This week, after 17 years of walking the most famously naked catwalk in the world, Adriana Lima decided she didn’t want to take her clothes off anymore.
Posting on Instagram, the 36-year-old supermodel said the revelation came after a friend approached her and told her she wasn’t happy in her own body.
“I had received a call for the possibility of filming a sexy video of me to be posted and shared in social media,” Lima wrote on Instagram. “Even though I have done many of this type, something had changed in me, when a friend approached me to share that she was unhappy with her body, then it made me think that everyday in my life, I wake up thinking, how do I look? Was I going to be accepted in my job?
“And in that moment I realised that (the) majority of women probably wake up every morning trying to fit in a stereotype that society/social media/fashion etc imposed I thought that’s not a way of living and beyond that… that’s not physically and mentally healthy, so I decided to make that change. I will not take of my clothes anymore for a empty cause (sic).”
Before we unpack exactly what Lima is touching on, it’s helpful to firstly look at the facts.
Adriana Lima is 36 years old. She has worked and walked for Victoria’s Secret since 1999, making her the brand’s longest serving Angel. She was recently named the most valuable Victoria’s Secret Angel. In 2016, Forbes reported the model walked away with her largest pay check yet: US$10.6 million (AU$13.8 million).
Top Comments
Tall, slim, well proportioned women with pretty faces have been the standard for beauty well before Victoria's Secret ever came along. Even if VS did decide to bow to pressure and send models down the runway who better physically resemble us "mere mortals", it won't change that fact. Tall, skinny women with curves in the right places are attractive.
I feel that VS (and any other fashion house) have a right to employ whatever models they choose to. They obviously have a brand and business model that is successful for them. But personally I choose not to watch the VS show on TV. As I age, I see little logic in entertaining anything that will make me feel insecure/inadequate about aspects of myself I cannot change. While I realise that feelings of dissatisfaction about my appearance will never totally disappear, I can choose to actively stay away from anything that can trigger them (such as spending time on instagram.) This, if nothing else, makes me feel a little more empowered.
I do agree that Adriana's announcement of her retirement from VS (if that's what it was meant to be) does seem insincere and like a cop out. Disappointed for her that after such an illustrious career, this is how she chooses to make her exit.
Agree with the content, but not the headline.
It's not that they are beautiful, but more that their behaviour goes against what they say. For Adriana to make this realisation at 36 when, let's face it, she doesn't have too many Angel years left and has made millions from the exercise, does sound a bit empty and rich. Yes, everyone is entitled to change their mind, but it is hard to believe she is only just now making this realisation. What she does next will show how genuine this change is.
As for Emily, the majority of her career is based on playing to the very stereotype and gender roles she claims to reject. She is not just being 'sexy' but actively playing to many well-known male fantasies. It just comes across as hypocritical.