Victoria's Secret begins design research on special mastectomy bras after 120,000 sign petition of frustrated breast cancer survivor

Limited Brands, which owns Victoria's Secret, has revealed it is in the process of researching the development of a special line of bras for women who have undergone mastectomies.
After a petition asking Victoria's Secret to make 'Survivor' bras for breast cancer patients garnered 120,000 signatures in less than two weeks, Limited Brands’ VP of external communications, Tammy Roberts Myers, met with the petition's creators yesterday to discuss a game plan.
Allana Maiden, 27, who launched the petition on January 17th via change.org, was six years old when her mother, Debbie Barrett, was treated for breast cancer and underwent a single mastectomy - and finding a bra to fit, she says, was an added traumatic challenge she didn't need.

Victoria's Secret petition: Allana Maiden (right), who launched the petition, was six years old when her mother, Debbie Barrett (left), was treated for breast cancer and underwent a single mastectomy

According to Fashionista, the mother-daughter duo, armed with the signatures from the petition and comments from cancer survivors like, 'I cried when I threw away thousands of dollars of Victoria’s Secret bras I can never wear again,' left the meeting 'optimistic.'
Ms Maiden said: 'We didn’t really know what to expect going in. [Ms Myers] had been really nice on the phone when I had talked to her before, and she seemed really interested in my ideas, so I kind of thought it would continue to go that way, but I wasn’t really expecting it to go that high.'

 

She revealed that Victoria’s Secret has already begun researching the design process of a mastectomy bra, and the company plans to fly Ms Maiden and her mother to their Columbus, Ohio headquarters to meet with developers.
'It’s good to know that I’m helping somebody that’s high up in the company and that seems interested in finding out more about this and what we can do to make it possible,' she said.
Victoria’s Secret, who donate '$10s of millions to cancer research,' responded to the meeting with Ms Maiden and Mrs Barrett in a statement: 'We celebrate those who champion the fight against breast cancer. Victoria’s Secret and our parent company, Limited Brands, have been dedicated to helping eradicate this disease/

'I cried when I threw away thousands of dollars of Victoria’s Secret bras I can never wear again'

'Ultimately, we are working towards celebrating the day when breast cancer is a thing of the past. In the meantime, we are listening and learning to understand if there are additional ways for our company to continue to extend its support.'
After a mastectomy, many women wear a prosthetic breast; and special post-mastectomy bras have internal pockets that can fit the prosthesis.
There are retailers that sell these specialty bras, however Ms Maiden explained that near her mother's home in rural Virginia, retailers that stock them are rare and the bras she has tried to order online fit poorly.
'She was driving an hour and a half to go to the closest store that sold specialty bras,' Ms Maiden told the New York Daily News.
'She's never said anything or indicated that she's had self-image issues. But I've seen what a struggle it can be to find a bra that fits.
'After everything else she's been through, buying a bra shouldn't be a huge ordeal,' she added.

Making a difference: After the petition received 120,000 signatures in less than two weeks, Limited Brands¿ VP of external communications, Tammy Roberts Myers, met with the duo yesterday to discuss a game plan

So Ms Maiden suggested Victoria's Secret create a line of post-mastectomy bras, which she has nicknamed the 'Survivor.' 
She notes in her petition that 'Victoria's Secret is known for helping women feel confident and comfortable' - two features she had found lacking in the small selection of post-mastectomy bras available.
The retailer's national reach (it has more than 1,000 stores in America alone) would make such bras readily available for women who live in more rural areas.
Ms Maiden hopes that her petition will eventually get the company's attention and ultimately lead to a new offering in their stores.
'With a workforce and a customer base that are more than 90 percent female, breast cancer is an issue close to many of us at Limited Brands,' the company's website states.
While Victoria's Secret has made no public statement regarding the petition, Tammy Roberts Myers, the company's vice president of external communications, spoke with Ms Maiden yesterday afternoon.
'She asked me a few questions about how mastectomy bras work,' said Ms Maiden.
'I told her about my positive experiences being fitted there and that I want survivors to have that same experience.'
'[Ms Myers] said she was going to share my idea with the right people internally.