By Calvin Palmer
Adriana Lima looks sultry and sexy in Victoria’s Secret latest TV ad airing over the networks.
Roberta Ritter, from Parma, Ohio, feels sore and itchy when she wears her Angels Secret Embrace bra and claims the bra has left her scarred for life.
The 37-year-old said: “I had welts that were very red, hot to the touch, extremely inflamed and blistery. It itched profusely. I couldn’t sleep and was waking up itching.
Ritter, who filed a lawsuit against Victoria’s Secret in May, claims she has been contacted by dozens of women suffering similar symptoms and they are seeking to join her in a class action.
Ritter’s lawyers purchased the same types of bra and had them tested. Victoria’s secret, they claim, is traces of formaldehyde, which is used to make fabrics crease-resistant and help them keep their shape. The lawyers believe Ritter may be allergic to formaldehyde.
In January, Ritter bought two bras – a black satin Angels Secret Embrace and a pink satin Very Sexy push-up bra – for $42 each from the Victoria’s Secret store at the Parmatown Mall.
Her skin began to itch after she wore the bras for a few days. The itch turned into a rash, which developed into ugly red painful welts.
“I flipped out,” she said. “I knew it had to be the bra. I had perfectly shaped burns where the cups were.”
She also noticed that her new bras had “Made in China” labels. Her old reliable bras were made in India.
Ritter contacted Victoria’s Secret and was offered replacements for the two bras. She was asked to return the problem bras but refused until she had figured out what was causing the skin problems.
A dermatologist told her the likely cause was formaldehyde and that she may be allergic to the chemical.
Ritter said her skin problems went away after about a month of treatment with cortisone cream and aloe.
But other women have been afflicted and have posted on a medical Web site in the United States.
One poster said: “I had an awful itchy red splotchy rash from the Secret Embrace bras.” Another believes she may have suffered an allergic reaction to the chemical.
A spokesman for Victoria’s Secret denied formaldehyde was used in the production of its bras.
“We have strict quality controls around our products and we do not use formaldehyde in our bras,” the company said in a statement. “We are sorry that a small number of people have had an issue.”
A judge will decide next year if the lawsuit can be brought against Victoria’s Secret and whether a class action can proceed.
[Based on reports by The Daily Telegraph and The Plain Dealer.]
2 Comments
November 13, 2008 at 7:38 am
Somebody’s made a boob here.
November 13, 2008 at 10:11 am
This is Calvin’s niche I’m sure. We can rely on him to keep abreast of these sort of news stories.