The Dark Side Behind the Glitz of Victoria's Secret, Traumatic Experiences of the Models - Culture of Bullying and Misogyny in the Company

Kapanlagi.com - Victoria's Secret is not a stranger to the public, especially those interested in the fashion and modeling industry. This lingerie company, founded in 1977, is known as one of the world-class brands that always succeed in capturing attention, especially because of their iconic annual event, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

The glamorous Victoria's Secret runway, held regularly from 1995 to 2018, features supermodels as the main attraction of their show. The models, known as Victoria's Secret Angels, strut on stage showcasing various collections of lingerie complete with wings that have become the hallmark of this event.

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is also enlivened by a series of world-class performers. Just mention Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Lady Gaga, they have all participated in this grand event.

However, behind the glamour of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, one by one, the dark sides of this annual event begin to be revealed and become the public's focus. Curious? Check out the details below.

1. Viral Confession on TikTok

youtube.com/60 Minutes Australia

Not many people know that Victoria's Secret is not as glamorous as they portray in public. It all started with Bridget Malcolm's confession, who was once one of the Angels in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, through her personal TikTok account, the public began to get an idea of what the life of a Victoria's Secret model is like behind the scenes.

The Australian model shared her story while being an Angel and discovering the bra she wore during the show. "I found a bra from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2016. It was a size 30A, and now my size is 34B, which is healthy for me," she said.

Malcolm also revealed that in 2018 she was rejected from appearing by Victoria's Secret's Chief Marketing Officer, Ed Razek. It was said that her appearance was not good enough for the show because Malcolm had gained half an inch in hip size.

Looking back at her performance on stage where the size 30B bra looked so big when worn, Malcolm felt sorry for the hidden sadness behind her smile and radiant eyes.

2. Traumatic Experience as Victoria's Secret Angels

youtube.com/60 Minutes Australia

Malcolm's confession on TikTok only scratched the surface. When interviewed by 60 Minutes Australia, this 29-year-old model delved deeper into the traumatic experiences she went through as a Victoria's Secret model.

As an Angel, the idea of 'the thinner, the better' was deeply ingrained in Bridget Malcolm's mind, which was detrimental to her physical, mental, and emotional health. Because of this mindset, Malcolm often intentionally only drank water and went without eating anything for up to three consecutive days in order to lose weight. As a result, Malcolm couldn't function normally and often fainted. She also revealed that her menstrual cycle stopped at the age of 25 and her hair started falling out.

"I experienced eating disorders, relied on medication for anxiety disorders, and constantly suffered from panic attacks. I was exhausted. My body lacked nutrition, my mind was not well, and it seemed endless," she recalled.

Although no one forced her to continue losing weight, Malcolm admitted to having an unhealthy relationship with Victoria's Secret, where the conditions around her felt very restrictive, leading to a traumatic experience in her life. However, Malcolm slowly started to heal and move on from her dark past.

3. Bullying and Misogyny Culture in Companies

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Apparently, Bridget Malcolm is not the only 'victim' in this case. As time goes by, more and more women dare to speak up about the toxic culture, including bullying and misogyny, deeply rooted within Victoria's Secret.

Take Casey Crow Taylor, for example, who once worked in Victoria's Secret's Public Relations Team, helping to perfect the annual fashion show. Taylor admitted to being a victim of bullying and harassment by Ed Razek, the iconic figure behind Victoria's Secret events and Angels.

It is said that jokes about physical appearance and sexual harassment are commonplace in the company. "I remember being on set with him (Ed Razek) and his assistant, and then his assistant made an awkward joke, like, 'If I had a dollar for every report of sexual harassment I received, I'd be rich,' and they both laughed," Taylor recalled.

Afterwards, Taylor realized that many Victoria's Secret employees had filed complaints about sexual harassment but were silenced through the misuse of confidentiality agreements. At least three people she knew were given money by the company on the condition that they would not disclose the issue.

4. The Fall of Victoria's Secret

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With the increasing revelation of dark secrets that occurred within Victoria's Secret, especially those related to Ed Razek, this major company is slowly falling apart. It is widely reported that a number of Victoria's Secret stores have closed and their sales have declined from $7.7 billion in 2015 to $5.4 billion in 2020.

In addition to the personal experiences of Bridget Malcolm and Casey Crow Taylor, there are still many testimonies that point to the scandal that Ed Razek has committed. Leslie H. Wexner, the founder and CEO of L Brands, is reported to have approached and even harassed models, from asking for their phone numbers to touching them during fittings. Furthermore, Razek's controversial comments about plus-size and transgender models.

Razek later apologized for his 'insensitive' comments and left the company in 2019. In the same year, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show ceased to be held and the company planned to focus on developing engaging and dynamic content and new types of events according to a memo released by Les Wexner.

Shortly thereafter, in 2020, Les Wexner also resigned. Les Wexner's name dominated the news due to his relationship with financier Jeffrey Epstein as Wexner's former financial manager. Epstein was charged with sex trafficking in July 2019 and later died by suicide in jail.

5. Victoria's Secret's New Strategy

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Certainly, Victoria's Secret did not stay silent in response to the company's collapse and worked to restore their reputation. Victoria's Secret, which has always targeted the upper class and motivated women to appear as perfect as their models through hard work, finally underwent a rebranding through the Victory Collective platform.

In line with the body positivity campaign, where the ideal body does not have to be slim and 'perfect', which has become increasingly popular over time, Victoria's Secret also wants to redefine beauty by collaborating with a series of inspiring women, including activists, athletes, and actresses, to represent their brand.

Of course, the steps taken by Victoria's Secret cannot erase what they have done in the past. Bridget Malcolm, who was once part of Victoria's Secret, spoke out about this matter.

"I don't know how you can rebrand something that has caused so much damage to so many people around the world for such a long time, even decades. For me, there should be more acknowledgement from society about what has happened, there should be some kind of oath, without all of this (rebranding), it's just performative action," she said.

(kpl/rsp)