alexandra23

I really like her - she is obviously very pretty, and she also seems smart and interesting.

hehe...I get so antsy sitting in a desk/on a couch. I want a treadmill desk so I can move my legs!

She's got to be part Asian or Native American. Also, weirdly, she reminds me of Megan Fox post-plastic surgery.

Storm, this is a treadmill desk:

A treadmill desk.

haha, I thought about that for a while, too. I was trying to pick hard ones.

Wait, Rihanna is performing? And the Weeknd? Did someone say Selena, too?

1. I was in a sorority in college. 2. I first started working full-time this year. 3. Many of my friends are male. 4. My liquor of choice is whiskey.

#2? Edit: New one later.

Close - 8:30 to 5:30. Do you go on BZ while at work?

No. I'm not as well-versed on this issue as some, but I don't think it should be entirely forbidden. Since no one has answered lebron's question yet...Big game hunting should be illegal?

Team Alexandra Keira Knightley Ashley Olsen Monica Bellucci Christie Brinkley Elizabeth Olsen Petra Nemcova Jessica Alba Rachel McAdams Caroline Trentini Toni Garrn Sarah Michelle Gellar Olivia Palermo Molly Sims Hilary Rhoda Angelina Jolie On the fence about a few...but this is my list for now. I'll get back to you about Angelina, Isabell... Edit: I now have Angelina, as well. Thanks, Isabell!

I take Jolie from Laura if Laura really is giving them all up! Edit: Never mind - just saw Isabell took her.

Team Alexandra Keira Knightley Ashley Olsen Monica Bellucci Christie Brinkley Elizabeth Olsen Petra Nemcova Jessica Alba Rachel McAdams Caroline Trentini Toni Garrn Sarah Michelle Gellar Olivia Palermo Molly Sims Hilary Rhoda

Hmm...no. I have gone parasailing, though. Have you ever broken up with someone?

Yes. Do you pluck/wax/thread your eyebrows?

^ You make a lot of good points. The info about the modeling agencies is really interesting. I agree that the quality of the product at VS has been deteriorating. That's part of what I meant when I said I don't like the direction the brand is going. VS has cheapened the quality of the models, the VSFS, and the clothing/lingerie. And, yeah, I was under the impression models traditionally went to VS as a last resort. It was something they did when they got too old, too heavy, or were too commercial/pretty to model for other labels - ironic, since most people considered these models to be the most attractive. Anyway, I think once VS started to become a bigger deal, it decided to try to take younger girls instead. Adriana and Alessandra were the beginning of this trend, but still they're much better than the newer girls VS has been getting. I also think VS got new management/new direction around 2010 which caused them to change their criteria when it came to hiring models. The models are getting a little better now, but for a few years it was a bunch of skinny, bland, blonde girls. Total 180 degree turn from the interesting, sexy Brazilian group they had for several years. It seems as though they're going for the "cute" and "fun" vibe in recent years (a Taylor Swift vibe, if you will) rather than a confident, sultry vibe. Again, this is probably because women, the consumers, are attracted to that (well, not all women ). Instagram and other forms of social media are totally changing the industry right now, too, but that's another subject. Also, I think girls who have famous parents are getting a lot more influential (this goes along with impact social media is having on the industry). Oh, and that comment by Sophia was BS. She said Kate was too "obvious" looking or something. Well, the "non-obvious" girls they were hiring at the time were unattractive. The people at Vogue love Kate - pretty sure she's the one too good for VS. Edit: I just read that VS put Sophia in charge of casting in 2011. Maybe she's the reason for their downfall change of direction.

No. It is only one of the seven deadly sins Do you take vitamins?

Body still looks too thin...I bet she'll fill out in the next few years, though. She's only 19. Also, nafan101, I can completely follow what you said and I don't think you were trying to start drama. (Y) She probably was singing along to a rap song in her snap story and sang the N-word, then deleted the story after realizing what an idiotic move that was.

My theory is the Angel contract is pretty demanding, so VS isn't able to sign already established models like they used to. All the Angels now are virtual unknowns in the modeling industry (or they were when VS signed them), with the exception of Karlie Kloss. Maybe VS wants models that are only known for VS and nothing else - I don't know. Even girls like Iza and Alessandra - the main reason VS has always gotten them IMO is that those girls don't have a lot of other options. They got famous for VS. I think VS wants to do that with all its models now.

Haha, you posted that just as I made my edit. Look at my edit above I agree that the fandom surrounding the Angels has boosted the brand's popularity, but I still think it's also cheapened the brand . Then again, with the prevalence of social media and websites like BZ today, it makes sense that there's more of a fandom now than there was, say, 10 years ago. One main reason I don't like the direction VS has taken is I don't really care for many of the models anymore. For the most part, I also don't think VS has done a great job with the music and overall production of the VSFS in recent years.

IMO you won't be able to find a ton using Google Scholar for this paper. You should find charts showing VS's popularity over the past, say, 15 years, and analyze those - Google Scholar might have them, but more likely Forbes or some other business publication. Looking for articles where Razek or other execs discuss their strategy for marketing the brand would also be good. I don't really like the direction VS is going because it seems they're really focused on branding their own Angels instead of using the top models of the moment like they used to. I personally think they've been cheapening the brand over the past several years. It also seems they've been going a different direction with the way the models look - the models are thinner now than they used to be (this goes along with the strategy of trying to appeal to women over men). Edit: That being said, VS's popularity is probably improving. Particularly due to how big of a production the VSFS has become, VS and its models have become more well-known to the masses. I don't find the brand to be as classy as it used to be and I don't like the VSFS nearly as much as I used to (from a creative perspective), but I'm sure the ratings are higher now than they were. The brand has become more commercial.

Tan from getting a spray tan

Interesting topic. I believe Ed Razek, who is one of the VS executives who chooses the VS Angels, has spoken on this topic. I've definitely read quotes from him discussing how he tries to find models who appeal to women rather than men since women are the ones who buy the product. Quoting him on that strategy might be useful for your paper. Vogue's September issue last year focused on models who have made a name for themselves through social media...the cover featured Cara D and Karlie Kloss. You could possibly find quotes about models being more than just accessories there. Kate Upton, Cindy Crawford, and Janice Dickinson have also all been quoted as saying they've tried to be media personalities and not just clothes hangers. A bit off-topic, but a plus-sized model said this in an interview with Elle: "The more fat there is on a body, the more variation there is in the shape of that body. And so it makes perfect sense that people are using a standard, clothes-hanger skinny body for it." (http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a14915/tara-lynn-interview/) In this Washington Post article, Coco Rocha discusses exactly what your paper is about (see #2): https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-modeling/2015/02/06/a81d30c0-acbb-11e4-abe8-e1ef60ca26de_story.html Edit: Found a couple Forbes articles with relevant quotes from Ed Razek: (1) http://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2015/09/17/the-angel-life-how-to-make-it-as-a-victorias-secret-model/ and (2) http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/06/victorias-secret-model-career-forbes-woman-entrepreneurs-tyra-banks-heidi-klum.html

Clean-shaven, yes, but hairless? Some guys don't grow hair on their arms or legs, and I think that's weird. Do you like men with beards?