Victoria’s Secret WAS An Incredible Brand
From a consumer perspective, I don’t think Victoria’s Secret was that bad of a brand.
You can watch my video essay below!
What comes to mind when you think of Victoria’s Secret? I see pinks and reds. Glitter and glamour. Femininity and passion.
As someone who was a regular consumer of theirs back in the day, I have many thoughts on this brand. If you haven’t seen the recent Hulu documentary, Angels and Demons, go check it out. There was some sketchy shit going on when it came to the underbelly of Victoria’s Secret, but from a consumer perspective, I don’t think VS was that bad of a brand.
It’s no secret that this brand has been under some heat for many years now. People have claimed they are discriminatory due to their lack of body diversity. They have been accused of cultural appropriation by representing a variety of cultures in their shows. There has also been sexual assault allegations and talk of misogyny within the company. I’m going to speak from my own personal experience with the brand as a previous consumer.
I’m 23 years old now and I experienced Victoria’s Secret when they were at the height of popularity. Candace Swanepoel was the IT girl, VS swim was in full swing, and every music artist was clambering for a spot to perform for their fashion show. Still to this day, I have never experienced a brand quite as unique as Victoria’s Secret. Their whole idea was that they were selling a fantasy, and boy it sure felt that way. VS made you feel like you could be this powerful, unstoppable, boss woman.
I’d look at the black and white photos that line the dressing room, in awe of the ethereal women in the frames. I’d pass by silk robes and imagine in my head the type of woman who buys them.
I’d picture a late 20’s bombshell who lives in a New York penthouse. She wakes up to get ready at her gorgeous vanity. She gracefully puts on makeup and finishes with a spritz of perfume that comes in an antique bottle with a pump. She’s glamorous and successful, elegant and unstoppable. I was creating my own idea of who Victoria was, or maybe I was creating the woman I wanted to become? Maybe that was what Victoria was always supposed to be. The highest versions of ourselves. And what is a better way to start becoming her than with a silk robe? Everything has energy. Our clothing has energy. A denim skirt will not make you feel as luxurious as a silk robe. This is why I love fashion so much. You literally can manifest the highest version of yourself by starting to dress like her! Have you ever noticed how much more confident you feel in a blazer? I know I feel much more put together and, without even noticing, I hold my head a little higher. This is what Victoria’s Secret did for me. It made little me start to envision the kind of woman I’d like to be someday, and I don’t know about you but I think that’s fucking beautiful.
Les Wexner, the owner of Victoria’s Secret, did intend to create a story with his brand. It was said in the Hulu documentary that he had read the book Making Movies, by Sidney Lumet. This is where he got the idea to create this mythical founder named Victoria. This brand did feel like a movie. They even used the well known film director Micheal Bay for some of their commercials. In their internal brand video, this Victoria figure tells us all about who she is.
“I am Victoria Stuart White. This spring I shall turn 36 years old. Father taught me about business, but mother was determined that I develop my soul, my passion and my femininity. Mother was passionate. A fiery French woman with a quick temper and a healthy disrespect for the English in their stodgy ways.”
I loved this idea that Victoria was this perfect mixture of masculine and feminine traits. It is the kind of woman that truly is a magical fantasy. The kind of woman that I look up to.
I’ve always believed that the very thing that makes women so powerful is our ability to be multifaceted. We can be into makeup and science. We can be a mother and a lingerie model. Cut to Candace Swanepoel walking the 2017 Victoria’s secret fashion show while pregnant. I remember thinking how cute it was that her baby boy got to walk the runway with her. And she wasn’t the first to do this. Irina Shayk, Alessandra Ambrósio, Heidi Klum, Lily Aldridge and Doutzen Kroes all walked the runway with a baby on the way. Women are fucking amazing.
It reminds me of the quote by Sir William Golding.
“Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.”
I think there’s always been this belief that Victoria’s Secret was creating the type of woman that only men find to be a fantasy. In a way, yes that’s true. They’re long-legged, thin, flawless beauties. But besides that, these women were a fantasy for me too, and I think I can speak on behalf of most women when I say that.
The brand is named after the queen Victoria of England, in hopes to reignite the elegance of the Victorian era in its lingerie. “Secret” is referring to what is hidden underneath the clothing.
I felt so girly and feminine in the world of VS. Lex Wexner actually stated that it was intentional to design the store in a way where men would feel uncomfortable in it.
