There was a time when Victoria’s Secret ruled the bra and underwear industry. They were the first company to make bra buying and glamorous experience for women (not men). And so the company rose in stature and prestige. However, in recent years, it seems that Victoria’s Secret has been falling behind the times with both the products and models used for promotions.
There has been a movement in the past years away from the stereotypical idea of what women should look like in favor of a more natural and diversified look for models and bras. While this trend has been widely accepted by brands such as Fenty Savage and AERIE, Victoria’s Secret continues with 16% body fat models that have always graced their runways.
It is so important that women see themselves represented in media. We don’t all look like Gigi Hadid, and I think that is beautiful! I love seeing a wide range of women when I am shopping for bras or clothing. Not only does it represent what the majority of women look like, but it also gives a more depiction of how the garments will actually fit.
Here are two of my favorite brands Fenty and AERIE websites for comparison.
Both of these images show such an amazing variety of women in shapes, sizes, and colors. AERIE even has a girl in a wheelchair! We love!
For comparison here is Victoria’s Secret page.
Need I say more…
So why is it that you don’t see this level of diversity? In a recent interview with the Chief Marketing Officer, Ed Razek, explained why Victoria’s Secret does higher plus sized or trans models. Razek claims the “brand point of view” by first saying that he had considered putting both transgender and plus models in the show. However, he hadn’t because, “we market who we sell to, and we don’t market to the whole world”.
With this dated idea of women beauty standards and declining sales, Victoria Secret’s time may be running out. Women are a spectrum of beauty and not the one idea of beauty Victoria’s Secrets promotes.
Resources:
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/fashion/a24920354/victorias-secret-transgender-plus-size-models/