Model Kylie Bisutti, 21, has decided to leave Victoria’s Secret because it clashes with her Christian beliefs.
“My body should only be for my husband and it’s just a sacred thing,” Bisutti told FOX411′s Pop Tarts column. “I didn’t really want to be that kind of role model for younger girls because I had a lot of younger Christian girls that were looking up to me and then thinking that it was OK for them to walk around and show their bodies in lingerie to guys.”
Bisutti beat out 10,000 hopefuls in 2009 to win the Victoria’s Secret Model Search. She was 19 and recently married at the time.
“Victoria’s Secret was my absolutely biggest goal in life, and it was all I ever wanted career-wise. I actually loved it while I was there, it was so much fun and I had a blast. But the more I was modeling lingerie – and lingerie isn’t clothing – I just started becoming more uncomfortable with it because of my faith,” Bisutti told FOX411. “I’m Christian, and reading the Bible more, I was becoming more convicted about it.”
On Dec. 1, the day after the nationally televised Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in which Bisutti didn’t appear, the model posted to her Twitter page, “For all of you that were looking for me in the Victorias Secret runway show this year, I wasn’t in it. I have decided not to model lingerie Because I personally feel that I am not honoring God or my husband by doing it. My marriage is very important & with divorce rates rising I want to do everything I can to protect my marriage and be respectful to my husband. God graciously gave me this marriage and this life and my desire is to live a Godly faithful life, I don’t however judge others for what they do. Everyone is convicted on different levels.”
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad freeBisutti hasn’t completely given up on modeling just yet. The beauty also posted to her Twitter page, “I am still modeling but only with brands that respect my decision not to wear lingerie. I am also doing TV work now :).”
Victoria’s Secret Model Quits ‘for My Husband’
So what do you think about this? A reasonable decision to stop selling her body or hypocritical since she has achieved fame by doing so and now is changing her tune along the lines of Kim Cardashian launching her career based off a sex tape? And what of a 21 year old who is married and born again Christian enrolling in a Victoria’s Secret Model Search to begin with? Is the Christian respect for her husband appropriate or sexist?
Please discuss.
I think that’s kind of selfish of her. She entered a contest to be an UNDERWEAR MODEL. Victoria’s Secret sells UNDER WEAR. If she was sooo modest then how did she win? Because she looks good in underwear and swim suits. That’s what models do,t hey model a companies products. if she was that modest she’d have done regular catalog work, not high end.
I admire your conviction. Some of the above remarks show that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him…May the Lord bless you as you delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Yeah, see, this is why I’m not likely to spend any time over at the GWP site.
Good for her, I’m pround of her decision. We need more young peolpe to stand up for there believe. You Go Girl and may God Bless you.
What I can’t get over is the way she stated that being a Victoria’s secret model is all she’s ever wanted to do but she’s giving it up for her marriage. The message I take from all this is to give up our dreams for a man. I can’t think of a more damaging message to send young girls. A marriage that really works is often based on the sharing of dreams. if you don’t have the same ideas for the future one or both of you is never going to be happy in that future. The only good thing… Read more »
I think this is the part of it that bugs me too. It’s either saying ‘give up your dreams for a man,’ or ‘give up your dreams for religion.’ Either way it’s a negative message to send. People have a right to not do certain jobs because of their religion, so that doesn’t bug me. She has a right to quit because she’s becoming a more fundamental Christian, (not in a bad way necessarily). But the way she posted it on Twitter and the way she framed her announcement, as if she was stopping her life to focus everything onto… Read more »
I thought the same thing. Giving up your one big dream because you got married? Of course, if *becoming* a VS model was her big dream, she achieved it, so maybe there’s a sort of “been there, done that” aspect to it. And, we have to consider her age. She says at 19 being a VS model was all she ever wanted. She was only 19. How long could she have been dreaming about it? 4 years maybe? A lifelong dream at 19 is not exactly a lifelong dream at 49. (If she had been dreaming about being a VS… Read more »
Perhaps it isn’t a matter of her stopping her life to focus everything into her marriage. Perhaps it’s a matter of her starting her life to focus on something she considers more valuable then a career with VS? I think dreams can change. I know they have for me. I value things different now then I did when I was 21. Maybe she just reached this point quicker then I had. I know that for the right guy, I would give up a career to focus on my marriage and family. And I wouldn’t feel degraded for that. Infact, I… Read more »
“Isn’t today about have the freedom to make our own choices whether they be successful careers or families or both? And having the freedom to adjust our lives when certain things no longer apply without judgement?”
