American Angel: The Unmaking of Victoria’s Secret

The story of how Victoria’s Secret skyrocketed from a tiny chain of boutiques to a retail phenomenon with more than ＄8 billion in annual sales at its peak--all while defining an impossible beauty standard for generations of American women--before the brand’s tight grip on the industry finally slipped

Victoria’s Secret is one of the most influential and polarizing brands to ever infiltrate the psyche of the American consumer. Almost right at its start in the late 1970s, the company developed a cult following for its glamorous catalogs. Back then, shoppers had few alternatives to the stodgy department stores that sold most of the nation’s intimate apparel. By 1982, the founders of Victoria’s Secret avoided bankruptcy by selling to Les Wexner, the fast-fashion pioneer behind the Limited, whose empire of mall brands would go on to dominate American retail for forty years.

Wexner turned Victoria’s Secret into a multibillion-dollar business, and the brand’s cultural influence soared thanks to its airbrushed advertisements and annual televised fashion show, which drew millions of viewers each year. Its supermodel spokeswomen, the sweet but sultry Angels, personified a new American beauty standard.

But as our definition of beauty expanded, Victoria’s Secret failed to evolve and reached a crisis point. Meanwhile, Wexner became increasingly known for his complicated relationship with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, his former financial adviser and confidant.

Selling Sexy expertly draws from sources within Victoria’s Secret and across the industry to examine the unprecedented rise of one of the most innovative brands in retail history--a brand that today, under new ownership, is desperately trying to seduce shoppers again.

Lauren Sherman has been reporting inside the fashion industry for more than 15 years. Now a special correspondent for new media venture Puck, she spent nearly a decade leading coverage for The Business of Fashion, and before that, was a staff reporter at Forbes. Along the way, she has contributed to various publications, from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times to Fast Company, Women’s Health, and The Gentlewoman.

Chantal Fernandez is a freelance writer covering fashion, retail, luxury, and beauty with a focus on business and culture. Her work has appeared in The Financial Times, New York Magazine, Elle, and The Business of Fashion.