Fallen Angel

950

Fallen Angel is a documentary podcast about Victoria's Secret...and its many, many secrets. The series investigates the origin story of one of the world’s most iconic brands and its effect on American culture for nearly 40 years, all told by women who witnessed what really happened behind the curtain. Fallen Angel goes back to the beginning of the lingerie megabrand to confront the many ways the brand influenced how a generation of women think about sex, desire, and beauty. The series also explores Les Wexner, the private man who has been at the head of the company for over 35 years, and his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Co-hosted by Vanessa Grigoriadis and Justine Harman, Fallen Angel is a production and direction of C13Originals, a Cadence13 studio, and Campside Media."Fallen Angel is a documentary podcast about Victoria's Secret...and its many, many secrets. The series investigates the origin story of one of the world’s most iconic brands and its effect on American culture for nearly 40 years, all told by women who witnessed what really happened behind the curtain. Fallen Angel goes back to the beginning of the lingerie megabrand to confront the many ways the brand influenced how a generation of women think about sex, desire, and beauty. The series also explores Les Wexner, the private man who has been at the head of the company for over 35 years, and his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Co-hosted by Vanessa Grigoriadis and Justine Harman.Fallen Angel is an Audacy original presented in partnership with Campside Media.

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Recent Reviews
  • RealLemonPlease
    Theme song strangely annoying
    Overall, I think the show is well produced, but the theme song is so out of place and annoying. I have no idea why it would’ve been chosen. I have to skip over it.
  • vickyweet
    Excellent
    Well presented, fascinating
  • Bellamammal
    Women are not innocent victims
    Stop trying to make women out to be innocent victims who don’t know what we’re doing when we manipulate men with our sexuality. Just like men do, we use our strengths to our advantage.
  • large and lucious
    Excellent Podcast
    This podcast has enlightened me about the image of women in the fashion industry. Thankfully I am plus size woman who his very comfortable in my skin. I never fell for Victoria’s Secret kool aid.
  • HurricaneBrax
    Interesting but also whiny
    It’s an interesting expose on VS but a lot of the personal accounts are from women who somehow did not realize using their flesh for money might have very very predictable consequences. I’m sure people expect F1 drivers to drive fast too. But again still interesting.
  • polooje
    So good
    This is a wild sometime scary and fun ride with lots of twists!
  • ProvocateurMisses
    Kill for it
    These ladies are legend
  • shel1902
    Missed opportunity
    I hate to be the one to tell you, but lots of young women "LOVED" VS and everything it used to represent. Regardless of men's opinions, we enjoyed feeling beautiful, flirty, feminine & sexy for ourselves ... It was fun and the Brands products actually gave us MORE confidence. I loved it all so much that l went to work there. How empowering is that to be excited to go to work just to be surrounded by beautiful things and help other women look beautiful?? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and the only reasons anyone had a problem with it was because they were jealous and envious or had hang ups about their own sexuality. Example... Nobody demands that Lamborghini make an economy car because certain people don't like or can't drive supercars; so why was VS forced to cater to customers who didn't like their products? Obviously they did fine selling to their target demographic until the mad feminists convinced the woke mob that VS was the enemy of the unattractive and overweight. There's a not-so-secret war against feminity and beauty but if ruining other people's joy is the only thing that gives you confidence, that is your problem; it's not Victoria's Secret.
  • Hammurabi
    *****
    I’m just here to offset a 1 star reviewer attacking the host for reporting while woman. Good listen, would recommend.
  • ETX Monster
    🤢🤢🤢
    The host is just awful
  • Cinnomonandhoney
    A behind the scenes look of Victoria’s Secret
    Overall, a wonderful podcast that digs deep into the history of the Victoria’s Secret brand. The podcast focuses and explores how a brand that claimed to be a “paradise for women” instead became a main perpetrator of misogyny. Extremely interesting, and further educated me on the Wexner-Epstein relationship
  • Megh1989
    The whole world
    I truly believe the whole world needs to hear this story. Very well written and spoken! This truth shakes me to my core. Woman should have never been suppressed to begin with… but why in 2022 do women still have to fight for what is morally the correct way to treat a human (whether opposite sex or same)
  • jahn filthe
    Dynamic Duo
    these ladies are slanted just right
  • brendapj
    So good
    All about Vanessa and Justine and the horseplay
  • michv0990
    Fallen angel??
