Victoria’s Secret has made billions selling lingerie designed and marketed through the male gaze – a male lens that sexualizes and objectifies women. That “sex sells” marketing strategy may have worked for millennials and Gen Xers in the past, but if we know anything about Gen Z women, it’s that they detest the male gaze.
As Gen Zers, most of whom are in their teens or early twenties, flock to brands that promote body positivity, inclusivity and diversity – like Parade, Kim Kardashian’s Skims and Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty – Victoria’s Secret is rushing to change its image to something more feminist and more powerful. But strong brand recognition, plus a corporate history of misogyny and sexual abuse, are holding the company back.
“It’s very difficult to turn a ship that was about outward perfection and suddenly say, ‘Oh, outward perfection doesn’t matter anymore,’” says Mary Angela Bock, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin who studies digital media through a feminist lens, narrated Fortune. “I appreciate what they’re trying to do. They’re just in trouble.”
The rebranding of Victoria’s Secret
Just hearing the name “Victoria’s Secret” probably conjures up images of tall and slim supermodels – Gisele Bundchen, Tyra Banks and Karlie Kloss – walking down the runway in nothing but a bejeweled push-up bra, underwear, high heels and a 50 pound angel. Wings. That is the definition of ‘sexiness’ that the company has mainly used since its founding in 1977. But Victoria’s Secret has long been criticized for objectifying and hypersexualizing women, rather than empowering them.
The firestorm peaked in 2019 when the company canceled its Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. The reason for this was likely a combination of declining ratings and the vision of ‘sexiness’ it promoted that was out of step with the wider culture.
Comments from then head of marketing Ed Razek the year before didn’t help either. Razek had told Fashion that he felt transgender models had no place in the brand’s fashion shows and claimed there was no interest in plus-size runway shows. Then in 2022, an explosive Hulu documentary revealed that the Victoria’s Secret founder had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Instead of Barbie-esque poster girls, Victoria’s Secret is now presenting a new, diverse group of women. They include Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, football star Megan Rapinoe, Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka, Brazilian transgender model Valentina Sampaio and plus-size models Paloma Elsesser and Ali Tate-Cutler, to name a few.
“Sexiness can be inclusive,” Greg Unis, brand president of Victoria’s Secret and Pink, the company’s sub-brand aimed at younger consumers, told investors on Oct. 12. “Sexiness can celebrate the diverse experiences of our customers and that is what we are. concentrated on.”
A spokesperson for Victoria’s Secret explained this by saying Fortune: “Our focus on inclusion and expanding our definition of sexy is not a tactic or a temporary position… We are confident that we are on the right path as we deliver on our commitment to welcoming, to celebrate and defend.”
‘It was almost too sudden’
However, the campaign has not been a financial boon for the company. Even as resilient consumers continue to spend during a period of high interest rates and inflation, Victoria’s Secret reported net sales of $1.4 billion in the second quarter, down 6% from $1.5 billion in the same period last year. And the company expects revenue of $6.2 billion this fiscal year, down 5% from the previous year and well below $7.5 billion as of 2020, according to CNN.
The public reaction to the rebranding was also not entirely favorable. After recruiting a new lineup of diverse women, Victoria’s Secret revived its fashion show with “The Tour ’23,” which debuted at New York Fashion Week in September. But according to some critics, the event was not easy. The cut said the event “could have been an email” given the lack of a catwalk and a breathtaking musical guest – which were at the heart of the success of the previous fashion shows. Not to mention that the commercial for The Tour was very similar to the commercial for Rihanna’s lingerie company Savage
The speed at which the campaign turns around may be the cause of this. Victoria’s Secret grew into a global retail giant by telling consumers that outer beauty is most important. So a nearly 180-degree shift in the narrative has led to skepticism about the company’s genuine intent.
“It was almost too sudden,” said Esther Pugh, a senior lecturer at Britain’s Leeds Beckett University, who specializes in retail and consumer behavior. Fortune. “Rather than staying true to some of Victoria’s Secret’s values and being slower to change, they quickly and completely changed their message.”
“Customers are pretty savvy now, and I think they can see right through that,” Pugh added. Because buyers can easily switch brands, especially given the rise of the Internet, customer loyalty is something companies must work harder than ever to maintain. Digital-native Gen Zers are leading this shift, she said.
Diversity, equality, and inclusivity are extremely important to Generation Z. They are known for “voting with their wallets,” supporting only the brands that adhere to their social values and loudly condemning those that don’t. This generation is the most ethnically and racially diverse of any generation in the US, so it makes sense that they want that reflected in their favorite brands – which, until recently, weren’t Victoria’s Secret.
But of course, not everyone in Generation Z puts their money where their mouth is: “Even though they are aware of the sweatshops, the child labor and all the ethical issues surrounding it, they will still buy fast fashion,” Pugh said.
Generation Z ‘unenviable position’
Overall, some Gen Zers feel the campaign is too performative and inauthentic.
“Brands — and this is true of so many brands — can’t treat people of color and people of different sizes as a branding exercise and expect to be rewarded for it,” says Maggie Zhou, 24-year-old co-host of the Gen Z podcast the Culture clubtold BBC about the rebranding of Victoria’s Secret. “There must be so much more.”
But some women still miss the old Victoria’s Secret aesthetic. A user on TikTok said in a video that she would have loved the new Victoria’s Secret Tour show “if they had just done exactly what they used to do,” but “changed the models to be more inclusive.”
“They really think they had to get rid of angels because that’s what we wanted, when really we just wanted everyone to be an angel,” the user added.
In some ways that solution makes sense; Victoria’s Secret angels represented an unattainable level of beauty to aspire to. But returning to the old-fashioned fashion show may only lead back to the original problem: women parading across a stage in lingerie to please men.
“This is the debate that has been going on for decades, about whether women are powerful, meaning they can dress however they want,” Pugh said. “If they want to parade down the runway and not have a lot of clothes, that’s their choice.”
According to Bock of the University of Texas, Victoria’s Secret’s rebranding and the broader cultural debate around beauty and sexiness is only being exacerbated by digital media. Gen Zers in particular are constantly struggling with conflicting messages that tell them, “What really matters is how you feel, but you have to buy this outfit to feel good. What really matters is: are you strong? Are you a nice person? Are you doing these good things? Oh, but you actually need these boots and these external things to make you strong, sexy, powerful, happy and intellectually fulfilled,” Bock said.
She added: “Young people are in the unenviable position of being caring and knowing the importance of diversity inclusion, and caring deeply about other people. But they also live online and are influenced by the way social media portrays people.”
It remains to be seen whether the Victoria’s Secret campaign will be successful, but despite the criticism, the rebrand has been a long time coming, Pugh said.
“Brands should never stand still. Everything has a life cycle,” she says. “Maybe Victoria’s Secret is just reaching the end of its life cycle.”