Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been roped in as a representative by global lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret as part of its VS Collective. The brand is doing away with the famed ‘Victoria’s Secret Angels’ who have often been criticized for setting unrealistic beauty standards, and moving towards a more realistic portrayal of beauty. Other than desi girl Priyanka, the lingerie brand has also partnered with US pro soccer player and gender-equality activist Megan Rapinoe, Brazilian transgender model Valentina Sampaio, plus-size model Paloma Elesser, Sudanese-Australian model Adut Akech, freestyle skier Eileen Gu, and journalist Amanda de Cadenet.
Explaining the move, Victoria’s Secret chief executive Martin Waters said in an interview to The New York Times, stating that the ‘Angels’ were no longer culturally relevant. He shared, “When the world was changing, we were too slow to respond. We needed to stop being about what men want and to be about what women want.”
The ‘Angels’ were synonymous with the famed VS Show, the lingerie brand first went public with the ‘Angels’ in the late 90s with models like Gisele Bundchen, Tyra Banks, and Heidi Klum putting on their wings, and in recent times models including Irina Shayk, Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid were seen walking the ramp before the show was discontinued in 2018.
The White Tiger actor, Priyanka took to her Instagram to share the reason behind her collaboration with Victoria’s Secret, sharing, “Representation matters. It’s crucial for us to show everyone ALL over the world that they matter and are seen! As a founding partner of #TheVSCollective and advisor to the business this is exactly what I intend to do.”
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She went on to add, “It’s been so incredible to see your reactions to yesterday’s announcement. It’s fuelled me further and I am excited to bring about meaningful change at one of the worlds most iconic brands. I’m so proud to be in the company of the Collective of incredible women that will helm this change.”
In the post, Priyanka shared a note that said, “A new era always brings a sense of freedom, and the opportunity to play a part in shaping the evolution and future success of a heritage brand like Victoria’s Secret is so exciting to me. As we work together to chart the path forward in a new and impactful way. I’m not only looking forward to developing future collections that are inclusive of all people. but I am most excited for new customers and for those who have always been a customer of Victoria’s Secret to feel represented and like they belong.”
Priyanka also took to her stories to share a post shared by former Victoria’s Secret Angel Tyra Banks. In the image, Tyra can be seen sporting VS lingerie and wings as she walks the ramp, she captioned the post, “First is hard. First is lonely. But first is necessary. First is crucial so that a door can be opened for others to fit through. Within a 10 year span starting in 1995, I was the first Black @VictoriasSecret contract model ever. The first Black Victoria’s Secret Cover model. The first Black VS model to do so many other groundbreaking things with the brand – as well as other brands. But after a first, must come a flow of more. A flow of different. A flow of unique. A flow so strong, a flow of so many that we LOSE COUNT. I retired from the runway 16 years ago – and I’m proud that in my lifetime, I’m witnessing a beauty revolution. To the new collective of badass ROLE models, I may have cracked that door open, but y’all are charging through. Keep on keepin’ on until we all LOSE COUNT of how many are breaking through behind you. (sic)”