Readers of various shapes recreate Victoria’s Secret ads and prove Angel lingerie suits fuller figures
Victoria's Secret sales have fallen as normal women say they can’t relate to the Angels and their 'perfect bodies'
VICTORIA’S Secret is famous for its Angels such as Stella Maxwell, pictured, showing off the firm’s lingerie.
But sales have fallen as normal women say they can’t relate to the models and their “perfect bodies”.
Shares in parent company L Brands are down 45 per cent. Yet when rival Aerie used curvy Iskra Lawrence, 27, sales of its lingerie went UP 38 per cent.
Jenny Francis got five Sun readers – of various shapes – to recreate its ads to show Victoria’s Secret how to do it.
‘Underwear on a petite girl with big breasts doesn’t look the same as a supermodel’
AT 5ft and a 32E, the risk assessor from Bermondsey, South East London, had never considered the Victoria’s Secret brand. She says:
“I’m short so I’m used to seeing models that don’t look like me. Underwear on a petite girl with big breasts doesn’t look the same as on a supermodel.
“The models look great but it doesn’t help me when I’m shopping. A bra can look so different when it’s seven times bigger than a model’s size B. All women just want to be reflected in advertising campaigns.
“Spending the day as a Victoria’s Secret model was amazing. The bra looks nice but I’d need more support for a day-to-day one.
“We all look great, it shows it’s not hard to use a different range of body types.”
- Bra, £49 -
- Knickers, £14 -
‘I’d feel so empowered to see an Angel catwalk with scars or skin abnormalities’
SLIM girls with no “defects” put receptionist Monet off Victoria’s Secret underwear. The receptionist from Leicester is engaged to Shaun Simms, 29. She says:
“A kidney transplant left me scarred on my chest and stomach and it would be nice to see other girls with scars or skin abnormalities given a chance to model too.
“I’d feel so empowered to see an Angel with scars walking on the catwalk. I love Victoria’s Secret and the shows but I don’t know what would look good on me.
“It’s easy to think, “I’m not super-tall, skinny with perfect skin, so I shouldn’t’ bother”. And as branded underwear isn’t cheap, I’d never take a chance trying it. I’ve loved the shoot. I’m sure buyers would like to see a range of shapes in ads.”
- Bra, £35 -
- Sweat pants, £45 - instore only
‘Seeing a model who is in her 40s or 50s would be amazing’
IT is the young models that deter the stay-at-home-mum from Wimbledon, South West London. She says:
“After three kids, I have worked hard to keep a size 10 figure.
“But while I feel confident in my body, it doesn’t help when shopping for underwear that I’m faced with girls in their 20s. Every time I see a Victoria’s Secret advert, I think “Good Lord no, that’s not for me”, which is sad, because the bras are styles I really like.
“All the models are young and “perfect”, it makes me think they haven’t experienced the stress of school runs, labour pains or sleepless nights, so I don’t feel I connect with them.
“If I saw a model with stretch marks who was older than 21, I’d definitely be more interested in buying from them. A model in her 40s or 50s would be amazing. When you’re buying something such as undies you need that intimate connection. You need to see a bit of yourself in the model.
“I’m surprised how good I feel in this because before I assumed I’d never feel comfortable in a bra I saw on a model like that. I wanted it to be a7 treat for me – and it was.”
- Bra, £49, instore only
- Knicker, £14 -
‘Why won’t brand represent us all? I get angry when they don’t portray mums’
DESPITE lusting after the lingerie, the mum-of-two, 32, an admin worker, sticks with “boring styles”. Vikki lives in Silverstone, Northants, with husband Roy, 43, an electrician. She says:
“I’m not sure if any of the models have had kids but I’ve never seen one showing off stretch marks like mine.
“I get angry when brands shy away from portraying mums or women who are bigger than a size 0. It’s for women, why don’t they want to represent all of us? The world’s made up of different sizes.
“How am I supposed to know what the lingerie will look like when I don’t see a model like me in the pictures?
“My husband would love to buy me beautiful underwear but says when he sees models with stick-thin figures wearing the bras, he doesn’t think they’ll fit me.
“But this shoot proves it looks sexy and appealing on a curvy girl too.”
- Bra, £49 -
- Knickers, £14 -
‘I look at models and think, ‘You’ve never had to deal with under-boob sweat’’
CURVY Chloe, a cabaret host from Borehamwood, Herts, thinks bigger women feel unwanted. She says:
“I look at Victoria’s Secret models and think, “You’ve never dealt with under-boob sweat”
“Growing up I battled for a perfect slim body and prayed for smaller breasts. Now I’m older and wiser I want to see girls of all shapes and sizes represented. But I still see very slim girls modelling in the underwear I want to buy.
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“The Victoria’s Secret girls are beautiful, and I do think they look great, but I don’t look at those pictures and think, “That bra is for me”. I think the poses are stupid too. The underwear didn’t fit me and the7 pose made me feel ridiculous.”
- Bra, £31.78 - instore only
- Knicker, £14 -
