PALATABLE IN PINK

Businesses that have made millions selling ideals to unattainable women and girls are now trying to make amends and reclaim the cultural cachet that they once enjoyed. But is it long-term change?

- NIDA NAEEM

Pop culture purgatory is upon brands that have long defined what femininity looks like.

Five years after cancelling its highly-watched televised fashion show, Victoria’s Secret flipped the script with Victoria’s Secret: The Tour ‘23, released on Amazon Prime Video in September this year. A rethink has been long underway for the American lingerie giant, which was criticised for its lack of diverse casting on runways. The chief attraction of VS Fashion Shows were the Angels: The cream-of-the-crop of models, all strictly sample size, showing off their taut torsos in over-the-top costumes and massive wings while winking at crowds of cheering men.

Generations of women grew up watching these Angels, feeling inadequate for failing to meet the impossible beauty standards sold by the brand. Combine this with the controversy during #MeToo for the brand’s associations with Epstein and transphobic statements by a brand spokesperson, and it’s easy to see why the once-holy-grail of affordable-yet-indulgent intimate wear fell out of favour, especially among Gen Z shoppers. While it still enjoys a dominant share of the lingerie pie, especially in the American market, sales have been steadily falling. The Company reported net sales of $1.407 billion for the first quarter of 2023, a decrease of 5 per cent compared to net sales of $1.484 billion in the prior year’s first quarter.

SHIFTING GEARS