No, it isn’t. The day that you describe will never come.
Whereas I think the message young people should glean is: have bigger dreams. Whether modeling lingerie is okay or not, whether submitting to one’s spouse is applauded or lamented, I hope that neither would be the solitary goal of her life.
Thaddeus in Brazil, are you still out there? If not, I am willing to guess what you might say here: compared to what women here in Brazil wear on a regular basis, I don’t see what the big deal is. Only her husband is allowed to see her bare midriff? Why is a bare stomach considered sexually provocative? What she wears on stage is what Brazilian women wear to go grocery shopping. You North American WASP’s are so uptight. How’d I do? : – ) I mean this imitation as the sincerest form of flattery. I’m caricaturing what I think… Read more »
Indeed, where is Thaddeus
Like anything else, religion is a journey. People grow in it at different rates. Just because she wanted to become a VS model and did, and now has decided it no longer fits into her life, doesn’t make her hypocritical. It will be interesting to see what kind of modeling she does do. Some ads can be very provocative with a fully dressed woman. But the journey is still hers. A Christian will be the first to tell you they aren’t perfect. Doesn’t make them any less Christian or hypocritical if their heart is sincere.
thanks for being a voice of reason on this comment stream.
yes THANKS. I was about to be sick if there wasn’t someone with a decent comment sooner or later, although I do enjoy the banter. People who think Christianity is bogus are probably the most interesting to chat with! Anyways, I comment her for the step she took for whatever reason she did. I don’t know why people have such issues with Christianity if it isn’t true anyways. Or wait…could it possibly be? and could it be that it tends to ruffle some feathers…get under some peoples’ skin? Because if it IS true, then what? hmm…
I meant to say that I “commend” her.
It’s arrogance and ignorance to think that what ruffles feathers is the possibility that Christianity might be true. You don’t hear atheists railing against the Jains or Buddhists for one simple reason: those religions aren’t trying to insert themselves in our court houses, in our schools, and in our state houses. They’re not blowing shit up in the name of their preferred deity, and they’re not legislating the activities I can engage in consensually in my bedroom. They don’t show up on my doorstep with tracks, they don’t make moral pronouncements about the evils of homosexuality while renting a boy… Read more »
Interesting. I mostly agree with you and will have to write more later. (if you don’t mind)
” Or wait…could it possibly be? and could it be that it tends to ruffle some feathers…get under some peoples’ skin? Because if it IS true, then what? hmm…”
Assuming that something is true because it provokes hostility or opprobrium may be a dubious assumption. The Westboro Baptist Church “tends to ruffle some feathers” when they chant that child murder victims are doing to hell. Does that mean that the Westboro Baptist Church’s teachings are true?
I apologize. I should not have asked why people have issues with Christianity. There are endless reasons for anyone and everyone to have issues with Christianity. I should have said the teaching of Jesus and Jesus himself. I personally do not think Jesus and his teachings are the issue. People and the way they live out their so-called religious beliefs are the problem.
And of course just because hostility is provoked by something does not mean it is true. Good point. I deserved to be called out on that bold statement.
She says her body is for her husband’s eyes only.
Do you know what this means? Don’t you see what’s happening, people? The Taliban have infiltrated the heart of the American media industry! The war in Afghanistan is going much worse than anyone thought. Not sure how drone strikes are going to help in this case.
Yeah, I know, whatever, the Taliban are Muslim and she says she’s a Christian, but if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck….
She’s not American. She’s an Aussie and VS is an English company.
Probably pregnant dropped from her contract/fired by VS or another mormon or cult thing.
I feel sorry for her. Making big decisions and sudden life changes is a really bad idea when just starting to read the bible its when you are most unstable and judgement is impaired because you don’t have the whole story or understanding yet.. People make unnecessary self destructive decisions only to find they were fine just as they were or end up in a dangerous cult., before understanding life is no better and your eventuality is the same serving god or not all is vanity and striving after wind. Also he could run off with the Nanny, they could… Read more »
Personal choice. Free country. Why is it anybody’s business?
