# Busybodyism strikes DC! New Victoria's Secret PORNOGRAPHIC!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 5, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832 "2005-10-05T03:45:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/1 "2005-10-05T03:45:58Z")
[_Won’t somebody think of the children?!?_](http://www.wusatv9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=43515) (The only link I could find this early in the rising shitstorm) To parse: Victoria’s Secret just opened a new store that they called “the nation’s sexiest” in Tyson’s Corner VA. And are currently getting deluged with complaints because the mannequins are so sexy that they are (in the minds of all the Miss McChurchyCan’tKeepHerTuttingToHerFuckingSelfs) so sexy that they are smut, pornography. I’ll grant that VS has chutzpa to have big picture windows with posing mannequins in very skimpy lingerie, and to have them relatively close to a movie theater in the mall. Maybe not the greatest idea, with the general national opinion on sexual display (lest we ignore other examples such as Same Sex Marriage and of course, Janet’s Saggy Boob). Maybe it’s in poor taste to even try. Or maybe it’s completely worth the fire they’re going to get that they’ll get to say the entire time “sex is not evil. And our products can help facilitate sex being sparked back into relationships.” Personally, I don’t much care about VS here, other than to generally agree that a little display of sex is not a bad thing. But in swarm the Defense of Family and Morals and the Baby Jesus busybodies who decide that as they feel sex to be evil and shameful, they must impose their view on everybody by raising the shitstorm. Here’s an idea: you don’t like it, DON’T LOOK. Don’t go in the store, boycott and refuse patronage all you fucking want, avoid that spot of the mall. There’s a walkway on the other side. You can keep a good 15 foot buffer between you and the filth without breaking a sweat. But for those who like a little lingerie, for those who aren’t afraid to admit that sex can be a good, positive experience, let us have our fun and spend our money how we wish. And let our misguided heathen eyes be drawn to the displays all we want. Of course, the store becomes the lead story on the local news stations, and a number of disingenuous points were raised, after a bullshit disclaimer that allowed the station to wash their hands of responsibility of showing the dirty images while still giving (guiltily) voyeuristic America what they want: - **There was a simulated display of lesbian sex in a mall-facing display window.** I seriously doubt that. No matter how many mannequins one dresses up to look sexy, and heck even have the mannequins in sensual poses with one another, hiring live actresses probably just ain’t happening. I’m calling bullshit that the news is reporting conjecture as fact without proper checkfinding. Granted, I just don’t know on this one. - **It’s by a movie theater.** Somebody think of the children who just want to go see shit getting blown up in _A History of Violence_, _Serenity_, or the upcoming _Doom_ without being subjected to the horrific evil of WOMEN’S UNDERWEAR! - **Children brought in by their shopping parents are able to wander freely in the store, including the relatively open “adult” section.** The parents don’t have a problem with teaching their children to have a healthy opinion of sex. Stop shoving your hangups on somebody else’s kids. - **It’s just EVIL and PORNOGRAPHIC**. To echo Justice Potter Stewart, I know pornography when I see it. A commercial display of (some functional, some certainly not) women’s underwear is not pornography to me. It’s barely interesting at all until it’s on a flesh-and-blood (and hopefully no silicone) woman. If it is pornography to you, good for you, but don’t try and tell me what I think of it. In short, Whiny Miss Moral Crusader Corps, fuck off and let the store exist in relatively unobtrusive peace. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/2 "2005-10-05T05:05:18Z")
Maybe she’s a sex addict. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/3 "2005-10-05T05:26:31Z")
From the link: > [@](#): > > Whitehall took pictures of the storefront windows to maybe start up website so others can see the new Victoria’s Secret. Yes. Yes, I bet she did. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/4 "2005-10-05T05:33:25Z")
Someone’s a bottle baby… I like how this dumb bitch started a website so people could see for themselves just how oh-so-sexy those mannequins are. Too sexy? Hey, guess what: People Fuck! A Lot! This happened a bare minimum of 6 billion times just to create the present population of the Earth! Guess what: Fucking is Natural! Guess what: Fucking is Fun! Guess what: Go Fuck Yourself! Ok, I’m done now. I think I will go and fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/5 "2005-10-05T06:17:52Z")
I passed by a VS in a mall in La Jolla last week, and the mannequins did seem to be wearing more interesting stuff than usual. I suppose it is a trend. No one picketing, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/6 "2005-10-05T06:48:45Z")
This country was founded by purtains. We are still paying for that one. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/7 "2005-10-05T07:10:27Z")
> [@](#): > > -There was a simulated display of lesbian sex in a mall-facing display window. I seriously doubt that. Ehhh, to be fair if you watch the video theres one section where one mannequin looks like it’s crawling toward the other. I guess that could be suggestive of lesbian sex. In anycase, thumbs up VS. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/8 "2005-10-05T10:17:55Z")
Here are [two](http://www.nbc4.com/news/5057640/detail.html?rss=dc&psp=news) [more](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/04/AR2005100401413.html?nav=rss_business/localbusiness) stories on this issue, for those who want a more complete story. ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/9 "2005-10-05T10:28:29Z")