Ironic, considering the original owners of the brand, Roy and Gaye Raymond, had the opposite goal. When the company was founded in 1977, Roy was inspired by his embarrassment when buying his wife lingerie at the shopping mall. He wanted to create a setting where men felt comfortable buying gifts for their partner.
Les Wexner stated:
“If men like Victoria’s Secret, that’s kind of a bonus. But in my imagination, they should feel uncomfortable when they’re in the store. That thinking goes into the design, the store, the fitting rooms, the fabric, the display. It’s all from the lady’s point of view. It’s nothing to do with men.”
I loved that he said this because I think there’s always been this false narrative that if you’re a woman buying lingerie from Victoria’s Secret, your intent is to please a man. Lingerie is the essence of femininity. My good friend has a lingerie collection that she adores. Not once has she mentioned wearing it for a man. But even if she had, there’s nothing wrong with that. We have to lean away from this idea that if a woman is trying to please a man by being sexy, then she must be oppressed. If that’s what she wants to do, then what’s wrong with it? We don’t get up in arms when men try to please us.
I only have fond memories as a consumer and I haven’t been this inspired by a brand since.
Let’s talk about some of the things that made them magical.
The Models Were The Brand
If you are unfamiliar with the brand, Victoria’s Secret angels were essentially mini celebrities. There were women that modeled for VS, and women who became Angels, a step above and an honor within the brand itself. Angels are a carefully selected group of models that become a name and face for the brand. They traveled to stores to promote new products, they were featured in the tv commercials, and were the main focus at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Once the brand made a girl an angel, everyone knew who they were and they got more work outside of Victoria’s Secret. Many of them are major supermodels, including Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
The concept was born after their 1997 ad to promote “Angels” underwear collection. The term stuck and became one of the most iconic parts of the brand.
Every Victoria’s Secret Fashion show would start by showing each angel and their name sparkling on the screen. In between the segments, they would interview the girls about their life and what they love to do outside of modeling. This was the first time I had seen a brand tell us not only the names of the women that were modeling their clothes but also where they are from, their backstory and how they ended up with Victoria Secret. It connected us to the models.
This is why any argument of Victoria’s Secret objectifying women just falls flat. The definition of objectification is the action of degrading someone to the status of a mere object.
I don’t think Victoria’s Secret is the lingerie brand we should be discussing when it comes to objectification. VS only made women look powerful, strong and angelic in their ads. If Victoria’s Secret is how men view women, well shit we look pretty damn amazing, I’ll take it.
Having the audience get to know each angel is the opposite of objectification.
These are grown women agreeing with Victoria’s Secret to be a lingerie model in exchange for millions of dollars. I always viewed the angels as boss business women. Claiming lingerie models are being objectified is like saying the NFL is objectifying men. It’s a grown man agreeing to use his physical body for millions of dollars. What’s the difference between the NFL and Victoria’s Secret?
It’s only natural for little girls to look up to older women. Watching the same women I saw displayed in the store open up to the audience about who they are, beyond their exterior, made me fall that much more in love with them. They were vibrant, sweet, goofy and hardworking. I’m very happy that I grew up with women like that to look up to.
There was something so tasteful and elegant about the way they portrayed women. Two things I find to be completely lost today. I feel like I can’t watch a music video or an award show without seeing an asshole twerking in my face. Today caters mostly to the male gaze. In my opinion, Victoria’s Secret didn’t. Les Wexner said it himself, the store was not supposed to appeal to men, and for the most part, it didn’t. It was for the female gaze. I think we get too caught up in whether something is run by a man or not. Instead, we should be focusing on how the women are being portrayed. The underbelly of these companies are and can be a completely separate conversation, deserving of their own spotlight and/or criticisms. Just because something is created by a woman does not mean it’s what’s best for us.
Let’s use the agent provocateur ad as an example. Apparently, it was written and directed by Penelope Cruz. We’ll never know if she was just paid for her name to be used or not. Here’s the thing, this commercial never got heat for objectifying women because it was created by a woman. This brand probably knew they could slyly get by the pitch forks of criticism if they had a woman on board.
I’m finding that a majority of entertainment today is actually women objectifying women. Cardi B’s song WAP and the Call Her Daddy podcast are two examples of this. Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn actually labeled one of their episodes “You are just a hole.” Victoria’s Secret never called me just a hole. A lot of things being labeled as modern “feminism” is actually just repackaged misogyny. We might not realize it now, but we’ve actually canceled the brands that portrayed women beautifully in exchange for hyper sexual, degrading imagery. What’s worse? Men getting rich by creating stunning displays of femininity, or women getting rich by degrading us to sex objects. What’s the point of a woman being in power if she got there by stepping on her own gender. We can act like these things don’t matter, but I heavily looked up to VS Angels growing up. I’m extremely lucky that they didn’t sell me the lie to act like men. They taught me how powerful it is to be myself. Little girls today aren’t so lucky.
