For the past 30 years, Victoria’s Secret has used its annual fashion show to sell us a vision of sexiness. Its “Angels,” whose sculpted cheekbones and cascading curls are accentuated by skimpy lingerie, glide down a runway that’s packed with photographers as they grin and pose. It’s a fantasy world in shades of pink and white and tan. And to be part of it, these models have to train like Olympic athletes and eat like hamsters. Those who make it through the rigorous training and zapping of body hair earn substantial sums. (Gisele Bundchen told Refinery29 in 2018 that the lingerie brand accounts for 80 percent of her income.) It’s a blinkered, restrictive conception of beauty and desirability that’s come into question in our post-MeToo era. It’s a vision that needs to be revised or risk becoming irrelevant.
The Hulu three-part documentary series “Victoria Secret: Angels and Demons” offers a glimpse inside the company that’s been dubbed America’s most seductive lingerie brand. It charts how founder Roy Raymond, inspired by his own frumpy undergarment experiences, built the company. Its early success was fueled by the booming economy of the late ’90s, when shopping malls were becoming proto-Instagram and Victoria’s Secret’s stores were the place to be seen and to pick up new trends and styles. Its notoriety grew with the company’s 1995 fashion show, which featured a glitzy aesthetic of “tits and glam,” a deliberately crowded audience, and a cast of “Angels” who grin and pout for the cameras.
But in recent years, Victoria’s Secret has struggled to maintain its relevance. Sales have plummeted since their 2016 peak and slipped to $5 billion in 2020, when they trailed competitors like Aerie and Skims. The televised shows have received criticism for being outdated and its chief marketing officer Ed Razek sent the internet into a tizzy with his comments about transgender and plus-size models.
It was under Razek that the company began to embrace diversity, and it’s working to change its image. Its latest campaign features supermodels including Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima and Naomi Campbell alongside disabled and plus-size women. But it’s unclear if the company has made enough of a turnaround to stave off its demise. The next few months will be crucial. A new CEO, incoming president of the retailer Michael Mehas, will be tasked with making Victoria’s Secret more relevant to today’s consumers. That could include revamping its notoriously over-sexualized ads and committing to a more inclusive definition of sexiness. Then, maybe the company can avoid becoming a footnote in the history of business failures. Or, more likely, another victim of the tumultuous times in which we live.