Harbingers’ Magazine is a weekly online current affairs magazine written and edited by teenagers worldwide.
harbinger | noun
har·bin·ger | \ˈhär-bən-jər\
1. one that initiates a major change: a person or thing that originates or helps open up a new activity, method, or technology; pioneer.
2. something that foreshadows a future event : something that gives an anticipatory sign of what is to come.
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October 15, 2024. Gigi Hadid, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
The iconic Victoria’s Secret Fashion show returned on October 15 after being cancelled for over five years due to poor ratings and a problematic reputation.
The aesthetic of the lingerie brand – deemed sexy and appealing, but also toxic and narrow-minded by some – was meant to be transformed into a supposedly body-positive and more inclusive version.
There are two questions: did it work? And why the sudden change of heart? Is it really to shift the brand from ‘what men want’ to ‘what women want’ and to improve women’s self-esteem? Or is it simply a marketing move?
Understanding the rebrand begins with uncovering the past. Here’s a look at the history of Victoria’s Secret and its fashion show.
After a less-than-ideal experience purchasing underwear for his wife in a mall, US businessman Roy Raymond was inspired to create Victoria’s Secret: a lingerie store where men would feel comfortable shopping.
Raymond consulted his wife, Gaye, throughout the process of consolidating this vision. The idea was to portray a character, so-called “Victoria,” who was meant to evoke the elegance and sophistication associated with Victorian-era dressing rooms, while hinting at a hidden “secret” beneath the clothing. She was intended to embody propriety and allure, with a touch of temptation.
The first store opened in California in 1977; Raymond sold the business a few years later and the now-beloved lingerie brand expanded rapidly. In 1995, the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
By 1999, millions of people would tune in to see the runway outfits that this yearly event had to offer. The charming, fun, beautiful and, dare I say, perfect models were part of the reason the show was at its peak in the early 2000s.
To understand the allure of Victoria’s Secret – also known simply as VS – during its prime, it’s important to distinguish two types of models who contributed to the brand’s iconic status.
On one hand, there were the standard models who appeared in various campaigns and catalogues. On the other were the “Angels,” an elite group of contracted supermodels who became the very face of Victoria’s Secret and the angel-winged stars of the fashion show.
However, both groups had to meet certain requirements so extreme that, accordingto Victoria’s Secret former chief marketing officer Edward Razek, fewer than 100 women in the world had the potential to fulfil them. Razek retired in 2019after public criticism of VS for creating a culture of misogyny, abuse and harassment.
The first requirement was age—typically between 18 and 22, unless an older model had a significant foothold in the industry. This means that most of those who were hired were following strict diets and workout routines, while potentially still being in development. The next demand was height: from 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall.
Lastly, since Victoria’s Secret preferred an hourglass figure to promote their lingerie, there were specific qualifications for body measurements: a 24-inch (66cm) waist, a 34-inch (86cm) bust, and 34-inch (86cm) hips.
The company was not ashamed of these requirements. The Victoria’s Secret diets and workout routines are available online for the public, shared by some of the former models. For example, Romee Strijd, Jasmine Tookes and Vita Sidorkina, have shared “What I Eat in A Day” videos on YouTube. They seem to be positive about the lifestyle they lead.
Some people also created “Trying a VS diet for a week” videos, while others pointed out the downsides of this lifestyle as well, while analysing it. VS has obviously received controversial feedback; additionally some models have spoken about the company’s dark side.
Australian model Bridget Malcolm opened up about her experience working with Victoria’s Secret in 2021. “I’ve never experienced anything like it before and I hope to never again. It was truly quite a traumatic experience,” she said in an interview on 60 Minutes Australia.
Malcolm also said she was rejected from the VS fashion show in 2017 because “her body didn’t look good enough.” According to Malcolm, it went so far that she was told to do cocaine to lose weight and to have lots of sex to slim down, while she was underage.
She also shared other terrible experiences, such as having the goal of “surviving purely on water” for five whole days (though she admits she never achieved this goal, as she kept passing out after day three), the company’s exploitative practices, and her own health issues including anxiety attacks and the loss of her periods.
VS was also shaken by allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct by many in senior positions at the brand, and the overall atmosphere of male supremacy within the company. It began losing clients, and the VS fashion show started losing its audience – it was cancelled in 2018. Supermodel Adriana Lima, the very face of VS, also left in 2018 after almost 20 years, which did it no good. And, obviously the company began losing money.
Victoria’s Secret started backtracking. The first reboot was attempted in 2018—a bit late, some might say, since body positivity had been gaining momentum since the early 2010s. They featured plus-size models, showcasing that all body types are sexy, and even responded to people’s comments on social media, to position themselves as “nice” and “friendly.” However, this approach didn’t seem to go down well with the public.
In an attempt to make a stronger statement, in 2019 VS fired all of its Angels. Feedback was mixed: some complained that the brand had lost its appeal, while others praised the move, noting that the Angels had embodied the diet culture of the early 2000s.
In 2021, Victoria’s Secret gathered a more inclusive collective, a new group of spokeswomen, including soccer star Megan Rapinoe and actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who now also represent the brand.
The timing of Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024seems fitting: those who remember the old VS will tune in for the nostalgia, and those unfamiliar with it will watch for a body-positive, entertaining, and inclusive fashion show.
The comeback of the show was inclusive but delivered mixed results. While the runway featured more diversity with the likes of plus-size model Paloma Elsesser and transgender model Alex Consani it still leaned heavily on conventional beauty standards. Some elements of past shows, like fun themes and spectacular moments, were missing, leaving the spectacle feeling a bit rushed.
The most attention-grabbing moment was definitely the return of former Angelsincluding Tyra Banks, Alessandra Ambrosio, Taylor Hill, Adriana Lima and many more. This comeback made the decision to phase them out in 2019 seem pointless, almost as if the brand would rather dismiss all the Angels than include a few plus-size models.
In terms of sales and hype, it did work. The show had more than 20 million views on YouTube within the first 24 hours. And for instance, the shiny black leggings that Tyra Banks wore to close the show completely sold out.
Victoria’s Secret rebranded to promote inclusivity and reduce insecurity among women, especially teens, since their standards have even triggered eating disorders in the past. However, in my view, the changes feel surface-level, and the brand may still promote certain beauty standards that impact young girls’ self-image.
The only difference, between now and the 2000s, is that the ultra-thin ideal that once sold so well is now out of favour, earning the brand public criticism. So, like any company, Victoria’s Secret is adapting to protect its bottom line.
It’s not a moral shift—it’s just business. When a brand starts to decline, this kind of marketing pivot is expected, and Victoria’s Secret is no exception.
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