It is not more about what men want from us, now it is time to focus on what we want, instead.
The ‘sexy perfect supermodels’ dominating the catwalks are a bit dated nowadays. In an era of inclusivity, a new type of woman becomes the protagonist of the future fashion scene: the empowered woman.
Goodbye Fallen Angels, this is a rebirth for Victoria’s Secret, which represents the new company updated marketing strategy, the VS Collective, a massive change in the lingerie world.
Do you remember those beautiful creatures walking the runaway, so perfect not to seem real? You will no longer see them, as they have now been replaced by a new concept of woman, much classier and more authentic.
We need reality, not plastic dolls. We are not bodies without a substance. We are intelligent, smart, we are multitalented. We have a soul and an essence that make us unique and special. And we should leave a mark and be remembered for our personalities, no more for our shapes or for what we wear.
This is the message that the greatest designers have been launching since 2017, when France was the first country revolutionizing the whole world of fashion by banning the use of unhealthily thin models from the runaways. Since then, society continued to evolve, and women’s power and success together with it.
This is how, in an ever-changing time, VS decided to surprise us with a well-thought choice, altering its narrative around sensuality and becoming ‘an advocate for all women’, by proposing real ambassadors like Megan Rapinoe, an American athlete and gender equality campaigner, Eileen Gu, a 17-year-old Chinese American freestyle skier, the actress and entrepreneur Priyanka Chopra Jonas and the transgender model Valentina Sampaio.
There is no more space for the ‘Barbie Avatar’, as dubbed by The New York Times. The new generations need to be motivated by strong and ambitious women, by inspirational figures who can lead the way and prove that we, as women, have much more to offer than a pair of beautiful legs.
But this is not all! When it comes to inclusiveness, VS must make an important step also regarding its sizing choice: everyone should be able to access to its collection, and this has not been possible so far due to the brand’s limited sizing options.
Regardless, VS has reassured its regular buyers that this change will be happening soon, in addition to an introduction of a nursing bra and a maternity lingerie to the popular brand.
Will it be a success? Surely it will be a significant step on women’s fashion, completely changing the female stereotype of ‘hot mindless bodies’ and replacing it with a more considerable one.
This is a very controversial topic for the Women Empowerment Movement as it is extremely frustrating having to face criticism, still now in 2021, when it is relating to our physical appearance and our own choices.
If we dress to draw the eye, we are either too provocative or too little intelligent, and we should not be complaining about men being flirty with us, as we are the first ones giving a wrong impression of ourselves (this is what we have been hearing for ages, even in the worst cases when there are victims of domestic abuses and rapes)
When, instead, we overdress we lack personality, or we are considered too serious for most men’s tastes.
It is time to change this concept by starting to promote a different image of us. We, as women, want to be sexy and seductive not only for the way we present ourselves, but also for our mind, opinion, and education. We are tired to be classified as dolls because we are truly authentic.
We want to be respected and to be loved for who we really are, not for how we look. We want to be engaged in deep conversations, and we want our man to ask for our opinion when needed.
We want to feel supportive and important for someone, no more the ‘entertainer who occasionally fills your spare time’.
Therefore, VS has decided to open its doors to all women, rather than been focusing on one female model only, thus being more diverse and inclusive.
With a new ideal of a woman, we have now the freedom to express our personalities, giving ourselves the right value that we deserve.
The message that the fashion industry is trying to convey is that we, as women, are powerful in every single aspect who better represents us, and everyone should start seeing this by welcoming a new product which empathizes a veil of reality and authenticity.
