Researching what they can buy me. The panicked phone calls started in mid-November. “Darling, have you thought about what you’d like for Christmas? We’d really like to get it all out of the way as soon as possible.” “Babe, what am I buying you for Christmas?” “SOS. Grandma wants to know how much money to put in your card.” I know. An itemized list isn’t really in the spirit of things. But it makes them happy, so I gave up on that line of argument circa 2014. And hey, at least I can give you a few ideas while I’m at it.

gift guide

Friday

Art Tavana

Does Rihanna have a method to her madness?

The scaffolding TMZ headline became a tower of terror for Rihanna fans: “Johnny Depp. Savage X Fenty Guess Appearance. In Rihanna’s show!!!” Variety confirmed that, yes, Johnny Depp would appear in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Vol.4 on Wednesday, streamed exclusively on Amazon Prime. Depp is the first male celebrity to be a featured guest at one of Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty shows (even though he isn’t mentioned in the press release, which means he was supposed to be a surprise). Past celebrity guests have included Cindy Crawford and Erykah Badu. Savage X Fenty is Rihanna’s global lingerie brand. Its brand ID is built around “diversity and inclusion in sizing, access,” wrote Forbes, “and marketing can lead to an even greater goal, equity in feeling sexy.

rihanna

Thursday

Katherine Dee

Don’t blame Victoria’s Secret

Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons is the latest in a spate of streaming service exposés that seek to deconstruct the image-obsessed culture of the 2000s and 2010s. Netflix’s documentary about Abercrombie & Fitch taught us that the retailer was racist, fatphobic and potentially brimming with predatory closeted homosexuals. Hulu’s three-part documentary series about Victoria’s Secret teaches us that the company was sexist, fatphobic and potentially linked to pedophilic sex trafficking. Both take issue with the billionaire Les Wexner, who these days is more famous for his association with Jeffrey Epstein than his role in defining mall culture. (His retail conglomerate was also behind The Limited, Lane Bryant, Bath & Body Works and several other retail staples.

Victoria's Secret

Thursday

Cockburn

Victoria’s Secret clips its angels’ wings

Millions of unshaved lesbians are celebrating this week after Victoria's Secret decided to go all-in on marketing with a butch over-opinionated soccer star instead of naughty, scantily-clad models. The lingerie giant announced Wednesday they were cutting ties with their iconic Victoria's Secret Angels, the tall Barbie doll-esque models sporting fluffy wings. In their place are Megan Rapinoe, 35, along with six other female athletes, as well as transgender and plus-size women for the ‘VS Collective’. Hot, right? https://twitter.com/sapna/status/1405270760994709505 Rapinoe, a member of the US women’s national soccer team, made a name for herself in 2016 after she kneeled during the national anthem in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.

victoria’s secret