I read this account of the rise and fall of Victoria's Secret over the weekend. If you're looking for a cultural studies text on this once iconic lingerie business, this book is not for you. The authors are fashion business journalists and "Selling Sexy" is a well sourced rag trade business history. I enjoyed learning more about the rise of specialty retail in the USA, outsourcing to Asia, and similar apparel industry topics, but others might find this material dry.
Yet the very nature of the business requires the authors to discuss marketing and image, which they do with a good grasp of race, ethnicity, and physique in the development of the various Victoria's Secret fantasy worlds. The narrative also describes, without pretending to explain completely, the still mysterious spell that Jeffrey Epstein cast over VS boss Leslie Wexner. In the final chapters of the book, the authors give a good account of how Victoria's Secret failed to adapt to the new age of #MeToo, the shaming of fatshamers, and Instagram influencers.
Although the book is not supposed to be a coffee table volume, I was disappointed by the paucity and limited range of illustrations, as a larger selection would have more clearly shown the changes in VS marketing over the years.
A rewarding read overall that made me think more about the pressures and desires women face when choosing, combining, or rejecting the pretty, the sexy, and the comfy.
Selling Sexy
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250850966/sellingsexy/
ResearchBuzz: Firehose
1/n
Ottoman Heritage 
taking a break 
