We all know hundreds of television shows premiere every year, and it’s because most fail. However, I hate to imagine that my favorite childhood show could fail too. This year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is no more after 24 years. But wait a minute…
Gosh, I’m doomed! I can see you rolling your eyeballs with a capital ‘Y’ letter in mind. Yes, you heard me am doomed, I had a bet on who’s gonna be the top model winner. I have to think fast, ‘Sarah, think, think!’
Anyway, no biggie, for sure, I’ll slide through this mess! How? ‘Shhhhh quiet’ (with a finger in front of my lips), don’t ask me; it’s my little secret for now. Okay, I’ll sort that, let’s move on.
The Mess at Victoria’s Secret
I feel for ‘VS’ what a real loss to their ‘angel’ models, but also sorry for her viewers. However, I know things may look grim, but there’s hope for the large lingerie business. It announced that going forward; the focus will be on digital marketing and other brands. “The company has decided to re-think the ‘traditional’ Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.”
The comment came through an internal memo from the CEO in May. It comes after a decline in the show ratings in recent years. What a black end year for the fashion industry! That’s such a bummer, having a Christmas event canceled on my calendar makes me feel like shit.
Yes, it sucks! Of course, it’s not about the show, but the bet! After all, of late, I had lost interest in it. Why do I say so?
Good Question!
Anyway, why don’t you allow me to answer that later on? Yeah, perfect! Okay, where was I… Damn you winter, oh did I tell you my blue denim jacket has arrived on time for the weather. Who said I couldn’t look hot and sexy this season!
Do you know there’s so much to mix/match for this season and beyond? I love it! I recommend something warm and elegant, an outer garment perfect for this chilly month. Fear not to state your new looks!
Here Comes the Bombshell!
Back to the show… One chilly evening last week, while over my Instagram – by the way, I enjoy uploading my usual fashion photos after dinner. There came the bombshell: Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was off. Guess what; I had goosebumps jittering across my flesh! What a weird way to learn about my childhood show taking a break.
I remember watching it every year on television. Of course, that was back then when I was naive and curious about fashion. It wasn’t a coincidence that I knew most supermodels by appearance rather than their names. I bet their flawless skin and the extra body height made me keen!
My Christmas was never complete without their footage. Brown and blonde-haired women trotted down the runway. `Angel’ models showed their swag on the track with pink logos, hilarious show it was! Oh, how I miss the yesteryear shows.
My little eyes glued to their massive feathered angel wings – with a false cultural theme. The paraded supermodels kept the stage busy in plaid push-up bras and stiletto heels. I can’t recall how many times I ignored my hot appetite’s attention. Missing lunch was not a big deal then, as long as my favorite fashion show was airing.
Overall, despite the downfall, there’s some hope for them. It still heads as a lingerie brand in the US with a 24 percent market share, valued at $13.1 billion. Although there’s a drop from 32 percent share in 2013, they’re still among the top. First, let’s dig out more about how it all started.
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show – How it all Started
The much simpler version of it started in 1995, a subdued fashion show. Supermodels cat walked the long stage with high waist panties and bras. Little wraps tied around their stiff slim hips.
`VS’ supermodels’ standard features even after production improvement always remained. Their angles had skinny, tall bodies and beautiful – Victoria’s Secret Angel-type person! I would say no plus-size model has been on the show.
No wonder I lost touch and interest. I honestly don’t regret its closure. To me, its recent shows lacked diversity in ethnicity and body type. However, I’m relieved since Savage X has come out with what ‘VS’ refused to do!
Before then, in the late ’70s, its co-founder once felt like a creep while shopping wife’s lingerie. In 1977, you know what, ‘Boom,’ he realized his dream to start Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show!
Historical Appearances at Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
In 1996, two famous models, Tyra Banks now ‘BanX’ and Naomi Campbell, were the first to raze the runway. That did not stop there; they did it repeatedly. One notable highlight was when the first East Asia model Liu Wen, stormed the show with her 1.79m height in 2009.
In 2018, I was among those surprised by their first model with Vitiligo. Winnie Harlow didn’t disappoint as she struts her designer butt at the catwalk. Boy! You would see the envy in everyone’s eyes.
The same year, new faces appeared. Guess who? Yes, you got it!
Kelsey Merritt became the first Filipina model to display her runway modeling skills. After that, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show continued to keep its core function as a brand for women’s lingerie, designed by men!
Trouble at L Brand Company
In 2001, its first broadcast presentation got over 12 million viewers, I included. However, trouble hit the L Brand subsidiary after Andrea Bocelli’s performance. The female viewers got bored with the usual routine at the runway with the same models, the typical bizarre fashion. The uninteresting show later reached a fever pitch as the demand for more diversity began to bite.
Don’t move, stay with me; there’s more to come!
The 2018 show saw `VS’ witness its worst ratings, viewers dropped from 5 million the previous year to 3.3 million. The then-president, Ed Razek spoiled the mood, how? He said, “No trans-sexual because the show is a fantasy.” adding that having a plus size fashion in the past didn’t draw interest.
