Virginia woman, Allana Maiden, petitions Victoria’s Secret to make bras for breast cancer survivors

Virginia woman, Allana Maiden, petitions Victoria’s Secret to make bras for breast cancer survivors

 

A Virginia woman has garnered support from thousands of people for her request to Victoria's Secret: Make bras that breast cancer survivors can wear with pride.

Allana Maiden, 27, of Richmond wants the lingerie company to start a line of bras for women who have undergone mastectomy surgery and who now have trouble finding comfortable, attractive bras that fit well.

As of noon on Friday, her public petition to the company on the website Change.org had more than 92,200 signatures, as well as plenty of well-wishes over social media.

Maiden's request was inspired by her own mother, Debbie Barrett, a 21-year breast cancer survivor. Barrett had a mastectomy and wears a prosthesis, and must drive a long way from her home in rural Saltville, Va., to a specialty store to find a bra that fits.

"She lives in a small rural town, and the closest mall is probably a half hour away," Maiden told the Daily News. "She was driving an hour and a half to go to the closest store that sold specialty bras.

"She only goes when she absolutely needs to. She doesn't get to enjoy shopping for bras like most women do.

"So I thought, Victoria's Secret, they have stores in pretty much every mall I've ever been to -- so who would be better to start a line of bras that would be accessible to everyone?"

 
change.org
Maiden's petition on Change.org has racked up over 90,000 signatures in support of 'Survivor Bras' for women who have had mastectomies.Tammy Roberts Myers, the company's vice president of external communications, spoke with Maiden Thursday.

"She asked me a few questions about how mastectomy bras work, and said she would pass it along to the right people at the company," Maiden said.

A Victoria's Secret rep said the company has no public statement at this time.

Its parent company, Columbus, Ohio-based Limited Brands, has lent its support to breast cancer awareness initiatives in the past, including Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure. In the past two years the company has raised nearly $10 million for cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"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.