As soon as the ads hit the airwaves, it was inevitable. Victoria’s Secret ads starring Heidi Klum introducing a new bra includes her line: “They call me ‘The Body’ — and now I have a bra named after me.”

But, wait a minute…The supermodel known as “The Body” isn’t Heidi Klum, it’s Elle Macpherson - and has been since the mid-80’s. So Macpherson and her people are understandably miffed at the misappropriation of the moniker.

I’m not an expert in the laws surrounding this sort of thing, but my layman’s take on this is that - should Macpherson decide to - she could have a decent shot at winning a lawsuit over the issue. It wouldn’t be a slam dunk though, since I don’t think she’s ever registered it as a trademark. Her use of the nickname over the years and marketing of products using that nickname would certainly establish some sort of claim that it “belongs” to her.

In any case, it was tackiness in the extreme for Victoria’s Secret to use the nickname for the new bra. Are you seriously telling me that with all the marketing geniuses they have, that this was the best they could do? The only explanation is that they knew it would make headlines and wanted to free publicity for the launch of the new line. Shame on VS for pulling such a cheap stunt to generate publicity, and shame on Heidi Klum for taking part in it…

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