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.