We can pretend like Alex Cooper is trailblazing. We can pretend like she’s moving women forward in society. We can pretend like she’s some sort of boss. We can stay in our own skewed version of reality, but deep down we know the truth. She got where she is by selling a damaging lifestyle to women. She doesn’t give a shit about you. She doesn’t give a shit about women. It should worry you that she’s 60 million dollars richer after telling her audience that they’re just a hole. She’s just a reminder that the patriarchy is alive and well. If she was a man, you’d be furious with that 60 million dollar deal. What’s even scarier is there are loads of girls ready to praise and defend her. This is how powerful being a woman in entertainment is. You have an extremely strong hold on the young women looking up to you, like how the VS Angels had on me. Me writing about them 10 years later should tell you everything. Like Doutzen Kroes said, “It’s something that sticks with you forever.” I get sad thinking that Alex Cooper’s ideologies might stick with girls forever.
Their Runway Had Emotion
To preface, I have a degree in fashion design and I heavily immersed myself in all things style and design since I was a young girl. Growing up I’d watch runway shows and wondered why I didn’t find them interesting at all. I actually was quite bored by the high fashion industry as a whole. I loved sewing, I loved dressing up, I loved design — so what was it about high fashion runway that didn’t speak to me?
I remember telling my Mom one time “I don’t like how the models looks so sad, why don’t they smile? Fashion is fun.”
It made me uncomfortable to see real life humans acting like robots, on top of the fact that I didn’t know their name. There was no emotion behind their faces. Yes, that is essentially what modeling is. You’re a real life mannequin who’s job is to bring attention to the clothes, not yourself. I get that. I’m just saying anything that has ever made me feel something involved emotions! Think of your favorite movie. I bet the characters didn’t deliver their lines in a monotone way with a frozen face to match. I bet there were emotional scenes that made you fucking feel something! I can’t feel much about the clothing without seeing the model wearing it with some sort of feelings.
Let’s use Gossip Girl as an example for this. In episode 4 of season 1, Bad News Blair, we see Eleanor Waldorf comparing photos of Blair and Serena. Her photographer stated
“I don’t think this girl is what you’re trying to say. Unapproachable controlled. Perfect. Your girl is rigid like a twig. You know, she’s afraid to let you in.”
That is exactly how I feel about watching conventional high fashion runways. The models seem to be closed off which almost immediately closes me off to the clothes. Eleanor’s photographer then goes on to rave about Serena. He says,
“She is warm like sunshine. She has fun. She will make the clients think if they buy these clothes then they will have fun too.”
Serena is the Victoria’s Secret Angels to me. They show emotion! They smile, laugh, dance, etc. I remember thinking, wow these models are allowed to have fun! It’s like they’re given no direction and free to be whoever they feel like being. That is beautiful to me. In the high fashion industry where people are constantly being told how to act, seeing girls just be themselves was refreshing.
Betsey Johnson was one of the only designers I looked up to growing up. Looking back on her runways now, I see why. They look very similar to Victoria’s Secret. The models had vibrant energy!
The costume designer of Victoria’s Secret has said the best part of the show is the girls and their personalities.
“And then the other thrill is actually watching them work the runway in the garment. That’s one thing that I love about the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. You get to see the girl. It’s not just about the product. They don’t walk with this face, you know, down the runway so serious. They have personalities and strength and power. And you get to see every bit of it when they walk the runway. So we’re just frosting, really, you know, I mean, it’s fun frosting because we get to make beautiful garments for beautiful women. And what’s to hate?”
Think about it from a designer’s perspective. If I worked tirelessly all year on a costume, I’d want to see it on a spirited, confident, powerful woman.
Let’s take a look at a brand called Berta Bridal. Berta creates wedding dresses that are couture level quality, with retail prices that are closer to those of mass production brands. But it’s not just her dresses that set her apart from competitors. In her 2020 runway show, you know what she included? You guessed it, emotion. A woman’s wedding day is one of the most emotional days of her life, and Berta didn’t shy away from portraying that. She had a model walk down the runway with a pretend groom at the end. The model was acting in a way a bride would when seeing her soon to be husband for the first time, on their wedding day. It was like watching a mini play. I can’t tell y’all how many times I watched this video. Petition to have runway shows be mini plays. I was made aware of this brand through Tik Tok. This video of the Berta Bridal runway got 4.8 Million views compared to its surrounding videos that have an average of 57,000 views. Hm, I wonder why?
