The Old vs The New Victoria’s Secret

We all have heard of Victoria's Secret. It started out as a lingerie brand, then later ventured into become a fashion, and beauty brand. Victoria's Secret sells anything from lounge-wear, swimsuits, sandals, perfumes, and, of course, underwear.

Because of its lingerie start, CEO Sharon wanted Victoria's Secret to be compared more to Vogue rather than Playboy. This meant marketing more towards women, including fashion pieces, and not just lingerie.

The Angels:

It was often assumed that if you model for Victoria's Secret, you are a VS angel. But the difference is VS angels have to sign a different contact, making them the “faces” of the brand. They also get paid significantly better than the regular models.

Some notable VS angels are Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima, Jasmine Tooks, Heidi Klum, and Chanel Iman.

As the runway shows grew more popular, the outfits along with the wings became more elaborate. Some of the most crazy being over 60 pounds, doubling them in height.

The Downfall:

As people began paying closer attention to the runway shows, discussions began about how their models were portraying negative body stereotypes. With rigorous workout routines and severe diets, which invoked talks of eating disorders and fat phobia. This, along with other things, began the downfall of Victoria's Secret.

As brands such as Savage X Fenty came out. People began to see the inclusivity of the models as well as the lingerie. Models were of all shapes and sizes, all ages, and all genders.

I think because of the backlash, along with other companies featuring inclusivity, Victoria's Secret decided to do a rebranding. They slowly began hiring transgender models along with

plus-size models.

The Rebrand:

I’m 2021, Victoria's Secret Collective was created, including body positive role models. Along with this, they began to include plus size mannequins, and launching more inclusive sizes.

Though the body positivity is a step in the right direction, it seems that since including models with more realistic body types, they have changed their lingerie to be boring and more conservative. The glamour aspect that was seen in the old Victoria's Secret was no longer there. No lace, jewels or interesting silhouette were seen anymore.

While this was a step in the right direction, there is always room to improve. We still have a long way to go with Victoria's Secret. But I will say that I am impressed with the vast difference between the old Victoria's Secret and the new.

yours truly, dylan