Tuesday marked the night of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, an internationally televised event anticipated by men, women, boys, and girls alike. Beautiful women? Fun, upbeat music? A $2.5 million bra? What’s not to love?
But the fashion show has not come without criticism. The show has been widely criticized for its promotion of an idealistic body type: long legs, large breasts, and flat, hard-as-rock abs. Even some of the most confident girls have the sudden urge to run to the gym after a glimpse of Adriana Lima and Erin Heatherton parading around without so much as a hint of cellulite on their bodies. It’s true, sometimes you have to respect these women for working hard for their picture-perfect bodies. But sometimes you just want to punch them in the face.
The Victoria’s Secret Angels confess that their circumstances are extreme. Lima admits to avoiding solid food for more than a week before the show. Others say they stay away from water two days before the show to prevent bloating.
What we (as the beautiful, confident, intelligent women that we are) have to recognize is that the bodies of VS Angels represent 0.1 percent of the population. Moreover, their bodies are airbrushed and contoured to perfection by countless makeup artists and stylists. Come on, no one can compete with that.
Once we get past these basic facts, we can begin to enjoy the ornate artistry and creativity that goes into these shows. Meticulous orchestration weaves together popular music, creative direction and fashion in a way that is rarely broadcast to the public. Elaborate wings made of feathers, pom-poms and candy canes frame handcrafted lingerie of exceptional detail. A-list performers such as Rihanna and Bruno Mars brought their A game to the table for the occasion. Justin Bieber even sported an extra-questionable studded white vest for his performance. Love you, Biebs.
Everything about this event is over-the-top. It’s flashy and glittery and, as demonstrated by the 10 million-plus viewers that watched in 2011, the people love it. In the end, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show must be taken for exactly what it is: a show.