This is probably just my cynicism talking, but this announcement sounds like a celebrity bailing out before a crash, or a politician leaving office to “spend more time with his family” before the scandal breaks. It’s an unassailable excuse, one of those “aww, that’s sweet” moments that only the most cynical (ahem) would ever challenge. Although, to be fair, it’s hard to imagine what she could have done that would be more scandalous than Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell. I’m guessing something much more mundanely embarassing, like an ugly, chronic skin condition. Or perhaps in the world of Victoria’s Secret… Read more »
In my opinion, she is being extremely hypocritical.
How can anyone hold Christian beliefs while at the same time be hurdling through space on a planet that is over 4 billion years old? That she may or may not be wearing lingerie while doing so is really beside the point.
This is the best post I’ve read on internet for years! Short but so true; It is sad that so many people on earth just cannot understand this very simple point.
Ah, but don’t you see, God planted that scientific evidence in order to test our faith. He planted so much of this scientific evidence suggesting billions of years that the test is really, really hard to pass. You gotta really really work at it, really let faith take over other parts of your mind, if you want to pass this test, and it sounds like you’re failing. ; – ) Instead, I think you’re supposed to go with the calculations of the Bishop Ussher from the seventeenth century. Using a Bible and some simple math, he calculated that the universe… Read more »
In defence of the religious people I know who aren’t idiots – a lot of Christian people I know believe in evolution. They just think God got the ball rolling, so to speak.
But that was still damn funny.
There are MANY Christians who do not believe in a “young” earth or in a literal interpretation of Genesis. I’d venture to say they are in the majority.
This is very true. Pope John Paul II actually said at one point that everything before the Big Bang is the province of religion, and everything after is a question of science. That’s quite a big revolutionary statement that hasn’t gotten the attention that it warrants. And a few popes before him admitted, yeah, okay, that Galileo guy was right after all.
How are you so sure the earth is billions of years old?
Radiometric analysis of terrestrial, lunar and extra-terrestrial rocks and minerals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_the_Earth
That is what I supposed. There is lots of research out now discussing the inaccuracy of radiometric dating. It’s quite intriguing.
Some trite discussion of a lingerie model becomes a segue for every possible agenda. Hooray. I’m sure that your “lots of research” are a fun and beloved secret.
I’m not quite sure what kind of tone that comment had. I’m sorry if it seemed I was pushing an agenda. I was only responding. I certainly didn’t read this article assuming I’d be pushing any kind of agenda. I just saw opportunities as others had already made comments, which DID seemed pretty unrelated to the topic at hand, and I thought I may as well respond.
http://www.specialtyinterests.net/carbon14.html
http://trueorigin.org/dating.asp
I wasn’t trying to give false information.
The tone is neither here nor there. The posts that you were responding to were poking fun at the subject’s alleged piety by mocking how other common things are at odds with certain religious doctrines. Anyway, when persons claim that there is “lots” of evidence for something, but then are coy in presenting it, then nobody is obliged to give it credence.
http://www.specialtyinterests.net/carbon14.html
http://trueorigin.org/dating.asp
I totally agree, Megalodon, and thought I had included those links in my first post, and realize I did not. Thanks.
I love the “Helping fight evolution” link at the top of the “specialtyinterests.net” page. One wonders why you simply did not refer us to answersingenesis.org. Oh, wait. There it is at the bottom of the specialtyinterests page, along with links to trueorigin and creationscience.
I myself would not want to offend you by referring you to “partisan” websites from the outset. But that is apparently okay.
