Victoria’s Secret reportedly got horrible business news after signing American soccer star Megan Raponie to an endorsement deal.
Victoria’s Secret made the pivotal move of ditching its “hyper-sexualized” image as it was recently described, according to Fox Business.
One move that the brand made to promote inclusivity is signing LGTBQ pro women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe.
Rapinoe is a former midfielder for the United States Women’s Team who made several headlines during the most recent World Cup due to her outspokenness about political issues, especially the national anthem.
Rapinoe, transgender women, and other models gained “Favorable reviews from online critics [but] never translated into sales,” according to the report.
According to numbers, “the lingerie’s brand projected revenue for 2023 is $6.2 billion,” which sounds impressive until it’s revealed that’s five percent lower than last year, and even lower than 2020 when the brand hit $7.5 billion in revenue.
In 2021, Rapinoe called out what the brand had been before the revamp, according to Fox Business. She said it sent a “really harmful” message that was “patriarchal, sexist, viewing not just what it meant to be sexy but what clothes were trying to accomplish through a male lens and through what men desired.
“And it was very much marketed toward younger women,” she said.
Chief executive Martin Waters also reportedly admitted that the new initiatives weren’t profitable for the company.
“Despite everyone’s best endeavors, it’s not been enough to carry the day,” he said, according to Fox Business.
