Victoria Secret in 2019: A Twisted “Fantasy”?
Victoria Secret is one of the worlds most successful lingerie brands in the world and every year in November they hold the “Victoria Secret Fashion Show” which has been the companies largest annual event since it first took place in 1995. Some of the highest paid supermodels have been contracted and asked to become what they call ‘Victoria Secret Angels’ such as Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner Adriana Lima in which they parade their sculpted bodies in extravagant barely their ensembles donned with glittery, feathery wings down the runway. The brand has forever been embodied by these angels, who have ultimately contributed to defining the ideal of sexiness.
Given that it is one of the only fashion shows regularly broadcast on a global scale it has always drawn a lot of attention within popular culture. However, this annual event which used to draw an audience of almost 9.7 million viewers, only drew about 5 million in it’s most recent 23rd show held last year. This may have had something to do with an interview given to Vogue by their marketing director Ed Razek ahead of the show last year when any brand association with the headlines “empowerment” or “feminism” were undermined. The company was slammed when the 70 year old remarked that the Victoria Secret show would not feature transgender or plus-size models arguing that their brand was based on fantasy and being “politically correct” was not apart of their brand image. This remark was met with much distaste and disgust with many taking to Twitter such as author Cora Harrington who posted “an 81-year-old man owns the company and a 70-year old-man runs it, their archaic perspectives- on women, on gender, on plus-size folks- are making VS a worse brand by the day”. Despite Razek being forced to make an apology, this did not cut it. The lingerie company has clung to the idea that women should look sexy for men, however it’s 2019 now and the sexualisation and body shaming of women are out. It is evident that Victoria’s Secret and its impossible idea of sexy is becoming more and more irrelevant to the modern day women. Especially in an era where women are making a stance for equality.
This objectification of women in the media has been a prominent issue that our society has faced for as long as we can remember. It is brands like Victoria’s Secret that can majorly impact upon the construction of these identity and gender ideals. By focusing so narrowly on appearance, the media and popular culture have not only limited the notions of what is good and worthy, they have marginalized those who fall outside of the ideal. This can have far reaching effects on women’s mental health and self esteem. In a seemingly progressive society, it is companies like Victoria Secret that are taking a step backwards.
When it comes to representations of women in the media we should be working to banish these societal constructs rather than perpetrating them. Pop star and now business women Rhianna who launched her Fenty lingerie line towards the end 2018 was praised for the inclusivity of a variety of races and body sizes in her fashion show. Rhianna is a strong advocate when it comes to celebrating different sizes and told Vogue “I’m not built like a Victoria’s Secret girl, and I still feel very beautiful and confident in my lingerie”. This just goes to show the stark difference in brand concepts, with a brand like Victoria’s Secret that was clearly designed with the straight male consumer in mind and holding up a very narrow ideal of female beauty. It is something that just does not resonate with consumers anymore and is out of touch with the way modern women want to be represented in the media. The problem doesn’t lay on the catwalk; it lays in the overarching messages that are sent to female audiences particularly adolescents across the globe. It is more important than ever that we stop reinforcing unrealistic images of beauty and start embracing diversity, and Victoria Secret will struggle to remain relevant unless they learn to as well.
