An open secret

At a loose end in Honolulu in March, I went along the road from the hotel to the Ala Moana Centre. Many of the stores in this consumer temple - Amani Exchange, Burberry, Betsey Johnson, Chanel Boutique and so on - were too pricey to even interest me. But I decided to try Victoria's Secret, where at least I might be able to afford a pair of knickers. As it turned out I got four pairs of these for $28.

And trying them on entitled me to the full benefit of the VS experience. A lusciously lit circular area off to the side of the large store gave onto six or eight individually named changing rooms. Here's the interior of mine, a pink and perfumed blend of nursery and boudoir that was nevertheless seductive, even to this sceptic.

I don't know where I had got the idea, though, that VS products were ... well, to use an old-fashioned word, tasteful. Cute? Of course, Pretty? Naturally. Sexy? Sure. But this?

Porn-wear. And this? 

A porn pose, just to ram home (sorry) the point.

What do little girls going into these stores with their mothers make of this stuff? What do their mothers tell them?

I can only sign off, Bewildered of Wellington.

Addendum: A young male informant says these two outfits are "no fun", "a bit cheap" and "too signposted".
Three cheers for chaps who like something left to the imagination!