Victoria’s Secret has been on a decline for several years and is in the process of trying to rebrand. Last year the New York Times ran an expose revealing the demeaning culture and widespread sexual harassment behind the scenes at the company. They’ve been rightfully called out for lack of body representation for years. In a new episode of E!’s True Hollywood Story, former VS angel, Selita Ebanks, recounts the unhealthy and unnatural standards pressed upon the models who walked the show. Selita also discusses how cutthroat it was behind the scenes. Many models she thought were friends turned against her when she was hired by Victoria’s Secret. A few highlights from E! Online:
“Modeling for Victoria’s Secret, there’s a code you have to follow,” Ebanks revealed in an exclusive sneak peek at the special. “There is expectation to maintain the size, and unfortunately, we are going against Mother Nature. It is not something that’s natural, it is not something that should happen. It’s tough.”
Psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser noted she heard that some models “back in the day” only ate an apple every 24 hours to maintain their trim physiques; such were just the beauty standards of the brand.
As Ebanks explained, the goal for every model was to become an Angel. “I’ve been on many runways, but, to be a part of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, for me, was more than just a job. It was the highlight,” Ebanks recalled.
The New York Times reporter Jessica Silver-Greenberg, whose exposé “Angels in Hell” uncovered the dark underbelly of the Victoria’s Secret empire, added that in her opinion, Angels had low self-esteem.
“It’s really hard for a lot of the Victoria’s Secret models to have the kind of self-worth that the rest of us have, because it’s all about their appearance,” she stated. “No one wants to hear what they have to say.”
I agree with Jessica Silver-Greenberg when she said that the models suffer from low self-esteem. These women are beat down emotionally, constantly having their worth connected to how they look or how skinny they are. It made me sad when Selita said that she lost friends when she got the Victoria’s Secret contract.
I used to work for Victoria’s Secret at the store level and I saw what they put the managers through. I can only imagine what the models went through. The fact that those women were only eating an apple every twenty-four hours is insanity. I also agree with Selita that the demands on these women’s bodies is unnatural. Women should not be that thin unless it is natural to them. This E! True Hollywood story looks interesting. And since the Victoria’s Secret empire is literally declining right before our eyes despite their attempt of rebranding, it’ll be interesting to learn more.
