Fallen Angels
Adriana Lima and Gisele Bündchen dominated the 2000s modeling industry and were two of the most notable Victoria’s Secret (VS) Angels, women who modeled for and represented the brand on the runway and in advertisements. These women were known for having the body that society idolized at the time, with their intense workout routines and restrictive diets playing a large role in achieving this figure. In fact, many former models like Lima have opened up about the extreme regimens they held. Lima told reporters that she avoided solid food for nine days leading up to the brand’s annual fashion show (Equip Health). Since its founding in 1977, VS has been criticized for having a limited range of sizes and failing to feature a diverse cast of models. According to E! News, the brand did not feature a plus-size model until 2019, when the brand featured its first size 14 model, Ali Tate. Her recruitment was a result of encouragement from Gen Z, but it still took a long time to make this change compared to other lingerie brands such as True & Co. and Lane Bryant.
VS has been looked up to by young girls and women all over the world since the resurgence of the “Y2K aesthetic” (Stitch). Along with this revived admiration for the company, the fact that VS has advertised their lingerie as being able to transform the average woman into a tall, slender and bronzed bombshell has gained the public’s attention. The idea that buying VS products can magically change a teenage girl into a grown woman curated by the male gaze is one that many young girls have fallen for (The Street). Senior Mia Matarazzo is the vice president of the Embodying Love Club which promotes self-love and body positivity, as well as awareness about eating disorders. Matarazzo expresses ways she thinks the brand can and should improve their unrealistic images.
“If [VS wants] to be more inclusive and diverse, they should simply be more inclusive and diverse,” Matarazzo said. “They have never had an amazing history with diversity, [as their] whole brand [is built off] of unattainability and fantasy. They should put in the effort to get the execution right and not [simply] hire models of different sizes and colors.”
The rebrand has already undergone criticism for having an image that greatly differs from its past aesthetics and themes. For example, the use of baggy jeans and muted colors in an attempt to draw in a Gen Z audience has disappointed many consumers due to its contrast with the VS 2000s style (Evie Magazine). The popularity of their fashion shows on social media platforms had a lot of young people wanting the bows, lace and colorful garments that were available to purchase in the previous decades. Items from their past lines had fun designs and although it was lingerie, it managed to be playful and fun while keeping its sex appeal. The absence of these products has contributed to a failing rebrand. While it has already been failing, many have had questions about whether the brand will remain performative.
The trailer for their movie, Victoria’s Secret: The Tour ‘23, released on Prime Video on Sept. 26, displays a more diverse range of models, meaning that the audience can see a wide variety of body types being represented, despite previously being extremely limited in terms of inclusivity. The movie received a rating of 1.7 out of five stars with 131 reviews on Amazon Prime and a 2.4 out of ten with 194 reviews. As a result, many hope the rebrand will bring a more positive image and not an unrealistic standard for young women all over the world (Daily Mail). Freshman Ava Nayebdadesh explains her difficult experience shopping with the brand.
“I shop at Victoria’s Secret, but I do not think their clothing is for everyone,” Nayebdadash said. “They are trying harder to include bigger sizes, but they only brand women with skinny waists and bigger busts. Shopping there is harder for me because they do not have a wide range of sizes, which they need to add more [of]. I have a smaller bust and it is hard to find a bra that fits right.”
While VS’s garments are aesthetically pleasing, they are not greatly functional, which is something that causes today’s generation to be more hesitant to purchase VS products. Faux inclusion is not new to the brand, as they have previously tried to switch out old models with ones they deemed more inclusive to project diversity when in reality, they still fit a similar mold. In recent promotion for the brand, there were many models of different races and a wider variety of body types. However, many argue that they still did not look realistic as they still fit a stereotypical body type (People).
In much of their advertising, VS only shows exceptionally glamorized women without imperfections.This has led many to feel that the increase of their diversity of models is a step forward in the right direction, but not all that glitters is gold. Many plus-size models still share similar body types, having no double chin, a big bust and skinny waist. Still, compared to its original collection of sizes and models, VS now has a wide range of diverse models. However, according to Better Marketing, a need for improvements is clear. Freshman Elena Thomas is a consumer of VS, but she agrees that the brand has a lot of work to do. “Their clothes should be the same no matter who is modeling them,” Thomas said. “That is what would be inclusive. These brands still cater to a specific body type, when every body is completely different. These [attempts] were made because brand are lazy and refuse to think about how not everyone looks like models.”
