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As a teenager, Victoria’s Secret was my happy place. Whenever I had free time on the weekends, I’d head to the nearby mall, Kings Plaza in Brooklyn, with my grandma in tow. As soon as we entered the lingerie mecca, she’d peer over her shoulder and mouth, “get whatever you want.” Like a kid in a candy store, I’d immediately make a beeline for the Pink section, Victoria’s Secret sister line known for its playful underwear, velour tracksuits, and panties with tongue-in-cheek messages on the rear.
Naturally, as a diehard fan of their underwear, I became a devoted viewer of Victoria’s Secret marquee annual fashion show, which first began in 1995 and starting airing on primetime television in 2001. Every year, I looked forward to seeing which newcomer would join the beautiful lineup of bombshells and which musicians — from Lady Gaga to Rihanna — would perform their chart-topping hits that often served as the soundtrack of my youth.
From start to finish, I was spellbound by the statuesque models strutting down the runway wearing enchanting sparkly and vivid ensembles topped with resplendent wings decorated in eye-catching feathers and rhinestones. I dreamt of one day being a VS Angel myself and having the esteemed honor of wearing those wings. I was fully enraptured and sold on the fantasy of it all. But like with most fantasies I once believed in my younger years, as I became older, wiser, and enlightened in college about unattainable body ideals that I’ve been taught I should be striving for, the magic faded. I finally started to see show for what it truly was: a display and affirmation of Eurocentric beauty as the pinnacle of femininity and sexiness.
The criterion to be a Victoria’s Secret model is simple: tall, thin, cisgender, and overwhelmingly white. Plus or trans women need not apply. In preparation for the show, models are primped and primed to perfection, so come show day, not a trace of body hair, cellulite, or stretch marks are in sight.
Whenever I would watch the event, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that something was wrong with me because I didn’t measure up to the women I was seeing on television — beyond the fact that there was an inherent problem with its homogeneous casting and the way in which models were presented as objects of desire for the male gaze.
That’s not to say there’s something wrong with the women who were chosen and have ever walked the show, but let’s face it: they’ve won a genetic lottery that’s allowed them to achieve the figures they have with the help of a rigorous diet and exercise. And for some of them, it comes naturally, no extra work required. A far cry from the average American woman who wears a size 16 and up; and the everyday American woman is seemingly Victoria’s Secret target market.
While the outfits that graced the VS catwalks were always as beautiful and spectacular as ever, there came a point in my life where the tradeoff between watching an entertaining spectacle every year and taking a hit to my self-esteem was no longer worth it — so I stopped watching it all together midway through college and have left that part of my young adult years behind for good.
Lately, with the controversy surrounding Victoria’s Secret and the lack of body diversity in their shows, my feelings about what they stand for have re-emerged. Sometimes, I think to myself, maybe I’m being overly sensitive about the entire ordeal. After all, Victoria’s Secret is a business, and like all businesses, they have an image to maintain that guides how they operate. But then again, what does it say when a global lingerie juggernaut has a built a business based on exclusion and a narrow vision of beauty that shuts out the majority of America, if not the rest of the world?
It’s a question myself and others have been grappling with since reading a disconcerting interview, Ed Razek, chief marketing officer of L Brands (Victoria's Secret parent company), gave to Vogue ahead of the taping of this year’s event, in which he proudly asserts they’d never cast “transsexual” or plus-size woman. (He’s since apologized about his statement on the former but has yet to address his comments on the latter). Razek’s main reasoning for not including plus models, specifically, boils down to a purported lack of interest by the general public in seeing them on the catwalk.
“We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes [in 2000]. No one had any interest in it, still don’t,” he explains. But can’t we all agree the fashion industry has evolved tremendously since the early aughts? Razek even admits himself that when the show was in its infancy, many designers thought the thin women he was casting were too big (and these women definitely can’t be considered plus by any standard). “At the time, the conversation was ‘they’re too big for us, we can’t possibly put them in our show,’” he says. Well, the same can be said for curve models who, up until the last couple of years, were deemed totally unfit for the runway.
