​The first thing I came across was the celestial mission, indirectly performed by the girls with the wings. In 2012, the extremely destructive hurricane "Sandy" paralyzed the power supply of the 69th Division of the US National Guard in New York. The well-known lingerie manufacturer has had its damsels of heaven run the annual fashion show at US National Guard headquarters since 2009. But no electricity and a severe cold snap caused the show to falter badly. Not only the scantily clad models, but also the spectators certainly didn't want to enjoy the enchanting clothing in a Siberian ambience. So the Victoria's Secret team got down to work and supplied the building with the necessary electricity in less than a day. They set up 500-watt dynamos and breathed new life into the elevators, among other things, so that the show was a (usual) success for everyone involved.

When I first skimmed the article, I thought it was a joke, but it must have been the truth. Seems like the lingerie manufacturer doesn't just sell "underwear" ;-). Reason enough for me to deal with the history of its origins: At the end of the 70s there was Roy Raymond, who had just received his doctorate from the "Graduate School of Business", who obviously had a problem with red ears, which always occurred when he was woman wanted to buy pretty lingerie. So he created a boutique for lingerie in the Victorian style, modeled on his parents' house, where men could buy magical underwear for their loved ones in a relaxed, stress-free atmosphere. In 1977, with an $80,000 loan from his bank, he created the first Victoria's Secret shop in Palo Alto, California, in the style of a 19th-century salon. It is said to have been furnished with heavy velvet curtains, historic wardrobes and valuable oriental carpets. His idea was a resounding success, he made half a million dollars in profit and set up four more stores and designed a mail order catalog over the next 5 years. I don't quite understand why he then sold his entire chain to Leslie Wexner, the founder of the multi-billion dollar women's clothing chain "The Limited", in 1982 for only four million. Unfortunately, the life of this interesting man ended tragically. Several attempts to set up a new business, for example in the area of children's clothing or toupees, failed, as did his marriage. In 1993, Roy Ramond died by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

"The Limited" worth around 11 million on the stock exchange in 2012, continued the magical lingerie idea extremely successfully. In the years that followed, more and more shops were opened and the mail order business expanded. In 2012, there were more than 1,000 Victoria's Secret branded stores in North America alone. The shop opened in London and Asia in 2012 with the start of the Summer Olympics. Approximately 390 million catalogs were mailed. Obviously, the secret of the huge success also lies in the winged models. The heavenly feeling paired with unusual, beautiful lingerie is not only successful in rather prudish America. The top-class annual shows attract a lot of attention, not least because of the world-famous models. Professional advertising supports the concept. In 1999, for example, the event was broadcast live from Times Square via the Internet. The advertisement for this ran during the half-time break of the Superbowl, resulting in 1.5 million viewers. 1.5 million people who watched the scantily clad angels on the runway. A remarkable success. Only in 2004 was the show canceled once. According to unconfirmed statements, Justin Timberlake's "Nipplegate Affair" was the trigger. He probably looked too closely at Janet Jackson's chest during the performance. Oh well, ...

Another highlight was the first diamond-studded brassiere in 1996, which Claudia Schiffer only wore for the catalogue. It was said to be worth $1 million. In 2000, a diamond-studded bra worn by Giselle Bundchen even just for the catalogue, worth $15 million, even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. In 2001, Heidi Klum floated down the catwalk for the first time in one of these sparkling bras. The precious part was valued at $12.5 million. Of these treasures, only a 42-carat Harry Winston diamond was sold, which certainly did not diminish the level of awareness of the Victoria's Secret brand. But in 2021, Victoria's Secret will also have to change its attitude towards the ideal image of women. The head of the company, Martin Waters, explains that from now on they want to take care of the cultivated women instead of the scantily clad angels, because he currently doesn't think angels are (any longer) relevant. New faces for her lingerie include US soccer player Megan Papinoe, freestyle skier Eileen Gu and producer and author Priyanka Chopra Jonas. The plus-size model Paloma Elsesser is also there. Models like Heidi Klum, Claudia Schiffer, Gisele Bundchen, Naomi Campell or Alessandra Ambrosia were a thing of the past. Men's ideals should no longer be of fundamental interest, but what women want. A new campaign has been launched: "VS Collective" focuses on women who have made outstanding achievements and do not stand for special body dimensions. Paloma Elsesser, the plus-size model, has signed with Victoria's Secret in hopes of helping to revolutionize the definition of "sexy" and change the world. These are certainly commendable intentions and also send important signals due to the outstanding position of the company.

However, one should not forget that it is far from possible to depict the entire spectrum of women in the world. But Victoria's Secret still sees itself as a high-end boutique and not as an everyday department store.

Sources: Handelsblatt, tv.de/leute

 

For me, this folder is a collector's album for all sorts of not only winged, sensually erotic beings. Women and men, big and small, erotic and funny.

A glossy picture album for my DAZ world, but always with a little sensual Victoria's Secret feeling ;-)