Initially, Victoria’s Secrets was a lingerie brand, but today it offers an exclusive line of products such as pajamas and clothing.
Victoria’s Secrets, as much as it is a well-known brand known around the world, its beginning is still not so understood. Even, hardly anyone knows why models are actually called Angels. Or what is the real secret of the brand.
Victoria’s Secrets is a brand, which initially would only be lingerie. However, today it also offers an exclusive line of products, such as pajamas, clothes, swimwear, fitness pieces. In addition to, cosmetics and products for women’s care.
It is noteworthy that this brand not only serves the female audience, but also sought to invest in male products. In fact, she invests in colonies and after-slittle lotions. In general, Victoria’s Secrets has stores around the world, and certainly, if you want, you will be able to purchase one of its products.
After all, why so much success? What has she done differently than the other stores? In case you didn’t know yet, Victoria’s Secrets was born in 1970, the period when the sexual revolution was at its peak. Therefore, because it is a store that from the beginning, it encourages female sensuality, has become a great milestone for the time.
Start of everything
First, it is important to note that everything really began in 1977 in the American city of San Francisco. In particular, its founder was Roy Raymond, a student at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Why would a man be interested in opening a lingerie store?
Basically, Roy Raymond decided to open his first lingerie store at Stanford shopping mall because he was tired of being embarrassed to buy lingerie for his wife. It is also important to highlight that in this time, buying lingerie was not something common as it is today. Actually, it was a real taboo.
After all, lingerie was nothing more, nothing less, than practical, basic, sensuality and no pleasure. Therefore, there really was this shame and oppression, when a man bought some lingerie. Finally, in order to leave other men, as well as him, more comfortable, he created Victoria’s Secrets.
It is worth mentioning that the name originated because of this as well. In fact, he created the first store all covered with Victorian details. After all, “Victoria” was a reference to the contained sensuality of the Victorian era. In the English sensuality of Queen Victoria.
While the “Secrets” would be the secrets Victoria hid under her clothes. Thus he created a shop with a more discreet and mysterious facade. After all, the intention was to make men quieter. However, from the inside, he sought to draw inspiration from brothels.
So much so that the store contained oriental carpets, dark wood and silk draping, low lights, velvety sofas and other details, which made men feel more comfortable.
Changes in Victoria’s Secrets
Therefore, as we have already said this store, because it started in a period that people, sought sexual freedom, it began to yield a lot. So much so that he opened three stores and started catalogs in less than five years. However, after five years, Roy Raymond sells the company to The Limited group, specifically for Leslie Wexner.
Out of curiosity, he sold Victoria’s Secrets for $4 million. However, for the misfortune of the former owner Raymond, the company after two years of sale, was worth more than 500 million dollars. Even unable to cope with this situation, Raymond committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in 1993.
Above all, Victoria’s Secrets became more profitable, as Leslie Wexner opened several stores around the country in the 1980s. In addition, he expanded the store, so that she would sell not only lingerie but also clothes, perfumes and shoes.
However, the main selling strategy was not these. In fact, Leslie Wexner changed the targeting of the company’s target audience. That is, as we mentioned Raymond created a business aimed at men, but not women. Leslie turned Victoria’s Secrets into an absolutely female store.
Overall, he maintained the brand identity. However, he modified the style of brothel for floral patterns, classical songs, sophisticated perfumes. And of course, he started numerous catalogs in magazine styles. Who all seemed to have come out of Vogue. He recreated new products.
Victoria’s Secrets internationally known
After this redesigned brand, Victoria’s Secrets became the largest lingerie network in the United States. In fact, they reached more than US$ 1 billion in sales. After years, she spent making more than $5 billion.
In 1995 the group already had 670 stores in the United States. In fact, that same year they staged their first show, full of beautiful models. Since then, the shows have become one of the most watched shows and expected by the public that was interested in fashion, beauty and makeup.
In fact, the parades were really different. Yeah, they did a real fashion show. Where the models, faced performances, paraded with wings, in extremely perfect scenarios and with well-known singers.
Among the models, which have already passed through the catwalks, we can mention. Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Stephanie Seymour, Laetitia Casta, Doutzen Kroes, Gisele B?ndchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, Karlie Kloss. Besides the Sharam Diniz and Sara Sampaio.
The famous Angels
As a curiosity, the models became known as Angels, precisely because of the wings on the back that some models used, during the parades. However, despite being more than 40 models, not all had the right to the title of angel. In fact, only 10 or 15 models won this title during the parades.
In fact, those who earned were the models that paraded with the most expensive and worked pieces. For example, the fantasy bra, which cost $2 million, about R$ 8 million. In fact, a Brazilian model, which was once classified as angel, was Gisele Bundchen.
In fact, these most worked and expensive pieces usually took more than 600 hours to make and contained more than 6000 precious stones. Above all, it was for these details, that the pieces of Victoria’s Secrets were differentiated. They used high quality materials with innovative designs. And full of sensualities.