    I was intrigued at first to listen to this podcast because I once loved everything Victoria’s Secret. The first few episodes were ok then it’s all about Epstein and his disgusting behavior with the models. I was hoping to get a podcast about VS but instead got one about that awful and disgusting man!
  • MickO'Hanlon
    RHHK
    Tried wedging Epstein in too much. There’s a story there about VS but this wasn’t it. Also, host is annoying with her valley girl speech patterns.
  • the Queen of Fort Greene
    Meh
    The writing lacks smarts and insight. The narrator is corny. The Wexler/Epstein saga has better sources.
  • Audrey 🌚
    Annoying host
    I'm interested in this subject but couldn't finish an episode because of the annoying host. She came off as dismissive and belittling towards the models and their struggles. Won't be continuing
  • CMFLB
    Shining the light on one of fashions dirtiest secrets
    Great journalism and interviews!!
  • darkduet
    Thank you
    Thank you so much for doing this podcast. I grew up wanting to be like Victoria’s Secret models; gorgeous, happy, everything. I can’t believe the amount of trauma they probably all endured and this opened my eyes. It also made me realize that if I ever wanted to look like then I would have had to starve myself. I’m glad I didn’t.
  • ShenJohn
    Okay
    I didn’t expect it to be entirely bashing Victoria’s Secret.I grew up in the era that it exploded and loved it! I still love it! I was crushed when they canceled the Angels program. I would love to see the fashion show continue with mixed body types and mixed genders even. It absolutely had the capacity to grow and evolve, it didn’t need to end. I feel absolutely sexy in my machine made under garments. I love that there’s a more glamorous shopping experience than Dillard’s or the Target lingerie section. Your podcast is informational and somewhat interesting, but I don’t think you need to make people feel stupid for loving their overpriced bras and still proud to carry the striped bag with tissue paper poking out the top, with delicates neatly wrapped. 💕 I’m sorry that the models went through what they did, but the store and VS Show still has value and power.
  • RoxDouble
    Very much interesting
    I loved the dive into the history and the relationship. However the weight loss advertised was kind of a terrible choice. Probably the worst choice of ads to run for this podcast
  • Ang mr
    Well that dredged up some old feelings
    Thank you for uncovering a lot of body issues i didn't even realize i survived growing up in the Victoria’s Secret era. This was all such a religion at a critical point in a young woman’s development, I don't think I ever appreciated how much it all tormented me and my relationship with my body- then and now! Your reporting was like a therapy session into the depths of my consciousness and subconscious. What do I do with this information!!?! I cant help but feel some vindication in the now time. Very thorough reporting. I love how it was all told. I binged it in one afternoon. Excellent interviews, not too many adds. I enjoyed the origin story so much. There was a lot about the current state which came to a surprise. Literally the podcast I didn't know I needed.
  • stinaquentin
    Interesting
    But actually shocked at how bad the audio editing is.
  • SLP Queen
    Is this a documentary or National Enquirer?
    I was definitely curious to listen to a documentary but documentaries are supposed to tell you both sides of any story. There shouldn’t be so many adjectives with inflammatory, drama inducing intonation in the writer’s reporting and script. I don’t need your opinion. I just need the facts. Talk about “controlling the narrative“. I’m only one episode in and not sure I want to keep listening.
  • Glue&Glitter
    Fascinating!
    Just a wild peek behind the curtain of Victoria’s Secret and how much it played into 90s culture.
  • fjskft
    2stars
    Come on man. What does Trump gotta do with it? Is this a Epstein podcast or VS? Has potential.
  • tiny8987
    Good
    This is a good podcast with interesting content. However the ads are ridiculous.
  • polit123
    Gripping
    My older sister told me to listen to this. it kept me listening from LA to Arizona. Victoria’s Secret always felt out of alignment to me and I wasn’t wrong.
