The fashion industry still doesn’t care about different body shapes – whatever it wants you to think

Victoria’s Secret had worked hard to move away from its legacy of exclusivity, believes Olivia Petter. So why is the company now going back to its old ways?

Adut Akech, Naomi Campbell and Hailey Bieber take part in the new Victoria’s Secret campaign (Mikael Jansson/Victoria’s Secret)

Victoria’s Secret had been trying hard. At least, that’s what it wanted you to think. Back in 2021, the lingerie giants underwent a major rebrand, doing a complete U-turn on its infamous “Angels” that gave millennial women decades of body insecurities. It was time to diversify.

Gone was the line-up of exclusively svelte models (sorry, “athletes”, as VS often called them) strutting down the runway in flawless million-dollar “fantasy bras” and in their place came US soccer star Megan Rapinoe, Indian actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and plus-size model Paloma Elsesser. The idea was that these women would be celebrated for their achievements as opposed to their genetics. The brand’s famous annual show was also cancelled indefinitely.