Victoria's Secret :: Exactly what IS Victoria's Secret?

Trimis: 03/08/2007 16:23

The origin of a company name is often a mystery. What we discovered, (besides the fact that Heidi Klum has been chosen to wear the Victoria's Secret jewel-encrusted Fantezie Bra a record three -- count 'em, three! -- times) is that there is no one "secret."

The Victoria of Victoria's Secret likely refers to the British queen. Ipso facto, one can conclude the aforementioned "secret" is merely part of a clever branding strategy, alluding to the titillating possibility that the prudish monarch (who at one point during her reign went into seclusion for 25 years) liked to wear sexy lingerie like the stretch lace Miracle Bra. Lucky Prince Albert.

But despite what some would say was a cultivated aura of Anglicism, Victoria's Secret started in the early 70s as a small lingerie shop in San Francisco. The store was decorated, according to Les Wexner, CEO of Victoria's parent company, like a Victorian brothel, complete with red leather sofas.

Not so secret, perhaps, is that over the years, the company has been the subject of various protests and accusations. Some claim it promotes hyper-sexualized images of women. And in 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that a small Kentucky sex shop called "Victor's Little Secret" did not infringe on the company's trademark.