No, We Don't Need The Victoria's Secret Show To Return
Please leave The Angels in heaven cuz we're all in hell.
I think the first time I saw a Victoria's Secret show (I refuse to call it a 'fashion' show because it isn't one) was when I was 11 and at a friend's house. I remember Alessandra Ambrosio wearing a bra and panties made entirely out of candy. I turned to my friend and said, "Noice" (probably).
It wouldn’t be sensationalist to say Victoria's Secret is at the crux of 90s babies' eating disorders. Except for me, but that's only because generational trauma got to me first (ya snooze, ya lose, Ed Razek!), and by the time I was aware of VS's presence, the distorted idea of how I should look to be considered a valid human was already firmly cemented in place.
Upon viewing, I was aware that while all The Angels were different, they somehow looked exactly the same and were considered the epitome of beauty for the male gaze. As I got older, it appeared Instagram would spew out more diet and exercise content than usual every time the show reared its perfectly coiffed head for the year.
So I’ve never been particularly taken with the Victoria’s Secret brand. Maybe because I've never found it aspirational to be appealing to men. Or because I'd been to a Victoria's Secret in the States and was well aware of the abysmal quality of their three-for-$5 g-bangers. I just couldn't wrap my head around why these supermodels, who had graced the runways of legacy fashion houses, were considering it the greatest privilege to promote this cheap shit with some angel wings and make an entire generation of women feel inferior.
I'm not saying it didn't have its good moments. Forever burned into the cultural zeitgeist of badassery is Magdalena Frąckowiak doing all of us Poles proud by shutting down some of the stupid interview questions that contributed to VS's culture of disordered eating.
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Oh, and when you could pinpoint the exact moment when Rihanna thought, “I can do this, and I can do it better.”
Eventually, Millennials aged out and began to speak about our enormous therapy bills due to growing up with the media’s unwarranted commentary on our bodies. Coupled with Ed Razek’s gross AF comments on plus-size and trans women. Oh, and throw in Jeffrey Epstein’s ties, and Victoria’s Secret and its Angels swiftly fell from grace. Rihanna stepped up and showed the world what lingerie and fashion could be through an inclusive lens. Though the Savage x Fenty shows are far from perfect (why Johnny Depp, Rih Rih!?), we deserve a diverse view of sexiness across size, age, gender and ability. We’d come so far, and yet we’re right back here. Due to “popular demand”, VS shows are returning in the “old format” but with more inclusivity as “Victoria’s Secret is focused on celebrating and supporting all women, and that won’t change anytime soon.”
Cool, but I don’t buy it. Victoria’s Secret may have done an entire rebrand, but its customer has remained as icky as ever. Last year, The Tour was introduced, a documentary series to stress the new inclusive vision and how it evolved from its problematic past. In my opinion, the brand had never looked better than The Tour with its diverse cast of models, while the pieces designed by Michaela Stark actually elevated VS to a high fashion level. Unfortunately, social commentary has evolved so woke = bad, and the campaigns featuring plus size models were tarnished with people saying dumb shit like “bring back the REAL Angels” (I don’t want to repeat any other comments) as if we all just collectively forgot what direction we wanted to head in. Turns out, we don’t deserve nice things. Victoria’s Secret is resurrecting its runway shows in response to the feedback. Will they backpedal on diversity and inclusivity as well?
Honestly, I think the Victoria’s Secret brand is damaged beyond repair. Inclusivity works for the new guard, Savage x Fenty, Skims, and Yitty, because they all came out the gate including everyone, whereas VS was forced to play catch-up. The years of exclusion and the poison that’s seeped into the brand from old white male execs make it fail to resonate as authentic with the audience it’s trying to win over. Meanwhile, out-of-touch consumers are still hanging on to the idea that the brand once represented the most aspirational version of womanhood, which drags all progress into incel territory.
Its greatest strength, its legacy, is also its greatest weakness. I doubt we’d be worse off burning Victoria’s Secret to the ground along with all the fatphobia and transphobia that still haunt its presence. We’re living in conjunction with genocides, a cost-of-living crisis and global warming. Give us some peace of mind and leave the lingerie shows to Rihanna.
Hear hear, HG!