Victoria’s Secret, the famous lingerie business giant that is renowned for its beautiful models, has been under fire in the media recently after the departure of some of their top stars. Doutzen Kroes and Karlie Kloss are the latest big names to leave the company. Rumors are swirling that Victoria’s Secret’s model employees, whom are referred to as “Angels”, are upset with the company because they are receiving salaries that are comparatively low compared to prior models. Highly successful prior Angels, such as Giselle Bundchen and Heidi Klum, commanded millions of dollars annually, but lucrative contracts like theirs have become a relic of the past. When factoring in their rigorous traveling schedule and extensive time commitments, $100,000 annually may seem insufficient to many models. Each Angel is required to work at least fifty days per year for the company, which likely forces them to turn down other lucrative opportunities.
If compensation is not increased, a mass exodus could occur, which would likely damage the company’s image. It would also make it more difficult for Victoria’s Secret to attract hot new talents to sign with them. Top models are often deluged with lucrative job offers. In some cases, they may be offered more than $100,000 for a single day’s work. Victoria’s Secret may be forced to increase their compensation for their models in order to properly compete with other modeling agencies.Victoria’s Secret has doubled their stable of angels, increasing the total from four to eight. Because of that, the compensation that each model receives has dwindled, making their positions less desirable and glamorous than they once were. In the future, the company may consider shrinking their number of Angels and increasing the financial compensation for each. The company still has some major stars as Angels, including Lily Aldridge and Adriana Lima. However, Victoria’s Secret should be wary about the
PR effect that more departures could have.Victoria’s Secret has been tight lipped thus far, declining to comment about their models’ contracts. They have, however, insisted that the models’ departures had nothing to do with their compensation. A spokesman said that Kroes and Kloss left the company on good terms. Nevertheless, there is little question that the company has taken a PR hit due to the models’ departures. Like any business, Victoria’s Secret must be very concerned about how it is perceived, and it needs to take steps to mitigate any further damage to its image.
