For starters, let me say that I watch the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show religiously.
Every December, my friends and I tune into CBS to gaze at the ridiculously beautiful models as they strut their stuff down the runway in million-dollar bedazzled bras. The whole production--from the elaborate sets, to the chart-topping musicians, to the seemingly candid behind-the-scenes interviews--makes for a great, mindless hour of television.
The fashion show is an essential part of crafting Victoria's Secret's image. The incorporation of high-profile "it girls," such as newly-added supermodels Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, along with the pre-existing VS "Angels," generates millions of viewers every year.
The company puts on the show not only to increase the brand's publicity, but because they believe the show will help increase sales. VS assumes viewers will want to buy its products after watching the event in the hopes that they, too, can look like Angels.
What the company fails to recognize, however, is that we are smarter than that.
Most of us understand that the production that is the Victoria's Secret show is exactly that--a production. The fantasy world that VS creates is emphasized within its dramatic themes, which in the past have included "Birds of Paradise," "Fairytale," and "Gilded Angels." The term "Angels," which the company has coined for its models, places them in a divine category compared to the show's viewers. When we see the models walking down the runway, we don't believe that we will magically morph into 6-foot-tall supermodels with the purchase of some Victoria's Secret undergarments, because we feel as if the Angels are in a species all their own.
Once the broadcast is over and I turn my television off, I am instantaneously transported back to reality.
And in contrast to VS, reality is the very concept that Aerie, American Eagle Outfitters' lingerie brand and Victoria's Secret PINK's prime competitor, is capitalizing on.
With its #aerieREAL campaign, the company promises not to re-touch any photos of its models--something Victoria's Secret has come under fire for numerous times after continuously posting botched re-touched photos onto its website.
One quick visit to Aerie and VS PINK's websites and it's easy to spot the differences. In bold letters, Aerie pronounces, "The Real You Is Sexy." Behind the text are photos of un-retouched models of all different body shapes, including the newest face of Aerie's campaign, size-12 Barbie Ferreira, 19. This week, the company has added multiple 30-second videos to its YouTube channel of each model explaining what makes them "#aerieREAL." Overall, the site looks bright, happy, and inviting.
Victoria's Secret PINK's website takes on the opposite approach. What are clearly photoshopped images of already-thin models on a stark black background--including this year's breakout bombshell Gigi Hadid--makes VS PINK seem like an exclusive club. It appears that they only cater to the "cool kids," the "attractive" body types, and the goal seems to be that the customer will buy their products in the hopes of becoming a member of this elite group.
So which tactic works better: Selecting models that girls feel they can relate to body-wise, or advertising classically "beautiful" models that girls desire to look like?
According to Business Insider, "since Aerie has abandoned Photoshop, sales have soared— in the second fiscal quarter of 2015...sales have skyrocketed 18%. Sales at Victoria's Secret's...increased by just 3% in the second quarter."
As of right now, Aerie is the only major clothing retailer engaging in an anti-Photoshop campaign. Hopefully its success will encourage an era of new advertising that celebrates un-retouched bodies. With their ever-increasing sales, Aerie has proven that, after all, "the real you is sexy."
