The day before Victoria's Secret's popular fashion show on Tuesday in Los Angeles, Playboy.com (PLA) premiered its own feature on
"The Real Girls of Victoria's Secret" — five employees selected from about 100 applicants to pose, with and without the lingerie, for pictures and video while sauntering down a runway.
"Victoria's Secret catalogs are iconic, and the models in them are some of the most gorgeous women in the world," Playboy.com editor John Thomas said in a statement. "But because we've noticed so many beautiful women working in Victoria's Secret stores, we wanted to turn the tables and give them a chance to pose as well."
It's not the first time the adult website has taken on the corporate world. Women from McDonald's, Wal-Mart and Home Depot have doffed their duds for Playboy.com photographers.
"The Real Girls of Victoria's Secret" premiered on Playboy.com on Monday. A few teaser photographs and video clips were available, but full access was restricted to the website's paying subscribers.
Professional stylists and photographers made the switch from selling lingerie to posing in it easy, said Kimberlee Ann, a 19-year-old part-time Victoria's Secret employee in Pittsburgh.
"From the moment they called me until now I was just thrilled with excitement. I've been on a ride this whole time," she said. "I've always wanted to pose in Playboy, but I never thought I would get to do it."
Victoria's Secret was not involved in the project, said Theresa Hennessey, spokeswoman for Playboy.com. Messages seeking comment were left with Limited Brands (LTD), the lingerie chain's parent company.
Playboy.com's shoots using real women rather than models have gotten positive responses, and the company is already thinking about what it will move on to next, Hennessey said. "We're always looking out for that next big pop culture thing," Hennessey said.