Art is all about connecting with one another. It’s about feeling like we’re getting to know one another and I don’t know about you but I can’t just watch humans act robotic and feel connected to them or the clothes they’re wearing.
Alongside the happy emotions we saw out of the Victoria’s Secret angels, we also saw the realistic imperfections. We were shown their nervousness before the runway and all the costume mishaps. The show gave us both in front and behind the curtain perspective. We watched the models walk with such power and confidence, but just before that first step on the runway, we also saw them anxiously shaking. It was such a beautiful unveiling of humanity.
We, as people, tend to have this idea in our heads that anyone doing an extroverted job was just born fearless. These models are just effortlessly walking these runways right?
At times, these jobs can look unattainable for just anyone because we think perfection is necessary to get them. Victoria’s Secret showed us that you can get the dream job and still tremble while you do it. Believing that we can’t do something until we get it absolutely perfect will hold us back in life.
As Lemony Snicket said,
“If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.”
One of my favorite books of all time, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, talks about the resistance we feel when pursuing something we love. He says it’s good to feel resistance and self-doubt. It’s a good sign when we procrastinate on something. It means that, that very thing is what we must pursue, cause we wouldn’t care so much about screwing up something we weren’t truly meant for.
He stated:
“Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” Chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”
So next time you are shaking while pursuing something, it’s probably because it’s exactly what you’re meant for.
The Creativity
Another thing that made VS a dream clothing brand for me was their creativity.
As a girl who’s been in love with fashion since I was little, The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was my Super Bowl. Models turning into angels was like the NFL draft.
I loved how each segment had a specific theme. It was unlike anything I’d seen in entertainment, let alone fashion. Anticipating what the themes were going to be, what the costumes would look like and which models would open the segments, was a thrill I’ll forever miss.
They would spend the entire year working on the costumes and boy, it showed. Some critics would say it’s odd to watch a fashion show that doesn’t even sell the pieces being shown. I argue — Why does everything have to be attainable? Why does everything have to be realistic? Fashion is art, and we’re supposed to view art, take it in, feel something, have our opinions, and leave it at that. Why are we constantly trying to make things practical? That’s boring.
Let’s use the show Euphoria as an example. Yes, this show is good, but do we think it would have gotten half the attention it did if its wasn’t for it’s hyperbolic scenes, makeup and clothes? Probably not. The makeup artist of the show, Doniella Davy has said in a conversation with Sam Levinson, the creator of Euphoria, that she was struggling with the makeup looking realistic. His response to her was “fuck reality.”
We’re experiencing reality everyday, we’re so used to it. Why do we want to see our everyday lives reflected in art? There’s a time and place to be realistic but the runway is not one of them. I want to see things I’ve never seen before. I want art to make me feel emotions I don’t usually feel in every day life.
The VS designers made many costumes out of unconventional mediums. Every year they would push the envelope a little further. They had costumes made out of balloons, toys, metal, feathers, and Swarovski crystals. Yes, I’m talking about the iconic fantasy bra.
They hired artisans from all over the world. Painters, sculptors, and even lighting experts etc. The list goes on and and on. The attention to detail and amount of work that went into these costumes was so beautiful. It’s always been so heartwarming to me that a bunch of creatives got together and worked tirelessly to give us a show. You could argue it’s just a corporation that puts this on to heavily market themselves. Yes, that’s true, but there’s not just one side to this. In this modern world that can sometimes ignore the beauty of painting, and sculpting, I think its incredible that Victoria’s Secret gave artists the opportunity to showcase their talent in a worldwide televised fashion show. They gave them a contemporary way to showcase the beauty of their medium.
So, yes this is a corporation’s show but art is important. Shows like this one are important. Humans would go nuts in this world without creativity.
Let’s not forget the quote from Dead Poets Society. Robin Williams character says:
“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”
Many little girls would watch the show and hope to one day be an angel. I hoped to one day create costumes as beautiful as these. This show ignited a flame in many.
My all time favorite segment was the Passion collection from their 2011 show.
I think this is, by far, the most beautiful segment they’ve ever done. The costumes, the set design and the song was chef’s kiss x1000. I loved this collection so much that I sewed Candice Swanepoel’s outfit for halloween last year!
