Victoria's Secret plummeting sales blamed on 'wokeness' by conservative critics

Victoria's Secret has been grappling with a drop in sales over the past few years, and in an attempt too boost revenue the brand scrapped its iconic "angels" in favour of a more inclusive approach.

Since the 90s, the lingerie brand has faced criticism for pushing unrealistic beauty standards and problematic messaging, and in an attempt to combat such criticism they have decided to include more diversity in their marketing and shows.

But the move hasn't seemed to have worked as was hoped. The brand's projected revenue for 2023 is $6.2 billion, 5 per cent lower than last year.

In an attempt to boost sales, Victoria's Secret revamped their iconic Angels Fashion Show that was stopped in 2018, after chief of marketing Ed Razek was critiqued for saying the show would not cast trans women because "the show is a fantasy".

Instead of the Angels show that featured supermodels, Victoria's Secret decided to create Victoria's Secret: The Tour '23. "Sexiness can be inclusive," Victoria's Secret and Pink brand president Greg Unis said of the company's new direction. "Sexiness can celebrate the diverse experiences of our customers and that's what we're focused on."

A lot of conservatives are parroting the phrase 'go woke, go broke', which suggests that companies which try to appeal to a wider audience or include more diversity in their advertising will inevitably lose money because consumers don't like 'wokeness'.

However, ex-fans of the lingerie brand have another idea as to why the new direction failed.

Some believe Victoria's Secret is trying to copy Rhianna's Savage X Fenty, but are missing what people actually love about the brand. The inclusivity and diversity of models is of course part of it, but one user said it's also the creative direction of Savage X Fenty's marketing, saying Victoria's Secret adverts "could be for M&S."

Others said that Victoria's Secret sudden interest in inclusivity after Fenty X Savage's success made the brand come off as "unoriginal", and that people wanted the traditional Angel show back just with more diverse models.

Chief executive Martin Waters admitted that the inclusivity initiatives had not increased profit for the company, saying, "despite everyone's best endeavours, it's not been enough to carry the day."

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