Victoria's Secret: Revenge of the Rounds

You may have seen this news over the weekend: via an official press release, Victoria's Secret announced the closure of 53 stores following a large turnover deficit. One of the reasons given? The fact that the brand is not inclusive enough... We explain.

Victoria's Secret shares plummet 40% in just one year

We have all heard of this lingerie brand and its famous "Angels", models over 1m80, ultra thin and with endless legs. Shaken by several scandals, the claw seemed to keep its boat afloat despite the multiple challenges accusing it of its lack of inclusiveness.

Last November, marketing chief Ed Razek even declared that no sizes would be added to their line and that no plus size or transgender models would parade during their annual show. The reason ? The fact that this parade is a place of fantasies, clearly implying that round women and transgender people do not make anyone fantasize. Faced with the media outcry triggered by his statements, he had to apologize.

It seems that fate (karma?) is hounding Victoria's Secret since we learn that it plans to close 53 stores. Worse still, CNN Business reveals that in-store sales have fallen 7% in one year. Over the same period, shares fell 40% and 7% on February 28 alone.

Well-deserved revenge?

We are somewhat ironic with the title of our article but it is true that we cannot help but think "well done". For years we have been denouncing the criteria of beauty conveyed by Victoria's Secret. In 2015, American plus-size fashion brand Lane Bryant came under fire for "daring" to create a campaign that challenged Victoria's Secret models for their "perfect" physique.

But since then, the body positive movement has taken it upon itself to call her to order. Chaining the bad buzz with its models deemed too thin (and despite the appeal of the foot of several famous plus size models like Ashley Graham or Tess Holliday), Victoria's Secret now seems to be in financial difficulty.

It's all the more unfortunate that, still according to CNN Business, by adding 24 new sizes to its ranges last summer, the ThirdLove brand achieved 1 million dollars in sales in just 5 days. A month later, 1.3 million new customers were on the waiting list...

We're calling on Victoria's Secret: it might be time to finally join the inclusive fashion movement and allow all your customers to identify with the models who present your products... Stay tuned.