Happy December. I'm back, and with a serious social question

I promised that I'd blog more often. Thinking of what to blog about, I think I watch too many sports, so I'll discuss that, and I follow too much news coverage, so that'll be of issue too.

Today:



First of all, everyone can agree that is pretty sexy. Women's bodies are beautiful, the physique has always been deemed a sign of beauty.

But it made me think of quite a few questions:
1. It was directed by Michael Bay, the same guy who capitalized on several elements to make Transformers work, namely:
a. Transformers is beloved by our youth and brings about a sense of nostalgia
b. To appeal to more men, it features sci-fi elements, and over-the-top special effects and violence
c. Attractive female lead [Megan Fox]
I don't think Mr. Bay has done a VS ad before, but watching this sole creation made me think, is this supposed to make women be sold upon buying more lingerie or sold to men to drool over?
2. If sold to men:
a. Are we supposed to aspire to date/have sex/marry these women, who are deemed our "fantasy?"
b. And if so, should we feel bad about the women we currently are dating/have sex with/are married to?
c. Do I want to buy my special woman lingerie from VS because it makes them this sexy?
3. If sold to women:
a. Is this the only way to be sexy? Do I have to look this way?
b. Is it solely marketing, and the combination of beautiful women and beautiful lingerie means higher sales?
c. If I buy stuff from VS, I will be deemed sexy?
d. If I don't look like that, am I not some man's fantasy?


If the ad is solely supposed to be "These women are sexy," then that's that. But you know VS is a publicly owned company, a subsidiary of Limited Brands Inc., so they have to make a profit to stay a viable business. Are they just selling their lingerie? Could they sell their beautiful lingerie with unattractive models?

Which begs further questions:
The history of VS is simple: It was designed by men so that men could shop for lingerie for their special lady, or with a female companion and not feel awkward. They hired beautiful supermodels, deemed Victoria's Secret's Angels, and do an annual fashion show on CBS which garners high ratings.

Therefore is it fair to call these women sexual objections without feeling like you're degrading them? Isn't their career--modelling--utilizing their physique as a canvas for that sole purpose? Can we say it's fair they have a choice not to be lingerie models?

It's a slippery slope for sure. Shoot me some feedback on what you think. I'd love to see your opinions. I'm not here to bash VS, their marketing styles, their employees, or lingerie models in general, I just want to pose a bunch of questions that make you think.