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Hey everyone! Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving and the Black Friday onslaught? You know you're gonna do some shopping! We all need some shopping therapy sometimes! Just don't go into debt!! Speaking of shopping, I'm sure some of you will go to the famous Victoria's Secret stores for some deals. However, my question is, is it still relevant today as more women are turning away from the brand and look elsewhere? Still, it's an iconic brand that still promotes the image of sensuality and sexiness which can be a great thing and also its downfall.
Ahh, Victoria's Secret! The brand that exudes sexiness and glamour in womanhood, even if it's not realistic. Growing up in the 90s, I wanted all things Vickies, mainly because at the time, its bras and underwear were pretty good! I also looked forward to VS catalogs, not just for underwear but also clothing, shoes and bathing suits. Not to mention the supermodels including Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum, and Gisele Bundchen among others, graced many covers of the catalog. I lived vicariously through the catalogs, imagining myself, chilling on the beach in a sexy bikini and looking glamorous! At the time I couldn't afford most of the stuff there but one can dream.
So a brief history of Victoria's Secret. It was founded by Roy Raymond and his wife Gaye Raymond in San Francisco, California on June 12, 1977. Raymond admitted that he was embarrassed when purchasing lingerie for his wife. He noted that some of the underwear was not good quality and he felt like an intruder when shopping for women's underwear. As a result, he founded the company, Victoria's Secret, named after Queen Victoria of England, the secret was basically underwear, while Angels, a sub-brand of VS was named after his wife's sorority Pi Beta Phi where its mascot was an angel (Wikipedia). Raymond wanted his brand to reflect a refine and sexy image compared to other brands such as Hanes and Fruit of the Loom, which although practical and comfortable, was not appealing to the eyes so to speak. He also maintained catalogs but keep in mind it was more for a male gaze than for a woman's benefit.
In 1982, Raymond sold his brand to Leslie Wexner, owner of the Limited Brand which includes Bath and Body Works and Pink. In 1983, the dynamic of the brand changed which would be more successful later on. He put more emphasis on female customers, by replacing male-oriented catalogs to cater to women. It also added glamour to the brand and revamped its stores, inspired by 19th century England (Wikipedia).
Adding supermodels to the brand also adds to its appeal. For some models, it was a right of passage to be recognized as one of Victoria's Secret "Angels," therefore creating more exposure for the brand. The catalogs also added clothing and bathing suits. VS also went further and created Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on August 1st, 1995 to reach more viewers and more profits, which worked for a while. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the fashion show, the costumes were too tacky for my taste and I really didn't get to see much lingerie. It was more in line with a Carnival band launch in Trinidad and Tobago than a fashion show.
Unfortunately, good things must come to an end and VS is no exception. After the successful 80s and 90s, Victoria's Secret saw a gradual decline in profits especially in the age of the internet and social media. In 2016 alone, sales only grew by 1.6%, especially around the holiday season. Victoria's Secret also discontinued its catalog publication and dropped clothing and swimwear. When I heard about this, my heart sank. Catalogs were always part of Victoria's Secret brand and seeing it discontinued was very disappointing but not surprising as sales continued to plummet. Victoria's Secret is also closing 53 stores across the country this year. Lastly, Victoria's Secret decided to cancel its annual fashion show (praise the Lord) this month on the 21st.
So what went wrong? I believed that social media played a role. Body positivity is the thing these days (well it can be a good thing or is it being realistic?) and many women, especially the younger generation are getting tired of the unrealistic portrayals of women in brands such as Victoria's Secret. Women were often portrayed as slim, with large breasts in some cases. Also, the majority are white women, there were some black women and hardly any Asian women. Then there was a controversial statement made by CMO Ed Razek, who claimed that the company doesn't cast transgender or plus-size models in its fashion show because the show is a "fantasy." You have to keep in mind the show is also for the male gaze and honestly do you think most men want to see a transgendered or plus-size model? Even though Victoria's Secret is catered to women, there is still a male mindset in regards to womanhood, albeit unrealistic; slim women with long hair and large boobs. And the fashion industry still caters to the slimmer and paler persuasion even though slowly but surely, changes are coming.
I also think that some of the lingerie lacked quality and looked very complicated. Could you imagine wearing lingerie for your significant other and you had to be a scientist just to take it off? That's how impractical its lingerie is. Other brands such as Aerie and Rihanna's Savage X Fenty began promoting more realistic images of women and as a result, women began shopping in those brands in droves. Rihanna even hosted a fashion show during New York Fashion Week and it was also shown on Amazon Prime Video. I'm not a fan of the show, it's too brash for my taste but it appealed to the younger generation, showing realistic bodies, which is something VS is lacking.
