Victoria's Secret's Rebrand Is A "Complete Fail"

All of the things that made Victoria's Secret legendary – the salon-ready hair and makeup, colorful costumes, stunning models, the angel wings – appear to have been dropped in the rebrand. Like many other businesses, the lingerie company decided to hop on trends instead, and it's backfiring terribly. This week, Doja Cat attended the Victoria's Secret World Tour 2023 event in New York City. She donned a loose-fitting black thong dress that seemed innocent from the front but appeared provocative from the back. The look is supposedly inspired by the exposed thong trend from the early 2000s (can we not bring this back?). 

While the dress isn't really anything to fawn over, this might be one of the "Say So" singer's best outfits this year – save for the fact that it was extremely uncomfortable. After the event, Doja Cat took to her Instagram Stories to vent her frustrations on the fit, and boy, she did not hold back. Her profanity-laced rant and explicit descriptions probably made Victoria's Secret PR team sweat bullets. "it's crazy when u got a dress on and your whole vagina is out the whole night and the straps on the dress pull ur t*ts all the way down to your knees and all you asked for was a slip dress but i digress," she wrote. "im in my complaining era, my f*ckin karen era. A b*tch coulda got a uti but the hole real resilient. the f*ck." Geez.

Doja Cat continued, "when i tell u the panty was built into the dress so when i put it on, the shoulder straps pulled the string up through my cervix and split me like a block of sharp cheddar cheese a b*tch never thought she could get manhandled by a piece of fabric." So painfully illustrative, even I was cringing. The singer added, "the panty on this contraception took me under the bleachers and ransacked my sh*t."

The company has a lot to worry about right now because they’re also facing backlash from their customers. Many VS fans have discussed how the recent campaign, which features early 2000s fashion and lackluster wings on Gen Z models, missed the mark (plus, most items in its newest collection are black and plain). Where are the bright colors? The girly, fun, hot lingerie? Don't get me wrong, I love baggy pants, but loose-fitting jeans and Victoria's Secret do not match. The pairing just doesn't make sense, and no one asked for it. The irony is that they’re trying to appeal to younger audiences, the same group of individuals who admire Victoria’s Secret for its originality and aspirational models.

Megan Ford (@themeganford), a pop-culture commentator on TikTok, shared her thoughts on the recent ad campaigns featuring models wearing wings in New York. "Conceptually, I like this idea, but I think the execution of it is lackluster at best and also a little cheap," she said. "I think they were trying to go for, like, what is cool, what's fun, what's young, what's hip, but I don't think they executed it well." Ford speculates that it's because VS hasn't changed their marketing department "one bit" and that they're probably much older, suggesting that they don't know how to appeal to younger women. 

The comments on Victoria’s Secret Instagram page agree with the TikToker, and many of them are asking the brand to bring back the ornate costumes and classic wings. Why would VS serve us these boring 'fits? Give us the exciting, bodacious costumes. The cute lingerie with unique designs. The girls demand it!

A fashion enthusiast on X, @itgirlenergy, wasn't too excited about their promotional poster either. It featured a model in a sheer pink gown. It's boring. It also looks heavily photoshopped and awkward. "I just- the thing that I'm missing here is the fantasy, the sexy, fun," she wrote, "like I'm sorry but none of these outfits are giving that and I just don't understand the creative direction here..."

Here’s what’s happening: Young women have been bombarded with ads that feature non-aspirational women, and they’ve grown tired of it. They want the Adriana Limas, the Naomi Campbells. They desire fun. They want beauty. The reactions to their recent promo stunts greatly differ from when they featured the original VS Angels in their recent "Icon" collection launch a month ago. Everyone was eager to see their classic '90s models again, but no one is jumping up and down about their latest stunt.

When we saw their timeless beauties last month, we gave VS the benefit of the doubt (at least I did). I thought, "Oh, yay! They're making a comeback!" Turns out, I was very wrong. Instead of embracing originality, uniqueness, and sex appeal like they used to, they're now trying to appeal to Gen Z by acting like Shein. They're attempting to ride trends, and their lack of effort is showing. Victoria's Secret has lost its angel wings.

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