So, I was digging into this whole Victoria’s Secret thing, and man, it’s a wild ride. I started by just looking at their ads, you know, the ones you see everywhere.
First off, I grabbed a bunch of their recent ads from magazines and their website. I wanted to see what kind of images they’re putting out there these days. It’s mostly skinny models, all dolled up. I mean, they look good, but it’s like, is this what most women look like? Probably not.
Then, I started reading articles about how people feel about these ads. Some folks love them, saying they’re aspirational and all that. But a lot of people are fed up. They say it’s just the same old unrealistic beauty standards being shoved in our faces. It’s like, can we get some real bodies up in here?
I also checked out what Victoria’s Secret is saying about all this. They’ve been getting a lot of heat lately, so they’re trying to change things up. They got rid of the Angels, those supermodel types, and now they’re using more diverse models. I even saw a plus-size model in one of their recent campaigns. That’s a step in the right direction, I guess. But to promote their new look, they decided to hire women, men, and transgender people. That’s a big change.
- Collected a bunch of ads
- Read articles about public opinion
- Looked into Victoria’s Secret’s response to criticism
After that, I compared Victoria’s Secret ads to ads from other companies, like Dove. Dove’s whole thing is about real beauty, so their ads are totally different. They show women of all shapes, sizes, and colors. It’s a breath of fresh air, honestly. Dove’s ads aimed at inner beauty, while Victoria’s Secret aimed at outer beauty.
I dove into some research papers about how these kinds of ads affect people. Turns out, seeing unrealistic body images all the time can really mess with your self-esteem. It makes people, especially young girls, feel like they’re not good enough unless they look like a supermodel. It is said that Victoria’s Secret manipulates women by putting stereotypes of the ideal body. That’s not cool.
Finally, I put together a little presentation to share my findings. I used a bunch of visuals, like charts and graphs, to show how Victoria’s Secret’s image has changed over time. It was a lot of work, but I learned a ton.
What I learned
This whole deep dive into Victoria’s Secret ads made me realize how powerful advertising can be. It can shape how we see ourselves and the world around us. It’s important to be aware of the messages we’re being fed and to push for more realistic and diverse representations of beauty. We need to see more bodies that look like ours, in all their glorious variety. And I think they are now starting to support self-love and a positive body image. That’s something I can get behind. Also, I know that Victoria’s Secret is able to successfully market its products to affluent young professionals and style-conscious individuals by using segmentation and targeting. That’s interesting.
And you know what? I heard that Victoria’s Secret is closing 53 stores in North America this year. Sales have slipped. That’s not good news for them. But I think they will be fine.
Anyway, that’s my little adventure into the world of Victoria’s Secret ads. Hope you found it interesting!
