The New Victoria's Secret.

My senses have been heavily offended.

I've just returned from Tyson's Corner, where I was doing a project for my commercial design class. On the way to Urban Outfitters I was forced to pass the most atrocious monstrosity that is: the new Victoria's Secret.

Shiny, black, marble tiles shrouded the doorways to the store, which served as a gate where store personal guard each of three entrances, saying "I'm sorry. There's a five minute wait to get into the store." When I asked why they would do that, the clerk told me "It keeps it less crowded inside," as she quietly rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yeah," I replied, "And turns off half of your business too." She nodded and looked down at her hands.

I can understand where this waiting thing is coming from - in the eyes of Victoria's marketers, it's a cool new twist to the mall experience; giving the store slight, female bouncers that turn away potential browsers and only admit the most serious customers. It's supposed to create a feeling of exclusivity that "my gosh, I just got into Vicky's!"

Instead it turns 70% of their potential customers away. Because I was unwilling to wait 5 minutes to go in, I just wanted to find out what I could from my 115 lbs, blonde bouncer - so I engaged her in conversation. During that conversation, 3 people tried to go in her entrance, but instead ended up walking away while shaking their heads in annoyance and disbelief when told there was a wait to get into a store at THE MALL.

Bad move, Victoria.

But even worse in my eyes was the attitude of the store. Mannequins in bondage and/or racy lingerie were encased in glass cages that lined the doorways to the store. Behind the massive, black store frontage was a glare of red and pink - obviously designed to bespeak arousal and sex, but to me slightly resembled the entry way to hell that I see in mythology - dark stone gates break open to the red fires (and I know that sounds overly dramatic, but it's true). As you peeked through the entryway and into the rooms of underwear and sex paraphernalia, waify mannequins clad in almost nothing were sprawled erotically on red, velvet, Victorian style couches. To be honest, all that was missing from the atmosphere of a whorehouse that it conjured up were the orgasmic cries of a prostitute.

And most of all, my friends, I was horrified to look into the store and see mothers with children - still in buggies, 5 year olds, pre-teenagers... I know that censorship is unconstitutional, but when did it become alright in our society to publicly flaunt sexuality in this way? I'm not a blatant feminist by any stretch of the imagination, but I have never in my life - N E V E R - seen the body of women so grossly and sexually objectified as I did this afternoon. Even beyond the moral issues that this store is ripe with, we, as women, should take offense at this store. I sincerely hope it gets torn down or forced to remake itself.

In conclusion: Yes, the branding is nice, and the design is in a word, superb. But is it worth it? NO.