Underwear has always been not only a shaper of figures and a symbol of erotic femininity, but also a tangible and silent narrator of the changes that the gaze of others considers sensual and what is not. An arbiter shaped by marketing and advertising over time.
In August 1996, the first Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. 16 models were part of the show, including Stephanie Seymour. A year later, in 1997, others like Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell and Helena Christensen joined her.
The nineties were passing, a decade marked by the figure of the supermodel and unattainable standards of beauty. The fever for exercise and the obsession to achieve the perfect silhouette were the result of a media and advertising bombardment by brands that imposed a pattern to follow at all costs.
The event snowballed unstoppably. On November 15, 2001, it was broadcast for the first time on television through the ABC network and more than 12 million people were spectators of the event. It was the mass of Victoria's Secret angels, a retinue of women modeling lingerie with lavish wings accompanied by musical artists and an impressive stage full of lights and all paraphernalia.
Despite the criticism and complaints that were never lacking, the meeting became a television phenomenon throughout the world and managed to expand both its list of models and its wings everywhere, to such a level that several of its parades were they held in other cities outside of New York, such as London, Paris and Shanghai.
But it is a law that everything that goes up has to come down, and even more so when something does not adapt to the changes that the times naturally produce. In recent years, a spirit has been growing that seeks to free the woman's body from all mental and physical ties, regardless of her build.
This awareness of the body, as it has been called, has influenced the way they dress, bringing with it a configuration in the traditional canons of beauty and leaving aside the idea that women should only be sensual for the enjoyment of man.
But the lingerie brand was adamantly opposed to having plus-size, short and even transgender models walk in its show. It was when in 2018, while they were experiencing their worst crisis, both financial and image, the singer Rihanna created Savage X Fenty, a new intimate clothing brand that would eclipse the veteran Victoria's Secret, which ended up canceling its iconic annual parade indefinitely.
Savage X Fenty's pitch was clear and concise, they wanted at all costs to be recognized as a brand that emphasizes confidence and inclusivity with designs for all genders, sizes and backgrounds. The success was so resounding that, just a month after its launch, its first collection sold out.
Since then, the Savage X Fenty Show has been held, a transgressive and avant-garde parade that includes artists, singers, models, dancers, choreographers and personalities of all sizes, builds, skin tones and genders. The last two versions have been broadcast with great success by Amazon Prime Video.
This year, social pressure and internal crisis finally forced Victoria's Secret to dispense with the angels that have long kept the brand on top, instead choosing to do a radical turn by naming a new court of ambassadors without look at their carvings, among which are Paloma Elsesser, Valentina Sampaio, Priyanka Chopra and Adut Akech, among others.
The truth is that times are different and airs of change and acceptance are blowing with them that have left behind the strict canons of the past. Sensuality now has a new meaning.