  • BDell10
    Victoria’s Secret
    First and foremost, what annoyed me most was people who modeled for the company saying Victoria’s Secrets, it’s not plural, it’s Secret. I was a store employee for 9 years and look back with fond memories. We employed all types of people; men, women and all nationalities. I had fun working there. Maybe corporate had some of these people body shaming but I never felt that one time (I worked in 3 states at 7 different stores over my time there). As a store manager, I was never told to hire a certain type of person either. I worked there because it was fun and girly, we had a blast all doing floor sets and the store was truly a powerful and feminine place to be. It was interesting to hear about Les and Epstein 😳 was not aware of that association.
  • EvaMadden
    Valley girl narration is intolerable
    I really wanted to like this podcast but the female host who speaks with an inflection after every other word is intolerable to listen to. It sounds like her script is riddled with question marks in all the wrong places. It’s ironic they’re preaching woman empowerment while purposely speaking in a way that makes any woman (smart or dumb) sound incredibly vapid and uneducated.
  • Lemayian
    Shocking
    I had NO IDEA all of this was behind VS 🤭😰 Another amazing production from this team of investigative journalists ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Catbozz
    Really Interesting! Really relatable. Listen to this!
    I just picked this podcast randomly and ended up loving it. VS has had a dominant place in a lot of women’s lives, including me. I remember their brand influencing me at a young age, the same way the hosts describes. The way they expose this brand and reveal the “man behind the curtain” is eye-opening and timely! I just listened to the episode that talks about eating disorders and I was blown away. Not only was it relatable, but I was relieved to hear that VS made other people feel the same way I did- inferior.
  • Tanamwob
    Poor audio quality
    I don’t know if this issue gets better later in the podcast, but 2 episodes in and the audio quality is so bad it actually triggered a migraine. The narration is loud and hollow/tinny, any interviews or recordings are almost a whisper most of the time or have an empty room sound. I’m really bummed, I do find this an interesting topic.
  • alipayne79
    Pretty in PINK
    Loved this so much! Vanessa and Justine do great work. The overall story is just so insane. How something we wear under our clothes became this thing that tried to control and manipulate (and unfortunately did at times) an entire generation of girls and women! VS in its heyday was a full pendulum swing from bra burning! Can't wait for your next project!!!
  • trjvbp
    Politics really?
    So much about the inception of the company is far more interesting than the selective facts used in the podcast. Snarky tone too. Not worth the time
  • Ma.Shellyz
    Good information / terrible narration
    Justine isn’t great, but the story keeps you interested . Lots of bragging and many adverbs.
  • ReillyPods
    Disappointing
    This feels more TMZ than dateline. Maybe I’d enjoy more if I hadn’t already listened to / known about all of the epstein info. It feels like this podcast is more so repackaging information from other sources and then adding layers of unsubstantiated gossip on top of it to make it more salacious vs tying together original thoughts or drawing insightful or new conclusions. And the commercials are outrageous. I get they are necessary for $ but I’ve never listened to a podcast so littered with them.
  • Arachnamomma
    LOVING IT!
    Fantastic podcast. Very illuminating beyond what one can read from Google and Wikipedia. As a VS customer and former store employee, I was aware of the limited range of sizing, the lifestyle that it marketed, the way it hooks mothers AND their daughters, the premium price, and the tendency of store employees to be convinced to open a credit card and spend using the employee discount. We joked that it was just a matter of time before we were all working just to pay the VS credit card bill. But beyond that, I found the models’ testimonies illuminating and heartbreaking. Especially those who first come to the US and are basically at the mercy of some older man’s charity. It is a terrible mindset that people have about models, and to hear that it happened at a high-paying, destination job like VS makes me cringe to imagine what happened to them at other, lower rung gigs. The history of the brand, and the profile and deep dive into Les Wexner was fascinating. Especially his relationship with Epstein. The weirdness factor was sky-high and I loved it. The last few episodes that addressed the changing world of body acceptance, #MeToo, and the rise of VS competitors were great, and I was nodding my head the entire time. Yes! They should have adapted ages ago. Yes! They should have cancelled the runway show before they did. Yes! They should have addressed women’s needs for more sizes. I had apologized to countless customers for the limited range. And! I had at one point contemplated starting a business that catered to working moms who were nursing, and/or wanted a larger range in sizing. AND LESS PADDING! But I digress. I thoroughly enjoyed this podcast, and I highly recommend.
