Houston dad's criticism of Victoria's Secret goes viral

Models Adriana Lima, left, Doutzen Kroes and Candice Swanepoel, right, lead the final runway walk during the 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Wednesday Nov. 7, 2012 in New York. The show will be broadcast on Tuesday, Dec. 4 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) less Models Adriana Lima, left, Doutzen Kroes and Candice Swanepoel, right, lead the final runway walk during the 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Wednesday Nov. 7, 2012 in New York. The show will be ... more Photo: Evan Agostini, INVL Photo: Evan Agostini, INVL Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Houston dad's criticism of Victoria's Secret goes viral 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

If a Houston pastor has his way, the racy undergarments Victoria's Secret markets to young women would remain hush-hush.

And his criticism of how America's largest lingerie retailer promotes its products has gone viral.

The Rev. Evan Dolive's open letter to the company, posted March 22 on his Modern Faith blog on Chron.com and on his personal website, evandolive.com, has been viewed more than 3 million times. In the last week, the story has been picked up by U.S. and international media, including CNN, The Huffington Post and the International Business Times.

"I am a father of a three-year-old girl. She loves princesses, Dora the Explorer, Doc McStuffins and drawing pictures for people," Dolive, 30, said in the missive's opening statement about a new set of products in the Victoria's Secret PINK franchise. "The line will be called 'Bright Young Things' and will feature lace black cheeksters with the word 'Wild' emblazoned on them, green and white polka-dot hipsters screen printed with 'Feeling Lucky' and a lace trim thong with the words 'Call me' on the front. As a dad, this makes me sick. I believe that this sends the wrong message to not only my daughter but to all young girls."

'Part of the magic'

On Monday, through its Facebook page, the company denied targeting school-age customers.

"Victoria's Secret PINK is a brand for college-aged women. Despite recent rumors, we have no plans to introduce a collection for younger women. 'Bright Young Things' was a slogan used in conjunction with the college spring break tradition," the note said.

That explanation contrasts with comments from Stuart Burgdoerfer, chief financial officer of Victoria's Secret parent, Limited Brands.

"When somebody's 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be?" Burgdoerfer reportedly opined at a conference in January. "They want to be older, and they want to be cool like the girl in college, and that's part of the magic of what we do at Pink."

Protests and petitions

The connection between the lingerie marketing and buying power of teens and tweens could be witnessed during the 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, aired in December, as teen heartthrob Justin Bieber serenaded models who strutted in the line's colorful cotton panties and bras.

Outraged parents from throughout the U.S. have expressed their disapproval through social media.

"Your new line 'Bright Young Things' is one of the most disgusting, perverse things I've seen in a long time," Elizabeth McRae Meyer of Portland, Ore., commented on the company's Facebook page. "Targeting young girls with the messages those underwear send is shameful. As a long time card holder and shopper, you've lost a customer in me for life."

And that's not all. A new Facebook page demands that Victoria's Secret pull the clothing line and a change.org petition has collected more than 11,800 supporters.

"Our children are not sex objects; not things," Diana Cherry, of Seattle, wrote in creating the online protest. "Please join me in asking Victoria's Secret to stop being part of the problem and be part of the solution by pulling their 'Bright Young Things' campaign."

Dolive, the interim pastor of the Bethany Christian Church since September, got about 5,000 hits after posting his letter Friday night - mostly through the likes, comments and shares of his Facebook friends. By the weekend, the letter had been viewed more than 1 million times around the world.

Originally from Longview, Dolive graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University intending to become a physical therapist, then earned his master's degree in divinity in 2009 from the Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky.

Overwhelmed, humbled

As of Thursday afternoon, Dolive had been interviewed by three Houston television stations and appeared via webcam on the ABC affiliate in Dallas.

He's done numerous phone interviews for print and radio outlets. And, he's been all over the Internet.

"It's been overwhelming and humbling all at the same time," the pastor said. "It's nice to know there are people out there that had similar thoughts."

He's adamant that his toddler shouldn't have to worry about whether she'll be "accepted or liked or noticed" based on her undergarments in the future.

"The way they market underwear needs to change," Dolive said. "Victoria's Secret and other companies … set up an unattainable standard for beauty and sexuality - and 14-, 15-, 16-year-old girls think they can get that from that store."