Media Coverage of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show: Perpetuating Objectification

That time of the year is upon us, yes ladies and gentleman I am talking about the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. This show has gained immense popularity within the past few years as dozens of drop-dead gorgeous "Angels" float down the runway in their skivvies to show off the seasons’ hottest lingerie trends.

This event isn’t just about promoting the sales of Victoria’s Secret lingerie, it has become a nation-wide phenomenon. Both males and females gather to watch the show and gawk at the perfectly toned, tanned, oiled, bodies of these women.  The show has gotten so popular that it even includes performances by major artists such as Rihanna in 2013, and Taylor Swift, Arianna Grande, Ed Sheeran and Hozier who are all poised to play alongside the magical Victoria’s Secret Angles in this year’s show. 

While some may say that the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is an empowering exercise, one that celebrates the female form, I disagree.

The show sends the message that ultimante success for women is reaching the societal ideal of beauty, and that in order to do so one must objectify herself for the pleasure of men. Lingerie (what is being sold) is primarily purchased by women for the enjoyment of men, so the underlaying message of the show serves as a platform for women to learn how to and be as attractive as possible in order to appear desirable to the opposite gender.  The immense celebration of these messages, which can be seen in the media coverage surrounding the event, is detrimental to the promotion of women's rights and equality because it demotes women to a kind of "play object" for men. 

It is not uncommon that this kind of objectification of women’s bodies is seen in the media as researcher Kim et. al.’s states women are often portrayed as, “dressing provocatively, touching themselves suggestively, using playful innuendo …” to get a man (2007). She also muses,  “women objectify themselves (Frederickson & Roberts, 1997) and exploit their bodies to attain power in romantic relationships” (2007). Kim’s arguments hold fast as can be seen when considering the way the show is covered in the media.

Media Coverage of the VS Fashion Show is primarily concerned with the models and thier various looks rather than the actual VS products that the show is meant to promote (in fact, one can’t even buy the majority of the outfits in stores).  If you type into Google, “VS Fashion Show 2014” a number of articles that discuss the models featured in the show, and each one’s body, hair, skin, face-shape etc., pop up immediately. Cosmo and Harpers Bazaar both have columns with tops hits on Google, one with the headline “Everythingyou need to know about the 2014 VSFS: See Who’s Heading to London” and the other “The 2014 VSFS Lineup.” The next articles listed after these consist of content that explains how these models are getting ready for the show i.e. their work-out, diet, and beauty regimes. Some of these articles also include exercise or beauty tips that “you can try at home.”

Furthermore, post-coverage of past VSFS's have spotlighted on model’s looks as well. An example of this is when the famous model, Heidi Klum, walked the catwalk only 6 weeks after having a baby in 2009. Heidi gained a huge amount of media attention around her post-baby body supporting the notion that the VSFS is mostly centered on model’s appearance rather than the actual outfits being shown.

That being said, does this show actually help VS’s sales if the lingerie being shown isn’t gaining the majority of attention, or even sold in most stores? I would argue yes, because the Angles represent the “ideal women” in our society, which sells the product. Therefore, the Angles are turned into “objects” themselves as VS isn’t selling its clothing but rather its models and the value of beauty to average consumers.

All in all, the media coverage surrounding The VSFS sends the message that women are only as good as their outer-appearance, and that to be sexy women must stick to a tight beauty, work-out, and diet regimes so they can look as “sexy” as possible so that  men will find them attractive.

References
Kim, J. L., Sorsoli, C. L. Collins, K., Zylbergold, B. A., Schooler, D., & Tolman, D. L. (2007). From sex to sexuality: Exposing the heterosexual script on primetime network television. Journal of Sex Research, 44(2), 145-157.