Victoria’s Secret brand takes hit as #MeToo ascends

The #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault may be taking a toll on Victoria’s Secret, according to polling by market research firm YouGov.

The sexy-lingerie purveyor’s YouGov buzz score, indicating whether consumers are hearing positive or negative things about a brand, dropped more than 3 points over the past six months to 23 for 18- to 49-year-old women. In 2016, the company’s buzz score for that age group was 31, compared with 36 for Amazon, the No. 1 brand that year.

“Our data shows that the perception of the Victoria’s Secret’s brand is declining, and one of the things that may be contributing is the #MeToo movement,” Ted Marzilli, YouGov’s BrandIndex CEO, told the New York Post. “The brand and what it stands for and how it’s promoted is not helpful right now.”

On the other hand, more women ages 18 to 49 said they would be proud to work for Victoria's Secret rather than embarrassed, and one-third expressed an openness to shopping there the next time they are in the market for clothing.

The #MeToo movement gained momentum last year as a means of complaining on social media about sexual harassment and assault after allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein emerged.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
LB	LANDBRIDGE CO. LLC	67.45	+1.36	+2.06%

The same-store sales of Victoria’s Secret dropped 1% in December even as many retailers were reporting strong holiday sales, the Post reported. The stock of parent firm L Brands is down more than 40% this year.

L Brands hadn’t responded to a request for comment from FOX Business at the time of publication.