Victoria’s Secret doesn’t need a special introduction. The luxury lingerie brand, with its epic fashion shows, used to hold a cult position within the fashion landscape. And how can we forget the ravishing ‘angels’ and their gorgeous feather wings that dazzled the audience as they ruled the ramp? Walking Victoria’s Secret fashion show was considered a milestone moment for anyone aspiring to embark on a fashion journey. Due to various reasons, the brand went on hiatus for quite a long time. Although its products were available on the market, sales went down drastically, and the fashion shows were put on hold for more than four years.
After four long years, the luxury brand is all set to make a majestic return after addressing all the problems and issues. Timothy Johnson, the CEO of Victoria’s Secret, confirmed that the fashion shows will make a comeback very soon this year, and the internet is in splits. Only time will tell if the luxury brand will be successful in turning around the allegations of misogyny and championing the cause of women’s empowerment.
The Long Hiatus
The last fashion show for Victoria’s Secret took place in November 2019. The show did not go as planned and resulted in poor ratings and even worse sales. The reason was simple. People weren’t pleased with the beauty standards portrayed by the brand and found that they were borderline misogynistic. Victoria’s Secret adhered to an ideal of beauty that catered to unrealistic standards that were a far cry from what actual women look like. Although there were demands from around the world to rectify this issue, the brand continued to promote a perfect body type that propagated insecurity and discontent.
Several people spoke up against these unacceptable standards and objectification of women. This included the model Ashley Graham. She posted a photoshopped picture of herself in lingerie and a pair of feathered wings on a ramp. She herself, being a plus-size model, took a dig at Victoria’s Secret’s monotonous selection method for models.
The brand received, even more, flak due to the two men who were believed to captain the Victoria’s Secret ship, Les Waxner, and Edward Razek. Les Waxner’s association with Jeffrey Epstein, who was alleged to be a “sex offender,” did not sit well with the masses. Edward Razek, on the other hand, had already sabotaged the reputation of the brand with his blatant and callous response during an interview where he was asked if the brand would ever include trans and plus-size models. Razek, who was too full of himself at the time, callously said that those models could not be included in the show as it would thwart the atmosphere of fantasy.
The public showed the lingerie brand that they want what they want and that such misogyny and body shaming will not be tolerated. What made the situation even worse was that Rihanna collaborated with Fenty on a lingerie brand that included models of all types. There was an entire range, including trans, non-binary, and even plus-size models. The buyers switched to Riri’s brand in no time.
What to Expect
So, what exactly are we expecting from the comeback of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show? First and foremost, the only thing the world will look for in this upcoming fashion show is inclusivity among the models. Let’s just hope that the brand has paced itself to match the changing social scenario. As usual, a good majority of the netizens are quite skeptical about the imminent return. While some doubt if the fashion shows will be as glamorous as before, others are ready to boycott the brand if it continues to adhere to the same distorted standards.