Hah! I guess you don’t have Ann Summers in the high street over there then!? copy and paste as potentially not safe for work: [http://www.annsummers.com](http://www.annsummers.com) ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/10 "2005-10-05T10:42:23Z")
Oh for fuck’s sake. Open letter to the “Miss McChurchyCan’tKeepHerTuttingToHerFuckingSelfs”: In London, Agent Provocateur and Myla put much, much more explicit displays in their windows. Nationwide in the UK and Ireland we have Ann Summers, the “female friendly” sex shops, on the high street. Their window display is usually of some mild fetish wear and underwear that is more tarty than VS. Oh, yes, and children are welcome in store (which sells sex toys and actual porn, rather than just naughty knickers). (I won’t link to their websites as they use live models and aren’t safe for work, but you can google them if you want). Every third shop window in Venice, Italy (where we’ve just been on honeymoon) appears to be a La Perla, Calzedonia, Tezemis or Goldenpoint. All of which sell, guess what, lingerie (and very good lingerie it is too). It’s not “Amsterdam on the Potomac” unless you have live women in crotchless knickers, sitting in cublices on the street, who are willing to have sex for money. What you have now is a window full of latex dummies wearing lingerie. Europeans seem to cope just fine with window displays of models in skimpies, why the hell can’t you? Women wear lingerie, sometimes they wear nice lingerie for their partners. Get the hell over it and deal with whatever issues you have, because, quite frankly, your feelings about this say more about you than they do about the lingerie shops and their customers. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/11 "2005-10-05T12:20:58Z")
Hey, I was just by that store last night on my way to pick up dinner. I missed the lesbian mannequin display, but I did note that the store was much bigger than the one in my local mall. Then I picked up dinner, left, and that was that. No protesters last night. Too bad. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/12 "2005-10-05T12:34:46Z")
[We had the same stink in Milwaukee a couple weeks ago.](http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/sep05/358074.asp) Didn’t go far, some protestors and it made the nightly news a couple nights but I don’t think the mall or the citizens of the city took it too seriously. [And this story (same paper).](http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/sep05/358761.asp) > [@](#): > > “We need more intolerance,” said Zurawski, standing before rows of grainy photographs of scantily clad women and other sexually suggestive material available at some mall stores. > > Zurawski claimed it was illegal to expose minors to the products under Wisconsin law. That appeared to contradict the Wauwatosa Police Department, which said Monday that it had sought an opinion on the question from Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann, who determined that the products were legal. > > Neither mall management nor representatives of the specific stores attended. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/13 "2005-10-05T12:49:22Z")
I always suspect this sort of thing is stage-managed by the companies themselves. I got bigger fish to fry. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/14 "2005-10-05T12:54:46Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I passed by a VS in a mall in La Jolla last week, and the mannequins did seem to be wearing more interesting stuff than usual. I suppose it is a trend. The one in Cherry Creek Mall here has more risque windows than they used to, too. I’m surprised; VS has always been restrained in their displays. Maybe they are hurting a bit and are trying to ramp up interest. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/15 "2005-10-05T13:21:03Z")
Even if I was a Christian who thought this stuff was bad (I’m not, and I don’t at all), I’d thank Christ everyday that my life was so satisfying and in order that I could spare the brain CPU cycles to worry about this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/16 "2005-10-05T13:51:41Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Hey, guess what: People Fuck! A Lot! > > This happened a bare minimum of 6 billion times just to create the present population of the Earth! > > Guess what: Fucking is Natural! > Guess what: Fucking is Fun! > Guess what: Go Fuck Yourself! > > Ok, I’m done now. > > I think I will go and fuck. Get the fuck out outta town. There’s fucking going on? I for one am incensed at the thought of people fucking right here in my town. I am going to do something about all this rampant fucking. I don’t what the fuck I will do, but something must be done, and I am just the fucker to do it. Soon as I pull my boxers back on… ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/17 "2005-10-05T14:44:26Z")
_Be patient- sickness-addled brain at work_ Would it be better if there were no manequins? Just the underwear sort-of … Hovering there? I mean, they can’t object to an underwear store showing underwear in the window, can they? So really… They’re objecting to manequins! Down with manequins! Those evil, licivious… Something… Damn, someone else pick up this joke. Too sick to do it justice right now. Thanks ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/18 "2005-10-05T15:15:55Z")
A coworker and I are hopefully gonna go up to Tyson’s today to check it out during lunch. I’m in the McLean office today, so it’s not very far. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/19 "2005-10-05T16:01:29Z")
I was thinking of making a field trip of this. Maybe not today, though. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832/20 "2005-10-05T18:00:56Z")
OK, I went, I saw it, I got Five Guys for lunch. Is it a little more risque in its display than normal Victoria’s Secret? Yeah. But it’s still nothing to get excited about. Channel 7 had a reporter and camera out in front interviewing people. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/busybodyism-strikes-dc-new-victorias-secret-pornographic/324832.md?page=2)