The Angels Have Returned (and so have my insecurities)
From 2015-2018 for one night only, a young and impressionable me would sit glued to my iphone 5s devouring images of angels. I was captivated by their expansive glittering wings, their perfect no-declining face cards and of course, their taut bodies which demonstrated what 9 months of gym dedication could result in. Differing from the religious iconography and descriptions found across history of angels, these were Victoria Secret Angels and for individuals like myself who gave the supermodels Adriana Lima and Kendall Jenner pedestals to flaunt their beauty on, were the epitome of a perfect looking woman.
Store synaesthesia is what I would describe associating certain age points across one’s life with specific stores that defined the experience of such age,*side note this may differ for everyone depending on what kind of child they were*. Let’s say 15 was Topshop (RIP), 10 was the Entertainer and 12 was HMV. Hitting 17, a new store appeared over the horizon, and one which you would be able to hear and smell from a mile off. Young girls loved it, boyfriends tolerated it, and strict parents loathed it. Everyone wanted to be in on the secret that was Victoria’s, a secret that was promised to unfurl with every spritz of pungent spray, and unravel with every pair of briefs brought. When walking into a Victoria Secret store back in 2016 you would be met with a winking Giselle Bunchden, strutting down a gigantic runway wearing a pair of elaborately decorated wings that were referenced across pop-culture as having to be ‘earnt’. The Victoria’s Secret Fashion show, holding just as much significant value as the Met Gala for many eager eyed social media users, was the ‘one to watch’. Tabloids would keep individuals up to date on the models heading to auditions to become an Angel, those who didn’t quite make the cut, and of course, the very special Angel chosen to wear the ‘fantasy bra’. During the much-awaited show which featured a pop act that would equally get their time to shine down the runway (special shoutout to THAT Rihanna walk), TV viewers were exposed to clips of a sweaty Gigi Hadid taking part in a fierce boxing session with the emboldened phrase ‘TRAIN LIKE AN ANGEL’ placed over the top. It was Victoria’s Secret way of shoving an ‘unseen’ element of fitness prowess into our faces, which if carried out in the same way as Tyra or Adriana, would result in a body mimicking that of an Angel’s.
Jasmine Tookes wearing the ‘fantasy bra’
Whenever the models would discuss their ‘angel status’, hard work and dedication would always fall into the same sentence. Dedication to hone themselves into, looking back now, an unattainable standard that remained impossible for most female watchers. Stepping back, I think, hard work for what? Watching the old Victoria Secret Fashion Show’s in the present day, my matured and older brain is able to see the unattainability and rarity of beauty shown on that famous stage. With it’s lacking diversity and inclusivity, alongside it’s ruthless requirement to look your slimmest, Victoria Secret has always been a brand defined by impossible standards, having got away with such until 2018 when the show was cancelled due to the same reasons touched on prior. A younger me never saw the unhealthy side to heralding a show that celebrated the most unrealistic of beauty, and looking back now, it most definitely bred some unhealthy and toxic thought behaviours within myself when it came to the perception of my own beauty. Despite being a willing participant, it was a show that was shoved in my face, luring me in with it’s A-list selection of models and given influence by a society that has always pushed an unrealistic beauty standard. Victoria Secret has always been a brand synonymous with a strict type of beauty, and no matter how many times it tries to rebrand itself and show a more inclusive side to itself, will always be synonymous in the minds of women like myself with images of luscious-haired, vibrant-eyed and slim-bodied women who, like the brand’s namesake led us to believe, mimicked the image of that of an angel.
Recently I discovered that the Victoria Secret Fashion Show had made a comeback. after opening my phone to be met with a perfect Bella Hadid walking down a runway in an excessively gargantuan hot red pair of wings, seemingly the same as all the shows before. Having promised change after a six year hiatus, it seemed the VS Fashion Show was back like it never left. Featuring trans models Alexi Consani and Valentina Sampaio (let us not forget former VS marketing chief Ed Razek’s statement of ‘trans women can’t be angels), the night consisted of pushing out forced messages like “Victoria’s Secret is SO committed to women’s confidence” and the promise of a new show “where women take the reins and the spotlight”. The younger joy I had from watching the show in the past had faded, and as much as I wanted to find newfound joy in watching new and inclusive models strut their wings down the runway, I still couldn’t help but see the interworking’s of what ‘being an angel’ still means today. Short clips of the show were accompanied by comments like ‘I don’t care about inclusivity, I want the old models back’, showing how no matter you try to reshape your image as a brand, when that image has been one of absolute perfection, nothing can expel that.
Perhaps more of a fallen Angel, Victoria’s Secret play’s like a glittering broken record. No six-year hiatus can erode a brand historically defined by it’s unattainable beauty standard, no matter the new leaps in marketing you make. I hope the younger impressionable individuals who worship these angels through their phone screens understand this the most.