That’s no longer the case. Season after season, a plethora of women and femmes with an array of body types have been gracing Fashion Week shows with their presence, showcasing they are equally beautiful, alluring, and worthy of being there as their svelte counterparts. Saying you’re sticking to the script because people didn’t want change ten years ago is an excuse and a cop-out for not addressing the deeper issue at hand: you don’t see nonconventional bodies as attractive. And hence, they don’t fit the narrative or mold of what you believe a VS Angel is supposed to be — a cisgender women with a small frame and waist.
In the modern age, though, an increasing number of people no longer subscribe to that reductive definition of femininity that prizes thin bodies over others. VS Angels are gorgeous in their own right, no doubt, but they represent a small percentage of the world; where is the rest of us? People want something different — a more realistic reflection of the world we live in.
Just look at how positively people reacted to Savage X Fenty and Chromat’s show this past season. And as market research highlights, a brand’s positioning on social and political issues makes a significant difference on whether millennials and Gen Z buys from a brand. Young and old consumers alike want to see themselves and the true diversity of humankind reflected in the images they see. Thinking otherwise is ludicrous and the definition of living in a fantasy, isolated from the changing ways of the world.
I, like many other people (as its declining sales show), haven’t stepped foot into a Victoria’s Secret in ages because we don’t see a reason to anymore when there are so many other brands on the market now that value body diversity. In addition to their exclusionary fashion show, their offerings are just as dismal. As someone with a large chest (40DD or 38DDD, to be exact), I would struggle to find anything from the brand that’s fashionable and fits me.
While people with relatively small busts had a wide array of options to choose from in a variety of colorways, styles, and embellishments, they offer me five identical, neutral-colored t-shirt bras and maybe one sexy lace number. The disparity is baffling and unacceptable, so I’ve since made a pact to only support — with my hard-earned money — companies that cater to me. And in a capitalist world filled with choices, you can do the same. For those of us who are tired of feeling excluded and shut out in the lingerie space for our curves, here are eight brands that celebrate all shapes.
Knix has been a champion of size inclusivity since its inception, offering sizes 0 to 22 in all of their bras, tank tops, and bodysuits, and up to size 42G in their wireless bras. Even more, they exclusively use their consumers in all of their marketing from the images and campaigns you see on the site to their social media pages to reflect the body diversity in the world.
Operating on a mission of making undergarments for every body, ThirdLove offers an impressive range of soft bras and panties that are super comfortable to wear every day as well as lace styles for when you want to channel your inner sexy.
When it comes to Rihanna’s lingerie line, body diversity is non-negotiable. If you usually have difficulty finding your perfect nude underwear, check them out — as there are an array of options to fit every skin tone.
This mass plus-size retailer recently partnered with plus model, Tara Lynn, on a range of glamorous lingerie that plus women and femmes can feel beautiful in — from hip-hugging panties that accentuate curves to lacy bras that fit comfortably.
With their "Foundation" collection, the brand offered sizing from 00-40 or 4XS-4XL and tapped model/activist La'Shaunae Steward to be the face. While they don't offer bras and panties just yet, they do sell covetable loungewear to rival VS options like nighties in a range of seductive styles and sizes.
If you’re a fan of bralettes, check out Cosabella. Unlike most options on the market, theirs have a bit of support and can be worn underneath your clothes or alone as a top, if you want to give your outfit an alluring flair.
You know the annoying feeling of your bra digging into your chest and shoulder all day because it was ill-made? With Aerie bras, you can say kiss that discomfort goodbye. Their offerings are incredibly soft and comfy to wear all day long, so you won’t feel like ripping your bra off in the middle of the day because of how uncomfortable it is.
This London-based brand recently teamed up with popular plus-size blogger Gabi Gregg for the second time for a collection of sultry pieces for consumers of size who struggle to find lingerie that's sartorially appealing.
In the Chromat universe, all bodies of all sizes and presentations are welcomed. The Beyoncé-approved brand carries swimwear, activewear and lingerie that ranges from XS to 4X that are at once fun, sexy, and empowering.
Eloquii may be best known for their quirky yet sophisticated clothing, but their lingerie offerings are equally as stylish. They also have cute and soft loungewear.
Fashion is finally moving in a positive, inclusive direction. People who have long been marginalized and othered for having curves no longer feel the need to contort themselves to fit in. Whether or not Victoria’s Secret wants to join in on that well-needed evolution is entirely up to them — as will be their downfall if they get left in the dust for sticking to their old school ways.
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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Savage X Fenty Was Everything the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Should Be