Choice of the Angels
First of all, the task of stoling a Angel and a Victoria’s Secrets model is not easy. In fact, it involves strict diets, intensive training, psychological pressure and lots of concentration and focus. That is, it is not an easy task, it is actually very complicated.
In fact, it’s not enough to have a beautiful face and a perfect body. Above all, it is necessary to have personality, attitude, sympathy, waist game, boldness and a lot of sensuality. However, after being chosen, the work still triples. Models need to live in restrictive diets and intense workouts.
In the weeks before the parade, they only consume liquid meals. Like, soups, vitamins, juices and broths. And when it arrives on the day of the parade, they usually stop eating and drinking 12 hours before. So they can lose about 4 pounds, more or less. And they should still drink 3 liters of water per day.
However, these extremely restrictive diets can cause serious health problems. For example, multiple organ failure. In addition to these diets, models need to play sports. Therefore, some opt for ballet, pilates, fights, or gyms. In fact, they train every day, being twice a day.
Requirencies
In addition to workouts and diets, to become a Victoria’s Secrets model they need to follow a biometric pattern. That is, to be at least 1.75 in height, have a waist of 60 centimeters of circumference and can not have more than 18% body fat.
As a curiosity, a healthy woman has an average of 24% body fat. While female athletes about 20%. They are still below average. Other than that, there are still the psychological pressures, which you certainly can already imagine. After all, increasing a kilogram in them may be cause for expulsion.
Another requirement is the Angels sleeping in high heels every day. In addition to sleeping, they also need to stay with them practically all day. Well, the technicians believe that this can be a form of preparation and custom for the parade. This is because the jump can become an extension of their body.
Now in more extreme cases, there are models that undergo cryotherapy. Basically, this is a technique that can tone the women’s bodies. That is, leave them in a way that impresses more. However, this technique must be entered into an ice tank, with -120o, all day or less.
Bigger problems
After 20 years, in 2018 the parades were canceled. The main reason was the progressive fall of the parade audience. In 2014, they attracted an audience of nine million American viewers. As early as December 2018, there were only 3.3 million.
In addition, in 2019, there was a decrease of 7% compared to 2018. For example, sales of $1.1 billion were only surpassed in the third quarter. Other than that, the closure of about thirty Victoria’s Secrets stores took place.
Victoria’s Secrets lost in $252 million. However, some claim that this bad phase can be because of numerous controversies, about the images of the models. Overall, Victoria’s Secrets became known as using women as objects.
Thus, it may be noted that Victoria’s Secrets is actually living in a period of crisis. In addition to the fall of stock, the closure of stores, and the end of the show-shows, Victoria’s Secrets also goes through other problems. As, lack of diversity of women, cases of harassment and sexual assault suffered by models.
The main polemics
1- Director of Marketing
First, as you may have already noticed, the pattern of Victoria’s Secrets models are those skinny, with sculptural bodies and a favorable height. However, with the change of thought and generation, this “standard body” has come to be criticized.
For example, plus size models or trans women began to be asked at the parades. However, the response of the brand’s marketing director was not pleasant. In fact, it has come to understand that he does not agree with this diversity in the parades. That is, it should still remain extremely thin and tall models.
2-Models against harassment
Above all, Victoria’s Secrets has been through numerous controversies regarding harassment and sexual assaults suffered by the models. In fact, the main defendant was Leslie Wexner’s friend and employee, Jeffrey Epstein. In fact, he was killed in prison after being accused of sexually assaulting minors for years.
Because of this case and other cases of sexual harassment, rape and even trafficking models and aspiring profession, a group of more than 100 models made a bass sign, asking the brand to protect the models. Even well-known models were part of this basssigned.
Rihanna X Victoria’s Secrets
While Victoria’s Secrets is living a controversial moment, Rihanna takes the opportunity to grow with her lingerie brand, Savage. In fact, it grows more every day, precisely because it presents diversity of standards of beauty. And still for delivering products that make women sexy and sexy.
Basically, Rihanna put as a priority, women’s feelings. That is, his proposal is to make women learn to master their own bodies and their desires. Thus, assuming their forms, curves without worrying about male opinion.
In addition to this, “rixa” with Victoria’s Secrets, in one of the brand’s parades, Rihanna had been invited to sing. However, with only one week to go, she canceled the participation. Above all, there are rumors that this cancellation would have something to do with the replacement of model Jourdan Dunn, who is his friend, by Kendall Jenner.
Models of Victoria’s Secrets
Anyway, what do you think of our matter? Did you find out a lot?
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Sources: Youtube, Importer Academy, Vogue, Moda.IG, Vogue.Globo, Estadão, i.g., G1.Globo, Donna Moda, Caprice
Featured image: Minute News