  • After School Mom
    Insightful
    I stumbled across this show. It stopped me in my track and unlocked pandora’s box. I can remember saving my babysitting money to by a Victoria Secret bra or panties. I was 15 and in a terrible car accident and the ER doctors wanted to cut off my beloved Victoria Secret bra. I cried and screamed no! The lovely nurse took it off because she knew I must have worked really hard to get a $60 bra. Lol Victoria Secret shaped my young very impressionable mind of what sexy was. It shaped my weird eating habits, which now I know is a disorder that I will battle everyday through my 20’s. Now in my 40’s and having a teenage daughter I’m happy the me too movement and more body positivity images out there for the younger generation. But there will always be that little voice that wants to know “What is Victoria’s Secret?” Thank you for making this podcast!
  • starshine13
    What a story
    So much of this touched me and brought me back to my childhood and growing up in a body that never felt good enough. Also lol I’m a 30B bra and the first episode had me laughing. I also worked at A&F and my goodness it was a cult.
  • Galelikthe7wind
    Fallen Angel
    Very informative to know how VS thrived, I will not view them the same, to know they were body shaming young girl s , sad and appalling. I turned my friends on to listen to the documentary. And Jeffery Epstein, s connection is scary to know he was connected to VS and models, I believe he was murdered Ah ha big wheels do it all the time, Thanks for the in-depth documentary, GH
  • rayjay555
    Loved it!
    It’s a really fun listen. From the obvious, body shaming. To the more complex, how the business came to be and the twisted players along the way. Was waiting for a new episode every week or I would have marathoned. Also I don’t know why anyone hates the theme song, it’s totally fine and fits the ironic take on the to be expected horrors of the underbelly of VS.
  • a.j.v❤️
    Give listeners a political break please!
    Of all the big names that associated with Epstein, the only name you mention is Trump. It sounded like a desperate attempt to bring his name down from a hear say story. It didn’t even seem to fit the general theme of the podcast. We get it, you don’t like him and thats fine, but please leave any political bias out of future podcasts that aren’t covering political topics for the sake of people’s sanity. People are more than likely listening to get a break from politics and everyone’s opinions on them!
  • Scmance
    So much potential, failed so hard
    This had so much potential and it fell short. They leaned so hard on Epstein and kept repeating things over and over again. The editing was terrible. Things would repeat or there was terrible cutting where commercials were out of place and things didn’t fit. I listened to the whole thing hoping that it would get better or that they would add more information that has not been publicly out there. This gave me Even the Rich vibes and I don’t mean in a good way.
  • babyblubelle
    Had Promise; Unclear purpose/point
    First of all the topic is a sexy one (like no pun intended) mistreatment of models/unhealthy body standards/the rise of VS. However, it felt like a disjointed story with no real resolution or even a larger societal message. The Wexner/Epstein stuff was interesting but not relevant - muddied the water of the story. What was this really about? Better treatment for models? Societal standards? The sketch CEO? The scummy Ed guy? Epstein? The psychological aftermath for the models? Just felt super surface. It was entertaining, but lacked real substance.
  • britta kay
    Love it
    Podcasts like this give me hope that we’re moving in the right direction (in some ways!) in this crazy world.
  • Trumandogmu
    Not as Advertised
    I thought this would be about the founder of Victoria’s Secret. Most of it was not. Wexner and his relationship with Epstein is the real story and hardly any time was spent on that. How did Epstein get control of Wexner’s fortune? Still don’t know. Huge waste of time.
  • alliesante
    Excellent
    I’ve followed the Epstein / Wexner connection and stopped supporting anything L-brand related in 2017. (Too late to matter, of course.) I’d love an AMA with the writers to get your thoughts on what the real relationship might have been. Is there any way to do that without putting you in a liable situation?
  • for the bunnies
    Great Series
    I absolutely love this series! I’ve been recommending it to all my friends. Definitely give it a listen!
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