This year's Victoria's Secret "fantasy bra" was revealed recently*. It cost $2.5 million to make. Here is a look at some of the "fantasy bras." The first five fantasy bras aren't included in this slideshow, so I looked around and found this fantastic blog that has photos of all the fantasy bras.
The table of the history of the fantasy bras below is copied from Wikipedia.
| Year | Name | Model | Value | Appeared in fashion show | refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Million Dollar Miracle Bra | Claudia Schiffer | $1,000,000 | No | [97] |
| 1997 | Diamond Dream Bra | Tyra Banks | $3,000,000 | No | |
| 1998 | Dream Angel Fantasy Bra | Daniela Pestova | $5,000,000 | No | |
| 1999 | Millennium Bra | Heidi Klum | $10,000,000 | No | [94] |
| 2000 | Red Hot Fantasy Bra/Panties | Gisele Bündchen | $15,000,000 | No | [95] |
| 2001 | Heavenly Star Bra | Heidi Klum | $12,500,000 | Yes | [98] |
| 2002 | Star of Victoria Fantasy Bra | Karolina Kurkova | $10,000,000 | Yes | [99] |
| 2003 | Very Sexy Fantasy Bra | Heidi Klum | $11,000,000 | Yes | [100] |
| 2004 | Heavenly "70" Fantasy Bra | Tyra Banks | $10,000,000 | No | [101] |
| 2005 | Sexy Splendor Fantasy Bra | Gisele Bündchen | $12,500,000 | Yes | [102] |
| 2006 | Hearts On Fire Diamond Fantasy Bra | Karolina Kurkova | $6,500,000 | Yes | [99] |
| 2007 | Holiday Fantasy Bra | Selita Ebanks | $4,500,000 | Yes | [103] |
| 2008 | Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra | Adriana Lima | $5,000,000 | Yes | [104] |
| 2009 | Harlequin Fantasy Bra | Marisa Miller | $3,000,000 | Yes | [105] |
| 2010 | Bombshell Fantasy Bra | Adriana Lima | $2,000,000 | Yes | [106] |
| 2011 | Fantasy Treasure Bra | Miranda Kerr | $2,500,000 | Yes | [107] |
| 2012 | Floral Fantasy Bra | Alessandra Ambrosio | $2,500,000 | Yes | [108] |
Now, if I did the math correctly, making 17 fantasy bras has totaled $116 million. Wow. That is a lot of money. I started freaking out when I saw this. Where do these bras go? Who buys them? Is there a museum where $116M of diamonds, sapphires, and other precious gems is just sitting on busts?
None of the bras have ever been sold. Wikipedia cites this article from the Wall Street Journal saying that the 2004 bra was purchased, but in the WSJ article, it states, "None of the fantasy bras offered by Victoria's Secret each holiday since 1996 has ever sold, though a 42-carat Harry Winston diamond on the 2004 bra found a buyer." Actually, the bras are not even kept after the fashion show, according to this other Wall Street Journal article; they're dismantled! Fashionologie says that it actually took Victoria's Secret until 2010 to admit that they had dismantled the previous bras. I don't know why it took them so long! I think it would actually allow women like me, who think the fashion show is ridiculous, to appreciate it a little more.
So, what does this year's $2.5 million bra represent?
- A $10.7 billion U.S. lingerie industry ($29B global market)
- Victoria's Secret, worth about $4.5 billion
- A $12 million fashion show
- Alessandra Ambriosio only five months after she had her baby!
- Thousands of little girls who hope to someday get their "Angel Wings"
Now, I am not going to sit here and pretend that I don't like Victoria's Secret or I don't wear it or anything like that. I wear Victoria's Secret lingerie almost exclusively. I think I have one or two Calvin Klein things, but other than that, it's all VS. I worked there for a summer job a few years ago. Here are some of the things I learned while working there that stuck with me:
- Feeling good about yourself shouldn't have to come from the outside, but having adorable bras sure helps.
- PINK (the teen part of VS) has some incredibly suggestive sayings on the butts of their underwear and watching middle schoolers buy that underwear is sickening.
- Feeling sexy, regardless of age or size, is attainable. You do not have to shop at VS to achieve this.
- VS bras are pretty much the most comfortable bras I've ever had.
I love lingerie, as you all saw in the yoga photo I posted a while back. I think it's great! It allows you to dress up, it's fun, it's cute, if you pick out it right you get something that fits like a glove, etc. It's not always easy, though. What if you're having a "fat" day? What if you're massively insecure and you put on this amazing lingerie that is supposed to make you feel so good and you just look at yourself in the mirror and see the problem spots that are now exposed (this can happen in any outfit, but lingerie really exposes it)?
I think that we need to learn to feel sexy because of who we are, not because of what you stuff your body into on any given day. I sometimes feel the sexiest in sweats and a t-shirt, just being me, because it's me. Not me dressing like some model in $75 lingerie, but me being comfortable in my own skin and not needing to dress it up, because I look great and I feel great, even if I'm just in sweats.
Close to 10 million of us are going to watch the hour-long Victoria's Secret Fashion Show this year while feeling envy, admiration, and excitement. What if 10 million of us committed to feeling as good about ourselves as we are jealous of those models for an hour? In my experience, the women I envy most are not the ones with great bodies, legs for days, or giant boobs. The confident women are the ones I envy. So be confident! If it takes a new bra set, a new haircut, or a new shade of lipstick, that's fine! Just take that immediate boost of confidence that you feel when you put on that new popping lipstick with you even after you take it off! It makes all the difference!
10 million strong! This is my challenge to you, with you. Please share this post with everyone you know, and come up with a way to show that you commit to "10 Million Committed to Confidence" and post it with the hashtag #committoconfidence! The VS Fashion Show is going to air on December 4. I think we can have 10 million people commit to feel confident for one hour by then. Let's do it!
 |
| My commitment to confidence! |
"Be the change you wish to be in the world." --Gandhi
*Due to possible copyright issues, I am not including a photo of the new bra.
so basically...we spend a bunch of money on bras that people never wear? good to know lol i dont like VS because they don't carry all sizes.
ReplyDeletelol I wear my bras, I just don't need them all to cost $50+ lol Yeah, when I worked there their size limitations bothered me, too.
DeleteSuch an awesome post, thanks for posting! I think it's important for women to feel confident, and know that they don't have to look a certain way in order to feel good about themselves. with that said though, a nice pushup boost definitely helps; so many studies done on it. If you have purely VS, I would recommend you to take a look at Poison Lingerie. VS doesn't really provide much support, comfort, lift, etc. I find it just gives padding, though they are incredibly adorable. If you're looking for comfort and awesome features, you should check them out. and again, thanks for the post! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your great information, the contents are quiet interesting.I will be waiting for your next post.
ReplyDeleteFantasy lingerie