This section was inspired by Latin roots with a couture touch. If you’re unfamiliar with couture, it is custom, made to order pieces by high fashion houses. Think Chanel, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent ,etc. Designers have ready to wear lines that are available to the general market in stores, and then they have their couture lines. The places where these garments are constructed are called ateliers. An interesting fact of most ateliers is they have technicians working on garments by hand and they have no sewing machines. They sew by hand to control the entire construction of the garment. The pieces are so carefully made that some can take up to a year to make. Yes, that’s right, a year. So a client cannot come to a couture house and make a last minute order. That is what makes couture so special. The modern world of fashion is so fast paced, constantly pumping out massed produced clothes. It is refreshing to have a sector that still believes in the beauty of delayed gratification and personalized pieces. Couture blends so well with the Latin American style. Some trends that come from latin roots include rich embroidery, vibrant colors and bold ruffles. Other examples of this in pop culture include the wild music video by Jonas Blue.
And for all my 90’s babies who remembers the Let’s Dance performance from the meet Miley Cyrus tour?
Another thing I loved about the VS runway, is it was accessible to everyone. I’d have to look up High fashion runways on YouTube as a little girl, which made me feel like I was peeking through a window I wasn’t supposed to. Victoria’s Secret was right on my tv screen, making me feel like I was invited inside. High fashion runways are just a bunch of rich people sitting around at a show only they can get into, admiring clothes that only they can afford. Maybe that’s why Victoria’s Secret didn’t sell the costumes being shown. Maybe in doing that they were sending the message that if our customers can’t have it, no one can. It took the superficiality out of runway shows by forcing us to just simply admire beautiful costumes by talented artists. They left us with pure fun and enjoyment.
I could go on for days about each Victoria’s Secret segment, but let’s move on to the last but not least magical thing about this brand.
The Fantasy Bra
Every year an angel was selected to model their well-known bejeweled piece, labeled the Fantasy bra. Victoria’s Secret worked with famous jewelry designers to create the bra that would be used as a main part of the show. The bra had been made out of various stones such as diamonds, rubies, and Swarovski crystals. Fans of Victoria’s Secret would wait in anticipation to find out which angel would be chosen. It was as equally exciting watching an angel be told she would be wearing the bra as it was to see them get their first pair of wings.
The price of the Fantasy bra has ranged from 1 million TO 15 million. In the 2013 show, Candace Swanepoel wore the Royal Fantasy Bra which was valued at 10 million dollars.
It was a part of their segment labeled British Invasion. The bra was made by Mouawad and consisted of red and blue jewels to represent the colors of the British flag. The bra was specifically made to fit Candace’s body. Anytime Swanepoel was wearing the bra, she was followed around by two bodyguards. Is that not every girl’s dream?? To have a bra so expensive it comes with bodyguards? Maybe I am biased because Candace wore this one (she IS my favorite angel). But this is my all-time favorite Fantasy bra. It is a classic cut with bold, vibrant colors. As a self-proclaimed girly girl, anything that sparkles shines, and consists of diamonds, makes me squeal.
Having a piece worth millions made us associate Victoria’s Secret with opulence. They established themselves as a brand that was accessible to the average consumer but also had an air of luxury about them. This set them apart from any other store in the shopping mall.
The Fantasy bras are put up for sale and marketed as the “ultimate Christmas gift.” After a year, if the bra does not find a buyer, it is taken apart. In the history of Victoria’s Secret, two bras have found a buyer. The 2004 bra worn by Tyra Banks, labeled Heavenly 70 (after the 70 carat diamond set in the center), is valued at 10 million dollars. The second piece was from 2012 labeled the floral Fantasy bra, worn by Alessandra Ambrosio. This bra was valued at 2,500,000. I pictured in my head a man buying this for his wife. This brand is one of the reasons I have high standards. Next time you’re crying about that Chad from Sigma Chi douchebag, just remember there’s a woman out there with a bra worth millions.
It’s only natural for us women to get all giddy about lingerie made of diamonds. Like I’ve said, lingerie is the essence of femininity, and diamonds are right along with it. It’s the perfect combination. Like Marilyn Monroe once said, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”
In conclusion,
There’s no denying Victoria’s Secret blazed a trail of glitter that cannot be replicated. In a time where fashion, film, and music lack creativity, I can’t help but reminisce about the magical world that was Victoria’s Secret.
