Halsey performed at the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which aired on Dec. 2, but the 24-year-old singer followed up her performance by criticizing the brand’s transphobic controversy in an Instagram post.
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was filmed in November in New York City. Ed Razek, chief marketing officer for Victoria’s Secret’s parent company L Brands, made some controversial comments about diversity among the underwear label’s models in a November interview with Vogue.
“If you’re asking if we’ve considered putting a transgender model in the show or looked at putting a plus-size model in the show, we have. So it’s like, why don’t you do 50? Why don’t you do 60? Why don’t you do 24? It’s like, why doesn’t your show do this? Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy,” Razek said at the time.
After facing backlash, Razek apologized for his “insensitive comments.”
Halsey took to Instagram to explain that the controversy occurred after she filmed her performance.“I have adored the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show since I was young,” Haley writes. “Performing this year alongside other amazing artists and hard-working models/friends was supposed to be the best night of my year. However, after I filmed the performance, some comments were made regarding the show that I simply cannot ignore.”
Halsey, who is bisexual, made mention of her support for the LGBT community and says she has donated to LGBT youth organization, GLSEN.
“As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have no tolerance for a lack of inclusivity.”
“Especially not one motivated by stereotype,” she wrote. “If you’re on my page because you watched my performance tonight, please allow me instead to direct your attention to GLSEN: An organization that offers services aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ youth. And with respect to those youth targeted by these comments in a world where they have been made to feel ‘other,’ I have made a sizeable donation in their honor.”
“If you are a trans person reading this, and these comments have made you feel alienated or invalidated please know that you have allies,” she continued. “We stand in solidarity,” Halsey wrote. “And complete and total acceptance is the only ‘fantasy’ that I support.”
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