Cancelled or Comeback: Victoria's Secret's Inclusive Efforts
Art by Francesca Polinista
Long hair, silky red lingerie, and white thin bodies strutting the runway all create Victoria’s Secret’s iconic fashion show extravaganza. Victoria’s Secret, throughout the years, has created a brand that showcases thin, white, perfect female bodies that have been thought to attract women (and men) around the world. Today, after being one of the top sellers for womenswear, VS has begun to crumble due to controversial comments about transgender and plus size women. In attempt to bandage the failing brand, Victoria’s Secret has hired their first plus-size model and images of transgender and plus size models have appeared in their stores. The sincerity of both acts, however, remain questionable.
In the 20th century, brands have begun celebrating diversity, inclusivity, and body positivity. However, Victoria’s Secret has been one to fall behind on the trend. The #MeToo era saw models beginning to share their experiences of being sexually assaulted or harassed through social media, after this people began to lose interest in the company.
Following that, in an interview with Vogue, Ed Razek,the chief marketing officer of L brands, stated that “using diverse models would undermine the "fantasy" aspect of the show. Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is. It is the only one of its kind in the world, and any other fashion brand in the world would take it in a minute, including the competitors that are carping at us. And they carp at us because we’re the leader.” The skepticism behind the brand’s sincerity in hiring new plus size models and transgender people grew after this interview. It led people to believe that how could a person like Ed Razek whom has such a large role in the company say such things, yet take everything they said and implemented the opposite into the branding of the company right after the market began to fall?
After Vogue shared the interview, many beauty companies that supported Victoria’s Secret were quick to join the backlash. Model Alliance, a not-for-profit research, policy and advocacy organization in the fashion industry, released a statement on their Instagram stating, "We are disappointed by the recent comments about trans and plus-size models made by Ed Razek, CMO of L Brands, Victoria's Secret's parent company.” Due to the previous complications Victoria’s Secret had during the #MeToo era they also shared, “Such comments create a hostile work environment for people who do not conform to Victoria's Secret's mold – one that enforces an idea of female beauty that is predominantly white, cisgender, young and thin." According to Fashionista, Model Alliance then presented Victoria’s Secret with an invitation to join its respect program, an agreement that creates a safe working environment for people as well as eliminates sexual harassment at work.
Plus size model Tess Holiday and pop singer Hasley have decided to blast Victoria’s Secret due to the unacceptance of plus size models and transgenders. Tess has flaunted pictures on her social media wearing lingerie from other companies and although Hasley performed at the Victoria Secret Fashion show this past year she decided not to promote her performance after hearing Ed Razeks comments.
Savage x Fenty’s fashion show addressed the big elephant in the room. Rihanna was capable of delivering an entertaining fashion show which not only showcased inclusivity and body positivity, but showed women who loved lingerie and their bodies just the way they were, also sharing the message that all women are goddesses. The show showcased women of all types and its main focus surrounded the “own your sexy” message that Rihanna wanted to share with the world. This message was one that drew its focus on women rather than the way men depicted them in society. Rihanna wanted to make sure that a person’s body type is not what defines their sexiness, it is their state of mind that defines it. "There are a lot of women out there who are feeling in the dark, invisible. 'I can't try that on because I'm not made like that,'" she told Business of Fashion. "This is where you feel safe, right here at Savage." The Savage x Fenty’s show proved to Victoria’s Secret that there is no such thing as one definition of sexy. They recognized an opportunity to celebrate women of all types, filling a hole that that Victoria’s Secret declined to.
Despite the addition of different models, brands such as American Eagle’s Aerie has taken the lead in the industry. Women no longer have expectations to feel the “sexiness” Victoria’s Secret was trying to portray;rather, they feel sexy in their own bodies and have decided to choose brands that have promoted that empowerment from the start.