A tentative agreement was reached in New York Thursday to avert a strike that threatened to shut most Broadway shows, as Hollywood remains on...

Just weeks after pledging to deliver a new feminist approach to its brand, Victoria’s Secret appears to have reverted to its tried and tested “sex sells” strategy following a slump in sales. The US lingerie chain had attempted to rehabiliate public perception following criticism that it promoted typically thin, white models as the preferred beauty standard. Relaunching its once blockbuster fashion show in September, Victoria’s Secret replaced its “Angels” with the VS Collective – a group of diverse, successful women including Megan Rapinoe and Priyanka Chopra. But executives are now reportedly re-embracing “sex appeal” after the short-lived makeover failed to boost sales. During a presentation last week, a top executive said Victoria’s Secret would be the subject of an image overhaul, adding “sexiness can be inclusive”. “Sexiness can celebrate the diverse experiences of our customers and that’s what we’re focused on,” Greg Unis, brand president of the company’s youth-focused venture Victoria’s Secret & Pink, told investors on Thursday (13 October). The reboot is part of a larger strategy to revive its sales after a five-year marketing overhaul fell short of expectations. According to the Business of Fashion, Victoria’s Secret is projecting $6.2bn in earnings this fiscal year – a five per cent drop on sales in 2022, and well below the $7.4bn sales reported in 2018. Now, Victoria’s Secret has laid out a roadmap to bolstering its revenue, including cost-cutting, reviving its swimwear and activewear ranges, and further expanding its offerings to include products such as sweaters, slip dresses, and corsets. Giving its stores a more “welcoming” facelift is also part of the plan. Chief executive Martin Waters added that the retailer’s inclusivity initiatives and campaigns had “not been enough to carry the day”, referring to the company’s performance in recent years. Once the purveyors of Swarovski-studded undergarments and unrealistic body standards, Victoria’s Secret has, in recent years, embarked on a journey to shed its hyper-sexualised image and pay attention to changing social norms. Its initial attempt to adjust its image came hot on the heels of declining sales due to the emergence of inclusive and diversity-friendly brands such as Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty and Third Love, as well as several controversies including top management at L Brands – the former parent company of Victoria’s Secret. In 2018, L Brands’ then-marketing boss Ed Razek sparked a backlash when he declared that Victoria’s Secret would never cast transgender and plus-size models in its annual Fashion show because it’s a “fantasy”. Razek resigned the following year after he was accused of inappropriate behaviour with models – allegations he called “categorically untrue, misconstrued or taken out of context”. Around the same time, an investigation by The New York Times uncovered ties between L Brands’ former chief executive Lex Werne and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which further sullied the reputation of Victoria’s Secret. In an effort to rehabilitate its image, the brand’s recent campaigns have featuring stars such as former US women’s football captain Megan Rapinoe, plus-size models Paloma Elsesser and Ali Tate-Cutler, and Brazillian transgender model Valentina Sampaio. Last month, Victoria’s Secret: The Tour ‘23 was released on Amazon Prime, with the company declaring the televised catwalk event was the “ultimate expression” of its commitment to a new Victoria’s Secret that’s more in step with the times. Despite its struggles, Victoria’s Secret still owns a lion’s share of the north American market today. “We’ve been insufficiently differentiated in this difficult market,” Waters said, during the meeting last Thursday. “[But] our ambition of being the world’s leading fashion retailer of intimates apparel is unchanged.” Read More Victoria’s Secret was never feminist – why are they bothering to try now? Victoria's Secret overhauls its racy fashion catwalk in its latest moves to be more inclusive From Naomi Campbell to Hailey Bieber: All the top models and celebs in Victoria Secret’s new Icons campaign

If only MLB standings could reward the best fanbases in the sport. Well, in this case, we can.As the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves lap the field in their respective leagues (American League and National League), we'll take a slightly different look at the MLB standings.For one, thro...

E. coli contamination from a sewage discharge has prompted the closure of a six-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, Georgia, ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend.

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As football fans across the globe gear up for the Women’s World Cup, some of the biggest names in the game including England captain Leah Williamson will be absent because of a wave of ACL injuries which has rocked the sport in recent years. It is a common sight in the women’s game when clubs and countries are forced to announce that their biggest stars will be out for months on end. Williamson ruptured her ACL – or anterior cruciate ligament – in April, and will miss the World Cup as a result. Other stars to miss the tournament are England’s Beth Mead and the Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema, who both suffered the injury in November. Canada's Janine Beckie and the USA’s Catarina Macario are in the same boat. The issue also blighted the Euros last summer, as Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas missed the tournament after rupturing her ACL days before the opening game. Northern Ireland’s Simone Magill was also ruled out, along with France striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who had been one of the favourites to win the Euro 2022 Golden Boot. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter But what is this injury, and why are so many women’s footballers getting it? A recurring problem The ACL is a small band of connective tissue in the centre of the knee. It can tear during routine activities like jumping. Any athlete that gets it faces surgery followed by six-to-12 months of rehab. Men also sustain ACL injuries – the likes of Virgil Van Dyke and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are high-profile examples in recent years – but it is more prominent in the women’s game. Speaking to Sky Sports last year, female health specialist Dr Emma Ross said: “We know female athletes are up to six times more likely to have a non-contact ACL injury than their male counterparts.” “In sport and exercise science research, only about 6 per cent of the studies are done exclusively on females – meaning they study things that are happening to the female body – so we don't have a lot of research on female athletes. “But what we do know about the menstrual cycle and injury is that the changing hormones across the cycle can impact the physiology and biomechanics of the body. “For example, when oestrogen is elevated in the menstrual cycle, and that happens in about the second week, it can affect the stability of joints. It can interfere with the collagen in our joints and it can create looser, more lax joints. A loose joint is therefore less stable and more inclined to injury. “So we do have some information about loose joints, but what we don't have is the end step of whether that really does increase the risk for injury in female athletes.” ‘Please no more’ Meanwhile, the workload for elite women’s footballers has grown because of the spiralling popularity of the game. Top players can play up to 44 matches a year, while three out of every four summers there is a major tournament, whether it is the Olympics, Euros or World Cup. The game has grown more professional in lockstep with the ever-busier schedules in recent years, with more Premier League clubs than ever pouring significant cash into their women’s teams. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur spent a combined £33m on running their women’s football teams in the year to July 2022. Nonetheless, it remains lightyears behind the men’s game in terms of funding. The teams paid £186m to agents for men’s team transfers in the same season, according to the Telegraph. There are other factors at play too – women’s feet are significantly different from men’s in shape and size, and experts are concerned that ill-fitting boots could be contributing to the wave of injuries. Sports rehabilitation expert Dr Katrine Okholm Kryger told Sky Sports that “we know that women have a two to five times higher risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries”, which affect the knee. Many of the major manufacturers are developing women's specific boots which should be available for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023, but Dr Okholm Kryger said the lack of available football boots is a general concern. She said she hopes to start a discussion and “kindly nudge manufacturers and research towards the need to pay more attention in this area”. Until they listen, the problem could continue depriving women’s football of its biggest stars. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 31, 2023--

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