Blame it on the Brand

"I know Victoria's secret... She was made up by a dude."

I'd tell you the song lyric stopped me in my tracks, but I was driving when I first heard Jax's Victoria's Secret and didn't literally slam on the brakes.

Figuratively, though, I turned all my available attention to the lyrics that would follow.

I wish somebody would've told me that thighs of thunder

Meant normal human thighs

The fuckin' pressure I was under

To lose my appetite

And fight the cellulite with Hunger Games like every night

If I could go back and tell myself

When I was younger, I'd say

"Hey, dummy

I know Victoria's secret

Girl, you wouldn't believe

She's an old man who lives in Ohio

Making money off of girls like me"

Cashin' in on body issues

Sellin' skin and bones with big boobs

I know Victoria's secret

She was made up by a dude (dude)

Victoria was made up by a dude (dude)

Victoria was made up by a dude

There's more, but I think you get the idea.

When brands become very dominant, they sometimes become shorthand for the category.

You might say "I need a Kleenex" when what you actually need is a "facial tissue". Kleenex is a brand of facial tissue, but it's one that's so ubiquitous that it has come to represent the entire facial tissue category.