Last fall, I learned Razek resigned because he couldn’t cool the heat from the scandal that ensued. The same year, Valentina Sampaio appeared for a catalog shoot as a first Tran’s model, not for show. Scandal after scandal was the order of the day for the lingerie brand. The `Body’ `Go East’ and `Sexy Little Geisha’ lingerie lines – all got the same accusation of cultural appropriation.
So, what was next for Victoria’s Secret? For me, quick action is essential to save the brand to resonate with their viewers!
Annual Fashion Show is off
The much-awaited Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is off. Everyone must be asking why! Even so, the surprise cancellation comes as a shock to many of its viewers like me; why do I say so? The blackout comes two months after Rihanna’s fashion show in New York.
The show was to have a different image and ideological approach. It was the opposite of the one-hour broadcast show by Amazon Prime Video. So then, what happened to all the fantasy! However, with the shutdown, I know the modeling industry will now move in a more inclusive direction.
To me, the collapse of the show was because of many factors — one main being ignorance of the happenings within commercialized feminism. Featuring plus size women on the runway would’ve been a perfect start. However, they stuck behind their cocooned usual mode – slim `angels’ models. `Strength, fierceness, and confidence,’ is all their thin women talked.
Rihanna Spoils the Party!
I was talking of surprises! Rihanna’s successful Savage X Fenty Fashion Show helped give the final blow to the annual show. From the beginning of the show, it’s clear Rihanna created something complex and cultivated than the `VS’ show.’ Savage X show knows its customers.
If I may give an example, here, it’s anyone who wants to feel powerful and sexy in any of their brand sizes. I keep asking myself why Victoria’s Secret ignored viewer signal that demands out-of-the-box thinking.
Rihanna’s ‘Fenty beauty Line,’ brought in a different view as her show had choreographed performance with lots of dancing than the traditional catwalk. No wonder while still backstage, she said. “I’m looking for unique characteristics in people that aren’t highlighted in the world of fashion as it pertains to lingerie. What we stand for here is inclusivity.”
Rihanna’s Show Proves Their Brand isn’t the Anti-Victoria’s Secret; It’s Diverse and Distinct in All Ways
My famous role model appearances included Trans Laverne Cox and Isis King. Sharing the runway with them were Bella and her sister Gigi Hadid who are both great fashion models working together. Not only did the show have different size models but also the dancers accompanying them. Did you watch one unique feature – Mama Cax, a model with a prosthetic leg?
No wonder Rihanna described it as “Performance Art.” The drama wouldn’t be complete without some icing on the cake. My point is, not every woman will find something comfortable and sexy for her size at Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. However, at Savage X, I see their sizes range from XS to 3X, and the plus-size show is different; here is why!
The themed `Fat’ models too crazed the Savage X Fenty occasion. As the unbiased cameras flashed, skimpy lingerie covered their rolls and curves. I could see their fat thick thighs rubbing against each other. “Girls of all kinds can be ‘beautiful,’ from the thin, plus-sized, short, very tall, ebony to porcelain-skinned.” ~ Tyra BanX.
The Savage show inspires everyone as a brand marketer, not only for slim women. With its thoughtful branding, “There’s nothing fragile about it, it’s in your face.” That was Rihanna’s comment about the choreography of the fashion show.
What’s Left for Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show?
The urgency in figuring out how to modernize and re-brand within three months is essential; that’s it! Of course, this break will give its competitors a field day! For example, let’s see who? Well, to maintain the trend, I know Savage is taking advantage of Victoria’s Secret failures.
Here is why!
“Victoria’s Secret has improved the ethnic and diversity of women in its advertising campaigns.” The statement came from an investor’s letter to the CEO in March. The letter continued, “It continues to use models that depict a very narrow definition of beauty.”
I see other companies smiling to the bank like Ashley Graham with her big size 4X lingerie line. Aerie parades all body types’ lingerie and bathing suits. Brands like Third Love, Asos, and Eloquii have one thing in common; storing large size attires, unlike Victoria’s Secret’s line. The products are not so flawless but at least offer a new perspective with signs of room for growth.
The fashion show needs to bring out the real ways of the world. Most people can’t relate to a woman wearing pink feathers and silver sequins. Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show has a lot to do to fend off the market share of Savage lingerie takeover from Rih Rih!
Hold your Horses!
For instance, the show is not closing shop because of its thin “angels” dragged down by their complex. Neither is it closing because of overblown and often obstructive wings. No, the show is taking a break to ‘evolve’ their strategies in marketing. So, hold your horses and watch this space!
Final Thought
Since 1995, I have watched the sleepwear and lingerie brand house shows. The use of its expensive fashion show as a marketing stunt for its products alarmed me. After twenty years, the marketing core of the annual pop culture event has waned. As lingerie trends change, so does various online startups and sellers’ court customers.
So, other brands with an appeal to women with a feminist gesture should learn from the failures of Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. If asked about my opinion, I would say, the current brand portrays a happy woman in an already ‘perfect’ body! The move sends the wrong signal to an average woman. It’s time for them to wake up from slumber and catch up with the reality before reality catches up!
Meanwhile, stay tuned for my next exciting post about the New Year. Hold a sec… before you exit, what’s your say about the canceled show? Drop those juicy comments here!
Tags: fashion show, plus size model, Rihanna Savage X Fenty Show, supermodels, victorias secret fashion show
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