Protest of Victoria's Secret G-String Displays Spreads in Detroit Suburbs

GREEN OAK TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Victoria's secret isn't sitting well with some residents in Livingston County.

A lingerie display at a Victoria's Secret store in the new Green Oak Village Place mall has stimulated a boycott, protest letters and spun off picketers at another lingerie and adult novelty store in nearby Brighton.

Robin Blaszak, a 46-year-old Hamburg Township resident, said she was shocked by what she saw at the store.

"They had six mannequins standing in different ways in G-strings, stilettos and high-top nylons and skimpy bras," Blaszak told the Detroit Free Press for a Sunday story. "I thought, 'I can't believe they're doing this.'

"A lot of young women tend to look at the fashion industry to see what sort of image they should be projecting. "I don't think this is a little thing. It's like that pebble you throw in the water. It has that ripple effect."

Blaszak helped launch a letter-writing campaign with fellow members of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church asking for less racy displays and a meeting with corporate officials.

A message was left Sunday seeking comment with Limited Brands, the parent company of Victoria's Secret.

Sean Valentino, assistant retail property manager for Redico, which manages the mall, said the displays have since been toned down.

"The community had some concerns with it and we're working with them to see what we can do to address those concerns," he said. "We want to create a family friendly atmosphere here."

Protesters have also broadened their scope to a lingerie store in Brighton, where they have picketed three times since Thanksgiving. Brighton Mayor Steve Monet said the owner of the Intimate Ideas store agreed to hang fabric in the shop's windows to shield passers-by from adult materials and other measures.

"We're not going to have a red light district in Brighton," Monet said. "This is not the start of it."

An employee said Sunday the store would not comment on the protests.