Victoria’s Secret is in the midst of a massive image overhaul, trying to recast itself as a feminist brand that empowers women. The company ejected its signature sexy fashion shows featuring thin, tanned models who are happy to wink and wave at men cheering nearby, in favor of a more inclusive approach that’s more in line with the #MeToo climate. It has swapped out its Angels for a group of activist, entrepreneurial women. It has introduced plus-size models like Gigi Hadid, Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser. And it recently debuted its first televised catwalk show in years with a lineup that included disabled, transgender and “plus” models.
It’s a remarkable turnaround, one that came about in part because of the company’s rocky relationship with the #MeToo movement and controversies over its CEO, Ed Razek. In a 2020 interview, he insulted transgender women, and a 2022 documentary series called “Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons” drew attention to the company’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In addition, the brand’s notoriously punishing size standards came under attack by former models including Bridget Malcolm and Dorothea Barth Jorgensen, who urged consumers to boycott Victoria’s Secret.
Yet the new Victoria’s Secret seems to have found its groove, with sales rising and an increasingly diverse lineup of Angels and new faces strutting down the runway and appearing in high-concept, big-budget commercials. The brand is even attempting to reimagine its iconic fashion shows with a more intimate format that will allow more people to see the models up close.
When Roy Raymond founded the lingerie company in 1977, he named it after Queen Victoria for a combination of reasons. He wanted the stores to evoke Victorian boudoirs, and he believed the name would help build a sophisticated image for a brand that marketed itself as a sexy alternative to women’s traditional undergarments.
The lingerie brand thrived in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the annual fashion shows grew more famous, with Angels like Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen, Tyra Banks and Adriana Lima wearing push-up bras and stilettos while strutting down a glittering pink catwalk. The company also expanded to include a range of other apparel, skincare and beauty products.
But the emphasis on sexiness over comfort began to backfire in the 2000s, as more women sought to reclaim their sexuality. It also threw off a lot of its older customers, who felt that the lingerie was sexist and condescending.
Nevertheless, the company remains enormously profitable, and it is a leader in the intimates market. It also owns other brands, including VS Beauty and VS Swim.
But the question is whether it can continue to juggle its dual goals of sexiness and inclusion. Many are predicting that it can’t. The company has already made some big changes, but it will take time to see if the rebranding pays off. In the meantime, some VS fans are readying themselves to cancel their memberships, in the wake of a new wave of criticism over the brand’s image.