A few years ago everything began to change at Victoria’s Secret, the brand that was represented only by regulatory bodies suffered punishment from the public for not knowing how to acclimate to the change in the industry in favor of a new benchmark of real and diverse beauty. Adapting to the new reality was not going to be easy after so many stereotypes and accusations (racism, misogyny, harassment …) Although the curvy models took control of their latest campaigns and the models stopped being exclusively Caucasian, few trusted your new vision of diversity. Now models over 50 years old are also included, so it is inevitable to wonder, Is the concept of inclusiveness in the lingerie brand real (finally)?
From “perfect” bodies to real bodies, this is how the lingerie brand has evolved
It wasn’t so long ago that the Victoria’s Secret Angels Parades were a huge hit in the fashion industry. The most sought-after models circulated on her catwalk with an explosive staging where their spectacular physiques stood out. While a part of the population continued to admire those angels, another questioned the impact of these references among women (and men), generating a revolutionary movement on the ideals of beauty established so far. The idea of ​​a “perfect” body based on measures 90-60-90 was losing strength and became an attack on women for wanting to implant it as the role model, forgetting the reality of each woman.
Reflections on the femininity-beauty duality and how the fashion and cosmetics industry had so far treated the female gender caused the population to focus their criticism on those brands that still did not give credit to diversity. In 2019, the deteriorating image of Victoria’s Secret was compounded by accusations of misogyny and harassment by some of its workers. It was the brand’s annus horribilis, the beginning of the end of the hegemony that stereotyped bodies had had until then. Marketing director Ed Razek left his post shortly after his CEO, Jan Singer, did the same for failing to push through the inclusive lingerie proposal. Their mythical show was canceled after the last one (that of 2018) generated more losses than profits and other campaigns such as Rihanna’s Savage x Fenti ate them up by dedicating their designs to real bodies with messages of empowerment to women.