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/dating.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-age-of-earth.html#creacrit
http://gondwanaresearch.com/hp/paleosol.htm
This is a direct refutation of the Plaisted “Dating Game” article on the trueorigin site.
http://www.tim-thompson.com/plaisted-review.html
http://www.tim-thompson.com/plaisted-review2.html
http://www.tim-thompson.com/plaisted-review3.html
But there are some sources that care about the sensibilities of Christians.
http://www.asa3.org/ASA/resources/Wiens.html
It’s neither interesting nor intriguing nor “lots.” Look, I was an ordained member of the Seventh Day Adventists, who were the originators of the pseudo-scientific young earth creation theory. They were the ones responsible for the “research” questioning the methods of determining age, and their principle method was to attack radio carbon dating. The “Creation Scientists” took this ball and ran with it. But here’s the thing: they’re not scientists. They admit they’re not specialists in the fields they’re questioning. They admit the purpose of their attacking the science is to show the truth of the bible. They admit that… Read more »
I appreciate this. Thanks for pushing back. I didn’t need to come on strong, because I am totally undecided about the young v. new earth. I also do not think it makes much difference to my belief about the Bible. Like many others, I’m not convinced the 6 day creation was meant literally.
She is missing a chance at one of the greatest evangelical opportunities ever. Picture it: a giant tattoo on her stomach: “John 3:16” just like the guy in the endzone. Or “GOD” with the “O” encircling her bellybutton.
TRUE
It’s almost comical to see how some people are talking about how she should never had become a Victoria Secret Model if this is how she felt, or how her husband must be pressuring her, as if we’ve all had EVERYTHING figured out, by the time we were 21. People tend to grow in their beliefs as they become older. Most of us didn’t have fully formed beliefs on all aspects of life until we are older, get married and have children. Even then, we are still growing, still learning and start to realize that maybe some aspects of our… Read more »
I don’t get it. Victoria’s Secret sells women’s clothing. Why would men be looking at the catalogs if the catalogs are for women’s clothing? Unless….wait….you don’t think….hold on…. are MEN the target audience for the catalog? I am shocked and surprised. I never would have imagined such a thing. This is the first I’m hearing about this phenomenon. Does the company know that a lot of the catalog viewers are men? I’ll say it if no one else will: this makes her more attractive. Not so much because I think principles can be sexy, but the idea of being in… Read more »
“I don’t get it. Victoria’s Secret sells women’s clothing. Why would men be looking at the catalogs if the catalogs are for women’s clothing? Unless….wait….you don’t think….hold on…. are MEN the target audience for the catalog? I am shocked and surprised. I never would have imagined such a thing. This is the first I’m hearing about this phenomenon. Does the company know that a lot of the catalog viewers are men?”
I am sure that the company must be aghast. Just like the publishers of “Playgirl” were shocked to learn that their audience was almost entirely homosexual men.
Well I suppose it would be quite difficult to protect a mans mind at all then, eh? Maybe that is why we are responsible for our own thoughts and actions…?
“Maybe that is why we are responsible for our own thoughts and actions…?”
Most would agree. Unfortunately, some value and belief systems assign the responsibility of one person’s thoughts and actions to other persons because those other persons supposedly “provoked” somebody else’s thoughts and actions.
Remember, Carrie Prejean, the Miss USA contestant who got attention because of her opposition to gay marriage? She started trying to market herself as an observant Christian. Then everyone started asking her if topless glamour photos and sexually oriented videotapes were consistent with Christian piety. If she adheres to her Christian beliefs and believes in the Christian notion of “modesty,” I do not see how she can be any kind of model. All modeling that utilizes conventionally attractive, young white women is sexually oriented and titillating by design. Whether it is ridiculous undergarments, or skinny jeans, or turtlenecks, it is… Read more »
Makes sense.
Good point. I know my own male mind, and my seeing a fully clothed model is no impediment to the sorts of mental images she’s hoping to prevent. If she switches to other forms of modeling, she is just shifting the sexual focus to new territory.
I dare say that being a fully clothed model versus a fully clothed women period, then, would cause many male minds to imagine sexual images. It’s impossible for a woman to really take responsible for the wandering thoughts of a male.
