When lingerie company Victoria’s Secret debuted in 1977, founder Roy Raymond depicted the ideal woman as a combination English romantic and modern feminist. His ethereal, pink-and-white, lace-smocked catalog sparked a revolution in underwear sales and spawned a series of shops that became an ode to the girl-power fantasy. Soon, the brand was a rite of passage for teen shoppers purchasing their first bras and a spectacle that launched an annual fashion show and a string of high-concept commercials. The brand’s sexy “Angels”—supermodel bombshells like Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum and Gisele Bundchen—encapsulated the fantasy of the VS woman in a brand image that was as glamorous as it was wholesome.
The first episode of the three-part documentary “Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons,” on Hulu, opens backstage at the company’s annual fashion show. There are just a few minutes until the show starts, and the models—referred to by the company as “Angels”—grin and pose for the cameras. The show became a cult-classic, an annual event that drew in millions of viewers and earned the company a reputation for sexy pageantry.
But as the #MeToo movement shook the business, a new generation of shoppers demanded more from Victoria’s Secret. It was no longer enough to parade thin, tanned women in skimpy satin while smiling and winking at a men’s audience cheering them on. The company was forced to overhaul its image. The VS model’s name was changed to the VS Collective, and its iconic runway shows were replaced by an arty-looking tour featuring women who advocate for inclusivity and self-love. The brand also traded in its angels for trailblazers, including lesbian soccer champion Megan Rapinoe and plus-size model Paloma Elsesser.
For the past five years, Victoria’s Secret has been rebranding itself as a vehicle for inclusive, invincible self-love. But its efforts have been met with criticism for being tone-deaf in the face of a culture that demands empathy, not just sexiness. And the company’s latest effort, a six-part Prime Video film narrated by Gigi Hadid, may be its biggest misfire yet.
Founded as an underwear store, Victoria’s Secret quickly branched out into other products, including perfumes and sleepwear. By the 1990s, the company was a multi-billion-dollar empire and its catalogue grew to include a full array of lingerie. In addition to its retail stores, the lingerie company had an extensive online presence and produced a series of high-concept televised events and commercials.
The film begins with a backstage scene at the company’s 2017 fashion show, which was headlined by singer Beyonce. It’s a sexy affair, with the Angels—the lingerie brand’s model ambassadors who embody its fantasy world—strutting down the runway in their tiny lace and satin pieces.
But the film quickly reveals that behind the glitz and glamor of the runway show is a much messier story. The company’s former CEO, Ed Razek, who was the architect of the sexy, feminine brand image and a close ally of Wexner’s, was arrested in 2022 on charges that he used his power to bully and sexually harass employees at the lingerie retailer. The company lost its luster and saw its stock plummet after the scandal broke. Razek left the company and Wexner sold it to L Brands in 2020, but the damage had already been done.