Global Courant
But on another social media post sharing the same campaign video, other women complained about the lack of representation for more types of women.
“Where is the inclusiveness of the body? We need bigger and different body types represented with underwear and lingerie,” Jenny Woo wrote on Instagram. “It’s nice that it’s different races, but we also want to see realistic and different body types.”
“Where are my dark skinned plus size queens,” wrote another Instagram user Reenosha Krishnasamy, while S. Suhashini commented on the irony of “not feeling represented as a Malaysian/South East Asian woman.”
While becoming the face of Victoria’s Secret can be a milestone in Ms. Nia’s career, who has also appeared in a Malaysian film and TV show, there have also been mixed reactions, including some media outlets in Malaysia reporting on the launch of the campaign accompanied by partially censored photos of the Kuala Lumpur-born model.
Some netizens commented that Ms. Nia was an example of a “Muslim man sent to hell” or that her actions were “fuel for her destiny in the afterlife”.
But most of the netizens praised Ms. Nia and her colleagues for the showcase, with her image on the front of the international Victoria’s Secret stores, while the series of photos and videos has been beamed to a global audience.
Supermodel Ling Tan was the first Malaysian to don Victoria’s Secret clothes and walk in the brand’s fashion show in 1996.
The Straits Times has contacted Women Photographers Malaysia and Victoria’s Secret Malaysia for comment.
