Phi Beta Pink?

[littleowl33]

I was in Victoria's Secret today and saw bags from the PINK collection with the words "Phi Beta Pink" on them with some silly crest. It was obviously meant to mimic sorority bags. I thought it was pretty stupid... and if I was in a group with those letters in it (like Gamma Phi Beta, etc.) I might have been kind of annoyed. I don't know, it just doesn't seem right for just anyone to have "mock letters", plus it's a company that basically sells itself on sex appeal - not a great Greek image.

I don't know, what do you guys think? Has anyone else seen this? I know there are a lot of threads on the fact that no one needs to be "the letter police", but it seems really odd that a store is selling this stuff.

EDIT: I just searched it, and they've got shirts with the greek letters Phi Beta Pi on them. According to one website, the designer of the whole line is a Pi Phi?

Originally Posted by littleowl33

I was in Victoria's Secret today and saw bags from the PINK collection with the words "Phi Beta Pink" on them with some silly crest. It was obviously meant to mimic sorority bags. I thought it was pretty stupid... and if I was in a group with those letters in it (like Gamma Phi Beta, etc.) I might have been kind of annoyed. I don't know, it just doesn't seem right for just anyone to have "mock letters", plus it's a company that basically sells itself on sex appeal - not a great Greek image.

I don't know, what do you guys think? Has anyone else seen this? I know there are a lot of threads on the fact that no one needs to be "the letter police", but it seems really odd that a store is selling this stuff.

You're taking this wayyyyy too seriously.

Not a great Greek image = sorority girls lifting their shirts up on Girls Gone Wild and then broadcasting their sorority affiliation. Victoria's Secret mocking sorority letters? Not that bad.

It's not worth getting your panties in a bunch. Tee hee har har har.

[SWTXBelle]

I think it is meant to be a play on "Phi Beta Kappa" more than anything else. I think it is all in good fun, so am not offended. I don't think anyone who knows anything about NPCs is going to confuse it with Gamma Phi Beta - and those who don't are more than likely to have positive associations. If it were liquor, or something more negative, it would be a different story.

[Munchkin03]

I just think the whole "PINK" thing is kinda silly to begin with.

[lovespink88]

I actually didn't think VS made the Phi Beta Pink line anymore. I remember it first came out in Fall 06, because it was around the same time a good friend of mine got a bid to Pi Phi, and since she's absolutely crazy about VS, she thought it was the coolest thing that Phi Beta Pink sounded like Pi Beta Phi. (Well in her opinion at least).

I personally don't mind it. But that may just be because I'm biased since worked there for about a year, and became a giant Victoria's Secret tool. (Hence my username....)

But I can understand why people might be put off by the collection because of what the store sells. The same thing happened this past summer when VS obtained permission to use official college logos and use them to make their own Pink Collegiate Collection. Some of the schools, such as University of Minnesota and I believe Boston College, ended up pulling the plug on letting VS use their logos on merchandise because the schools did not want to associate their name with Victoria's Secret.

Personally, I LOVE the Collegiate Collection certainly don't mind seeing Phi Beta Pink either. Especially because all of the Phi Beta Pink and college stuff only has the Pink logo, which many people might not even recognize as a Victoria's Secret brand. And those who do identify it as a Victoria's Secret brand understand that what Pink is offers very different from the other lines at Victoria's Secret such as Very Sexy or Sexy Little Things. In fact, I think that many VS customers would consider Pink more of a lounge-wear clothing line than a lingerie line.

So, no, I personally don't mind it, but I understand why people are hesitant about it. In fact, and I realized I may get critized for this, but I think I would like to see some kind of agreement made between Panhellenic and VS to come out with a line for sororities...I mean I know that will NEVER happen, lol, but I think they could come out with some pretty cute things...Just my opinion!

ETA: Ok, I thought of an instance where I would NOT want to see real sorority letters. With the Collegiate Collection, they made panties with the college logos which I thought was kinda strange. I would definitely not want my letters on underwear... lol But other than that, I still think there could be some really cute sweats, hoodies, bags, etc.......Although I suppose thats what all of those Internet Greek stores are for....

[KSUViolet06]

Honestly, there are alot of things that promote a poor image of Greek Life.

For pete's sake, they are just clothes with words on them. Nothing more, nothing less.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by lovespink88

So, no, I personally don't mind it, but I understand why people are hesitant about it. In fact, and I realized I may get critized for this, but I think I would like to see some kind of agreement made between Panhellenic and VS to come out with a line for sororities...I mean I know that will NEVER happen, lol, but I think they could come out with some pretty cute things...Just my opinion!

ETA: Ok, I thought of an instance where I would NOT want to see real sorority letters. With the Collegiate Collection, they made panties with the college logos which I thought was kinda strange. I would definitely not want my letters on underwear... lol But other than that, I still think there could be some really cute sweats, hoodies, bags, etc.......Although I suppose thats what all of those Internet Greek stores are for....

