Angels in Hell: Sexual Harassment & Bullying Behind Victoria’s Secret

14.03.2023 - 11:41

Victoria's Secret, the world-renowned lingerie brand, has been under scrutiny for the dark and psychological pressures it has put on women over the years. The latest documentary, 'Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons,' sheds light on the troubling facts surrounding the brand's impact on the fashion industry. The documentary delves into sensitive topics such as sexual abuse, eating disorders, and other mental health issues. It is important to note that the content of this documentary may be triggering for some viewers.

1. Although Les Wexner is the person who made Victoria's Secret one of the most famous brands in the world today, he is not the founder.

Victoria's Secret was founded in 1977 by Roy Raymond. Raymond has even developed a cargo system for men who are afraid to buy underwear for their wives while browsing in the store.

Wexner, who had been thinking about starting his own underwear brand for a long time, realized that Raymond had what he wanted. Raymond, who was already on the verge of bankruptcy, sold his brand to Wexner. But Raymond's painful story doesn't end there... After he sold the brand he had grown with his own hands, he also experienced difficulties in his personal life. He committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in 1993. No one knows if it was Wexner's purchase of the brand or problems in his personal life that caused his suicide...

2. Les Wexner and the executive team meet 6 times a year to create new ideas all the time and present their new ideas.

A former employee said that the fine line between creating a new idea and copying another idea is often crossed. In fact, Wexner once told them that the motto of their company was 'Amateurs borrow, professionals steal'...

3. Victoria's Secret had a hard time working with famous models at first, because an agency was telling models that working with a lingerie brand would be bad for their careers.

In 1995, famous model Stephanie Seymour agreed to take part in the first fashion show held at the Plaza Hotel. Brand managers invited as many male guests as possible, thinking that the fashion show was about 'boobs and sparkles'.

Frederique van der Wal, another name who modeled in the first fashion show, admitted years later that the underwear he introduced was 'too revealing' for her: ''I was so happy to be able to get out of there and go home, and I cried in the shower and thought, 'I've got over this too'.''

4. The brand initially told its story through a persona named "Victoria", but then "Angels" appeared.

Victoria's Secret had now become a prestigious brand where world-famous models had to work hard to walk on the catwalk as angels. The wings were also like a reward for hard work: the models were competing madly to be able to wear the wings... Famous model Heidi Klum has always wanted to wear the biggest wings, and the brand has always fulfilled this wish of hers.

5. Although it is thought that the brand has always put women at the forefront, the main focus was on the men's point of view.

Wexner even worked with Transformers director Michael Bay to make an ad that would be liked by men.

6. They had a team that foresaw trends and determined what would be "sexy".

Cindy Febus-Fields, one of the former managers of the brand, said that one day Wexner came with a Playboy magazine in his hand and asked her to review these pages: He told Febus-Fields that these women were perfect, that they had no moles or freckles... ''These are the women we need to go after.''

7. Details have also emerged about the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy businessman convicted of pedophilia, and Les Wexner.

Wexner had become close to Jeffrey Epstein in order to gain strong connections, but the two got along even better than they thought: Former employees who guest-starred in the documentary described that there was no department in the company that Epstein did not have access to. It was revealed that Epstein abused many girls aged 14-15.

8. Former manager Cindy Febus-Fields described how one day in 1993, an employee came into the office very upset.

When she asked her what had happened, she told her that a man had told young girls in New York that he 'worked for Victoria's Secret and did model recruitment'. It was later revealed that this man was Jeffrey Epstein... Febus-Fields went to Wexner to put an end to this. Although Wexner said he would talk to him about this issue, Epstein continued to tell the models that he worked for Victoria's Secret.

Epstein lured model and actress Alicia Arden to his hotel room with this lie in 1997.

Arden then went to the police and reported that Epstein forced her to undress and molested her. Following this sexual assault, Epstein and Wexner continued to remain friends. Wexner even explained to a Vanity Fair interview in 2003 that he has 'always been a loyal friend' to Epstein.

9. Victoria's Secret has always been subject to criticism in terms of racial and ethnic diversity.

That's why most models left the brand. Model Angel Lyndsey Scott, one of the former Angels, said: 'Fantasies are more effective when there is diversity. The models are all similar to each other, there are no different body types or people of different races,' she explained. 'Victoria's Secret wasn't empowering women; it was making them feel weak.'

10. In 2007, the brand received a lot of criticism when Tyra Banks announced that when she was 120 pounds, Victoria's Secret asked her to lose 10 pounds more.

'I was 178cm tall and curvy, they told me that was too much,' Banks said.

Another model, Dorothea Barth Jörgensen, said that she had eaten very little for 10 years and aimed to achieve their ideal: 'I felt like I had lost a part of myself in that world.'

11. The brand experienced its most financially successful years between 2010 and 2016. But they went into decline with the start of the MeToo movement, which opposes sexual harassment and sexual assault.

No one was supporting the theme of the fashion show with hypersexuality and unattainable standards anymore.

The fact that Wexner was far behind the fashion world was another point that damaged the brand. Markai only featured size zero models in the 'Perfect Body' campaign...

12. Rihanna's inclusion of models of all races and body types in the Savage x Fenty fashion show in 2018 brought the end of Victoria's Secret.

Bella Hadid, who was in three Victoria's Secret fashion shows between 2016 and 2018, explained that Fenty is the lingerie fashion show that made her feel the most powerful so far.

Sexual harassment allegations against other famous names of the brand are also included in the documentary 'Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons' released on Hulu.

The bullying and abuse experienced behind the scenes of the show business, which has seemed perfect and sparkling from the outside for years, comes to the surface in the documentary.