Victoria's Secret is still an iconic brand and I even enjoyed my time working there. However, if it wants to stay around for the long run, it has to adapt to the rapidly changing times. Many stores such as Forever 21 are closing stores home and abroad because of this and hopefully, Victoria's Secret wouldn't get the same fate. Maybe it's time that Victoria's Secret accept more realistic women's bodies and promote more diversity in its brand. It should still be sexy and glamorous but also practical and comfy. I still love Victoria's Secret, it such a famous brand and it's still a leader in the lingerie market. However, it needs to make quick changes if it wants to stay alive in such a rapidly changing environment.
So a brief history of Victoria's Secret. It was founded by Roy Raymond and his wife Gaye Raymond in San Francisco, California on June 12, 1977. Raymond admitted that he was embarrassed when purchasing lingerie for his wife. He noted that some of the underwear was not good quality and he felt like an intruder when shopping for women's underwear. As a result, he founded the company, Victoria's Secret, named after Queen Victoria of England, the secret was basically underwear, while Angels, a sub-brand of VS was named after his wife's sorority Pi Beta Phi where its mascot was an angel (Wikipedia). Raymond wanted his brand to reflect a refine and sexy image compared to other brands such as Hanes and Fruit of the Loom, which although practical and comfortable, was not appealing to the eyes so to speak. He also maintained catalogs but keep in mind it was more for a male gaze than for a woman's benefit.
In 1982, Raymond sold his brand to Leslie Wexner, owner of the Limited Brand which includes Bath and Body Works and Pink. In 1983, the dynamic of the brand changed which would be more successful later on. He put more emphasis on female customers, by replacing male-oriented catalogs to cater to women. It also added glamour to the brand and revamped its stores, inspired by 19th century England (Wikipedia).
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Adding supermodels to the brand also adds to its appeal. For some models, it was a right of passage to be recognized as one of Victoria's Secret "Angels," therefore creating more exposure for the brand. The catalogs also added clothing and bathing suits. VS also went further and created Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on August 1st, 1995 to reach more viewers and more profits, which worked for a while. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the fashion show, the costumes were too tacky for my taste and I really didn't get to see much lingerie. It was more in line with a Carnival band launch in Trinidad and Tobago than a fashion show.
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So what went wrong? I believed that social media played a role. Body positivity is the thing these days (well it can be a good thing or is it being realistic?) and many women, especially the younger generation are getting tired of the unrealistic portrayals of women in brands such as Victoria's Secret. Women were often portrayed as slim, with large breasts in some cases. Also, the majority are white women, there were some black women and hardly any Asian women. Then there was a controversial statement made by CMO Ed Razek, who claimed that the company doesn't cast transgender or plus-size models in its fashion show because the show is a "fantasy." You have to keep in mind the show is also for the male gaze and honestly do you think most men want to see a transgendered or plus-size model? Even though Victoria's Secret is catered to women, there is still a male mindset in regards to womanhood, albeit unrealistic; slim women with long hair and large boobs. And the fashion industry still caters to the slimmer and paler persuasion even though slowly but surely, changes are coming.
I also think that some of the lingerie lacked quality and looked very complicated. Could you imagine wearing lingerie for your significant other and you had to be a scientist just to take it off? That's how impractical its lingerie is. Other brands such as Aerie and Rihanna's Savage X Fenty began promoting more realistic images of women and as a result, women began shopping in those brands in droves. Rihanna even hosted a fashion show during New York Fashion Week and it was also shown on Amazon Prime Video. I'm not a fan of the show, it's too brash for my taste but it appealed to the younger generation, showing realistic bodies, which is something VS is lacking.
Victoria's Secret is still an iconic brand and I even enjoyed my time working there. However, if it wants to stay around for the long run, it has to adapt to the rapidly changing times. Many stores such as Forever 21 are closing stores home and abroad because of this and hopefully, Victoria's Secret wouldn't get the same fate. Maybe it's time that Victoria's Secret accept more realistic women's bodies and promote more diversity in its brand. It should still be sexy and glamorous but also practical and comfy. I still love Victoria's Secret, it such a famous brand and it's still a leader in the lingerie market. However, it needs to make quick changes if it wants to stay alive in such a rapidly changing environment.
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