Fallout and potential ramifications of Epstein files

In November of 2025, the Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law to enforce easy access to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein is the late sex offender and former financier who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2008 and 2019. Epstein was known as a financier for many different companies that dominated the 2000s. 

In recent weeks, the Epstein Files have been released, which has sent shock waves through a plethora of communities. Many women have had to grapple with the fact that their childhoods have been so heavily influenced by pedophilic standards. So where do we go now? 

If you haven’t heard already, Jeffrey Epstein was the long-time financial advisor to business owner (and founder) Les Wexner’s Bath and Body Works Inc. from 1987 to 2007. Les Wexner was in charge of some of the largest fashion and lifestyle brands of the 1990s and 2000s. From Victoria’s Secret and Pink to Limited Too, Wexner impacted women’s shopping habits across all ages. The Epstein Files is not the first time these brands have been called out for patriarchal standards in their branding and advertising. Limited Too, which was aimed at tweens and girls, got accused of using “reverse Vanity Sizing,” which, in practice, mislabels clothing so that the wearer seems more overweight than they actually are. This practice is extremely harmful as it perpetuates negative body image, eating disorders, and an infantilizing view of children and young girls. Victoria’s Secret came under controversy when they ran an ad with #theperfectbody. In the image, it was all thin women, dramatically posed to show their visible ribs and flat stomachs. This sparked a large amount of backlash on social media, leading users to use the #iamperfect hashtag to fight back against the harmful and exclusionary stereotypes. Women of all different body types responded to the company demanding accountability. Dear Kate and Adore Me are underwear brands that responded by displaying their bras and underwear on a more diverse group of women, shown engaging in more everyday activities. These scandals explain just how vast and deep the influence Epstein had on so many women’s childhoods and adulthoods.

Potentially the most damning part of Jeffrey Epstein’s association with Victoria Secret is when he lied to young women promising them a job with Victoria Secret. Juliette Bryant met Epstein at a party where he promised to introduce her to “American Royalty.” The Royalty in question was Les Wexner, who Epstein said would help Bryant with her modeling career. However, after she was invited on a trip under the guise of a modeling opportunity, she was sexually assaulted on the plane. She has explained this to CBS reporters Emmet Lyons and Leigh Kiniry about how she was trafficked multiple times over many years. Epstein took all her dreams and took advantage of her naivety. 

It’s not new information that beauty standards for women have been tied to the patriarchy and the male gaze. Long hair, shaved body hair, a clean smell, big lips, and flat stomachs. None of this is solely the blame of Epstein and his conspirators, but it calls into question how women should go about hygiene now. What will be the ramifications of this on new generations and companies? How will companies be adversaries to young girls as these people in power change.