Victoria’s Secret Models Use Racial Slur

A number of white Victoria’s Secret models – known as Angels – are in hot water after a video emerged of them using a racial slur backstage.

Angel Karlie Kloss was filming the girls backstage at their recent Victoria’s Secret runway show in Beijing. The Angels in the video are in their underwear, wearing silk robes, while dancing and singing along to music as they get ready for the show.

However, the clip caused an outpouring of outrage online, because the models appear to sing the n-word as part of the song’s lyrics.

The song in question, “Bodak Yellow” by black female rap artist Cardi B, features the n-word as part of its chorus.

Shortly after Kloss posted the video on her Youtube channel, fans took to social media to voice their anger that a number of white women had felt is appropriate to use the slur.

The argument as to whether white people should be allowed to use the word has raged on for decades, with everyone from celebrities to activists to linguists having their say.

Despite this argument, it’s generally accepted that the use of the word should be reserved for people of colour, and avoided by others.

Cardi B herself retweeted a follower criticizing the Angels for using the term.

The video on Kloss’s Youtube channel appears to have been edited since the backlash, with the offending line removed.

A number of white celebrities have previously drawn controversy and backlash for using the term, including Justin Bieber, Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow.

This is not the first time that Victoria’s Secret has been hit by racial controversy this year. In February, a video of Angel Gigi Hadid squinting her eyes to imitate a Buddha cookie sparked outrage.

Hadid was banned from entering China to attend the show because of the video.

Image: Karlie Kloss backstage at a Victoria’s Secret show [online image] (2014) sourced on 1 December 2017 from http://www1.pictures.stylebistro.com/mp/-exfbxmSIeSl.jpg