This article is written by a student writer on the campus of the MSU branch.
Victoria’s secret is American lingerie, clothing and beauty retailers. Founded in 1977 by Roy Raymond. Roy Raymond was looking to buy his wife’s lingerie and was uncomfortable with the whole situation. He noticed that there was no place for men to buy underwear for women without feeling strange, and there was a huge gap in the women’s underwear market.
By 1982, the business had made $4 million, but it was approaching bankruptcy as it only offered it to men. He realized that if American businessman Les Wexner came forward and focused on attracting women, business would flourish. The company was originally founded for men, but the only way it could be successful was to appeal to both genders.
Wexner implemented the idea and built a business that both men and women loved. By 1995, Victoria’s Secret was a global success, worth $1.9 billion. With the influence and success of the company, Victoria’s Secret created the annual fashion show to display clothes in a prominent setting. The show is an evening filled with celebrities, performances and fashion.
The first show was in 1995 and quickly became one of the most popular off-calendar fashion events. Young girls and women attracted 12 million viewers, predicting the show in their 2001 television debut. Little did they know, scandal history engulfs the company and eventually ends the show.
The company itself was supposed to define femininity, but the two powerful men who primarily sided it established a culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment. Ed Razek, one of the company’s top executives, was the subject of repeated complaints about inappropriate conduct. He tried to kiss the model and reportedly touched her crotch before a fashion show. Executives warned Wexner for doing nothing, and the woman who complained faced retaliation.
Wexner is known to be mean to women, and in 2019 it was revealed that he had a relationship with his personal money manager, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein was tempted as a recruiter for Victoria’s secret model and invited a young woman in. This was added to Victoria’s secret photos as a troubled organization and led the company to cancel the fashion show in 2018.
The company faced backlash from physical positivity, trans rights and the #MeToo movement, and received the worst rating in history. In 2020, Razek & Wexner resigned and sold Victoria’s secret majority stake to a private equity company.
This past fall, six years later, the fashion show has returned much bigger than ever. The show was streamed on Amazon Live and Prime videos, in addition to YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok. The show has 24 million views on YouTube, and social media exploded with the excitement of the show.
The performance was performed by Cher, Grammy-winning Tyra and K-pop star Lisa, the show’s first female lineup. Several iconic models have returned for the show, directing Tyra Banks, Gigi Hadid, Candice Swanepoel and others, providing viewers with a lot of nostalgia. The new models have made debuts with Alex Consani, Ashley Graham, Kate Moss and daughter Lila Moss. There was also a pre-show pink carpet live stream hosted by Olivia Calpo and Tefi Pesoa.
Overall, the show was well received, but people still reminiscent of years ago. Controversy surrounded the show as some expected to include more body types and diversity. It’s hard for companies to get into the spotlight years later and get well received.
Victoria’s Secret took that step and approached it well, but if they want to remain relevant, they need to place more emphasis on the goals of this generation. The company is struggling as it loses its connection to not maintaining pace with ever-changing social norms. Currently, the focus is on body type, skin color and gender identity within the brand. The company has slowly diversified to appear to a larger audience. If Victoria’s Secrets focus on this, they could turn the company around and be related to social standards. There is high hope for this year’s show.