Just an FYI, a little while back, Gamma Phi Beta IH put an announcement on our InCircle community that they had been contacted about participating in some type of VS contest for sororities, and that the sorority, after reading about the contest, decided it was not in the sorority's best interests to participate.

[lovespink88]

Originally Posted by jessipoo915

and then i ask to the ones who are opposed to the Pink line, is that really so bad? plenty of brands market to younger girls--Abercrombie for example-- just so that they have it in their head that they need to shop there when they get older. i think it is pretty common and unlike abercrombie who would have most of their shirts with sexual innuendos that were highly inappropriate, I don't see anything inappropriate about the VS PINK line.

I totally agree! Yes, the Pink line is a way to get younger girls and teens to start shopping at Victoria's Secret, but hey, thats retail for you. Get the customer and build that brand loyalty! And really, these young girls who are shopping at VS go straight to Pink, and no where else. It's not like they're buying lingerie... They're just there for the sweats, hoodies, tees, bags, flip flops, etc. Sure, Pink has panties and bras, but like someone had already mentioned, hey, girls need these things too!

I think Victoria's Secret gets a little bit of unfair judgement at times. My dad was not at all pleased when I started working there. I guess understand why, he assumed Victoria's Secret = only lingerie = sex like many people do. Yes, Victoria's Secrets main products are bras and panties, but people forget that they also sell lounge wear, like what is sold in the Pink line, make up, perfume, hair care, regular pajamas, and now even sports wear. And heck, if you look at the catalogue, they have all kinds of clothes.

And for anyone who didn't believe me when I said I had become a giant VS tool after working there, this little speech show serve as even more proof. I'm not ashamed.

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

Just an FYI, a little while back, Gamma Phi Beta IH put an announcement on our InCircle community that they had been contacted about participating in some type of VS contest for sororities, and that the sorority, after reading about the contest, decided it was not in the sorority's best interests to participate.

Aw...I had a feeling I wasn't the first to think of it...and I also had a feeling that it would never happen

Oh well, at least I have my Pink U of I stuff...along with half of the school lol

[jessipoo915]

Originally Posted by lovespink88

I totally agree! Yes, the Pink line is a way to get younger girls and teens to start shopping at Victoria's Secret, but hey, thats retail for you. Get the customer and build that brand loyalty! And really, these young girls who are shopping at VS go straight to Pink, and no where else. It's not like they're buying lingerie... They're just there for the sweats, hoodies, tees, bags, flip flops, etc. Sure, Pink has panties and bras, but like someone had already mentioned, hey, girls need these things too!

thank you!
i just feel like people are over analyzing what this brand "says" about the women who wear it. I don't think of VS as raunchy, trashy lingerie. I think of VS as classy, sexy, and feminine (this isn't Hustler people...)--and if that is what wearing the Pink line says about me...I'm completely fine with that.

[gee_ess]

Okay, I may be totally wrong, and a pi phi needs to set us straight either way, but I was under the impression that the originator/owner of Victoria's Secret IS a Pi Phi, hence the play on words, the angel symbol, etc.

Calling a Pi Phi!

ETA - I am mistaken about the founder of VS being involved with pi phi. It seems to be the head designer as noted above.

[jessipoo915]

I'm not 100% sure but at our pi phi chapter we wear the stuff all the time (during recruitment too). We are under the impression that the creator of the pink line is a pi phi.

however, i did a quick google and couldnt find anything.

[annabella]

Originally Posted by jessipoo915

we wear the stuff all the time (during recruitment too).

Look I know I'm a little slow on the draw, but I managed to score the immovable Friday 8 am final. So if I misunderstood this, don't take it personally.
But you guys wear that tacky crap during rush?!
If I got that right, then go ahead, take it personally.

As to the OP, I agree with KSUViolet- it's clothing. With words. It's PEOPLE who give greek life a bad name, not what they're wearing.

[gee_ess]

Okay, I just looked at the Pi Phi website and it isn't mentioned, but the Arkansas pi phis note it on their website.

http://uagreeks.uark.edu/104.htm

[33girl]

The owner of Victoria's Secret is Leslie Wexner. Leslie is a dude. Leslie bought the VS concept from another dude named Roy Raymond. The original concept had nothing to do with angels - that is relatively recent and I'm sure has more to do with angels being more around the culture in general than anything with Pi Beta Phi.

Phi Beta Pink is definitely a play on Phi Beta Kappa - the only "Greek" organization that a lot of people recognize by name. It has nothing to do with Gamma Phi Beta. As to a Pi Phi "creating" it, this is a huge corporation with many levels of structure. It's likely that any idea anyone had, "lead designer" or not, was tweaked hundreds of times before it made it into the stores.

The whole Pink line IMO is made to appeal to tweens thru high schoolers, anyway, not college age girls.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The whole Pink line IMO is made to appeal to tweens thru high schoolers, anyway, not college age girls.

Exactly.

As for the poor Greek Life image thing, they are JUST clothes. Anyone who is seriously upset over the clothes saying Phi Beta Pink needs a hobby.