The retail landscape is constantly evolving, and brands must adapt to maintain relevance. For Victoria’s Secret, this means embracing diversity and inclusivity in both its operations and marketing. This is an essential step for the lingerie giant to avoid becoming obsolete and out of touch with customer demands.
For years, the company’s marketing campaigns were criticized for promoting a narrow image of beauty that was out of touch with evolving societal norms and largely excluded women of different body types. Additionally, workplace issues involving harassment and mistreatment of employees negatively impacted employee morale and ultimately brand perception.
However, in recent years, the company has worked to address these criticisms by introducing more inclusive images of beauty and expanding its product line. In addition, it is implementing more transparent and ethical sourcing practices. These changes have helped to restore the brand’s reputation and attract a new generation of consumers.
This year’s fashion show marked a major departure from past shows, featuring more diverse models in a wide range of sizes. This included plus-size models like Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser, as well as transgender model Alex Consani. Additionally, the company removed the famous wings that were worn by many of the models and featured more natural makeup and hair. The result was a more honest and inclusive representation of women, which many customers applauded.
Despite these efforts, critics have pointed out that the brand still has a long way to go in its journey towards inclusion. The brand’s lack of inclusivity is evident in its sexist and misogynistic advertising campaigns, which are not reflective of the real lives of their customers. Moreover, the company has been accused of “inclusivity-washing” – including diversity with no intention of changing corporate culture or addressing larger problems in the industry.
For decades, Victoria’s Secret has marketed a fantasy version of female bodies that is unattainable for 99.9% of women. This ideal has created a very small target market for the brand, and many women feel alienated by the messages the company portrays. In 2018, the company’s CMO Ed Razek infamously stated that including plus-sized and transgender models would ruin the “fantasy” of the fashion show and damage the brand’s image.
As the lingerie giant continues to evolve in this highly competitive and changing market, it will be interesting to see how the brand can balance its legacy with a more authentic and inclusive future. It will be equally exciting to see how the Victoria’s Secret fashion show evolves to match this new vision for the brand. For now, fans can enjoy the flashy lingerie and iconic models as they watch this year’s show on TV or online.