Bella Hadid was told to 'forget the panties' while being measured for underwear by Victoria’s Secret executive

Bella Hadid was reportedly subjected to lewd comments by a Victoria’s Secret executive during the 2018 fashion show. According to a New York Times reports, the 23-year-old model’s experience of sexual harassment is one of many made against Ed Razek, a top executive at L Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret. 

Reportedly, he asked Hadid to “forget the panties” sitting across her in the same room, while the model was being measured for underwear during the 2018 fashion show. 

The New York Times reports further establishes based on statements of three people present in the same room that Razek went to ask if the television network would let Hadid walk “down the runway with those perfect titties.”

Commenting on the inner workings of one of the most reputed fashion brand, Casey Crowe Taylor, a former public relations employee at Victoria’s Secret, said, “What was most alarming to me, as someone who was always raised as an independent woman, was just how ingrained this behavior was. This abuse was just laughed off and accepted as normal. It was almost like brainwashing. And anyone who tried to do anything about it wasn’t just ignored. They were punished.”

Razek has however denied the allegations against him in an email that reads, “The accusations in this reporting are categorically untrue, misconstrued or taken out of context. I’ve been fortunate to work with countless, world-class models and gifted professionals and take great pride in the mutual respect we have for each other.” 

Victoria Secret’s sales have dropped drastically since the time the organizations got embroiled in several controversies. While the brand was severely criticized for expressing disinterest in casting “transsexual” or plus-size models, its reputation was further tarnished when Jeffrey Epstein was charged with sex trafficking. 

A woman who chose to remain unnamed, said in a statement in the federal court hearing, “I had spent all of my savings getting Victoria’s Secret lingerie to prepare for what I thought would be my audition. But instead it seemed like a casting call for prostitution. I felt like I was in hell.”