Forgive my cynicism, but I can’t help but wonder if her husband is guilting her with religion to hide his jealousy or discomfort with other men being able to see her wearing very little. I must admit that I’d probably be pretty uncomfortable and I’m not terribly religious. Notice, however, how she basically said that this decision is because her marriage hangs in the balance if she didn’t make this decision. Anyone else pick up on that subtext? That said, if her convictions are true, I don’t fault her for acting on how she believes. I’ve just known too many… Read more »
I LOVE discussing the things you mention. I’m curious, what makes you skeptical of those who outwardly express their religious beliefs in the public sphere? Of course, I can’t blame you, but I also wonder how one of truth belief in Jesus could truly not do so. I came from a protestant background and would probably be labeled now as “evangelical,” although I don’t really “fit in” there either. I’m more one of what some call a “beyond evangelical.” There isn’t really a label for it, but this might help understand if you are really all that curious. http://frankviola.org/2012/01/18/evangelicalism2/ but… Read more »
Tom! Does spelling Kim Kardashian’s name wrong get men brownie points with wives? Maybe enough to make up for posting big pictures of semi-naked Victoria’s Secret models. 🙂
I don’t see anything wrong with what she decides to do, although I suspect she made her decision for herself, and not her husband.
This sounds like she has decided that her job conflicted with her religion (and possibly her marriage) and religion (and possibly the marriage) won. She has said that she will only model for brands that don’t ask her to do lingerie, thus not conflicting with her beliefs. To me it just sounds like she had a change of heart. (But I’ll admit that part of me thinks this is because she thinks she has been out there long enough to use the lingerie modeling as a spring board to something else, possibly what she really wanted to do in the… Read more »
Yeah that’s the part that makes me cynical. That it’s a PR move in some ways.
Brilliant. Boldest and most noble move by a model I know about. HOw awesome would it be if this becomes a trend -even for the unmarried ones.
That this young lady is changing from something she once did but now finds inappropriate for her is an action to be praised. If she goes back to being a lingerie model believing it to be inappropriate, she would be flip flopping and would also be hypocritical. One change does not maker a flip flopper. Doing something you consider to be wrong while telling others that doing it is wrong is hypocritical. She is trying to match her actions to her belief system. A thief who stops stealling and makes restitution to those from whom he or she stole is… Read more »
Long story short, no one owns her body but her. She can do what she wants with it. She can wear a burqa if she wants, or hang in a basket in Bangkok if she wants. Or both.
I’m gonna play the omnipotence card here. God meant for her to be a lingerie model. If God didn’t want her to be a lingerie model, there’s no way that she ever would have been, because everything that happens is part of God’s will. Clearly there was some sort of divine plan that put her in those magazines and on those stages. And now she’s questioning the plan of the Almighty? Who does she think she is? When did people get the arrogant idea that they had free will? (Yeah, I know it goes both ways. If God didn’t want… Read more »
I’m totally with you. The Flying Sphagetti Monster demands that I voice my support of your position. His Noodly Appendages bless all and contain the reasons for our being.
Ramen.
How dare you presume to write the name of the One Who Must Not be Named. You are a heretic and must be burned at the stake. Stop imposing your beliefs on other people. That’s not what the FSMist drafters of the Constitution had in mind when they set out to make this an FSM-fearing country.
Burned at the stake? You’ve got to be kidding me. Even I know he has to walk the plank.
@wellokaythen: “the One Who Must Not be Named”
You mean Voldemort… right?!?
Long, loud applauses here, wellokaythen! 😆
The whole “God want this, God wouldn’t want that” is arbitrary. Since God never tells us what to do, or forbid us doing it, we can just guess His (Her? Its?) intentions.
And no guess is better than another. 😉
Personally, I think God made us (and any other creature) to enjoy life at its fullest.
What else? 🙄
P.S. Some men get all the breaks….
She changed her mind over the course of a few years. That in itself isn’t hypocritical. If she were a politician people would say she’s a waffler or a flip-flopper, but politics isn’t about making sense. I don’t see what the big deal is. Stick a cross on the front of the demi and a cross on each of the stockings and keep strutting your stuff. Or a fish icon instead of the word PINK on the rear end. Did she ever think of some creative problem solving? She’s so narrow minded. ; – ) Besides, she’s a model. In… Read more »
The issue for me isn’t that she’s changing her mind. I admire that she’s chosen to follow her own convictions beyond what society expects or rewards… However her comments sound like her husband is driving this, that she’s trying to save her marriage. My marriage is very important & with divorce rates rising I want to do everything I can to protect my marriage and be respectful to my husband. I agree she should protect her marriage, but why is this suddenly an issue? I’ve seen too many marriages crumble, and as they crumble, each member tries to find that… Read more »