In March 2002, US federal regulators ruled that a racy Victoria's Secret fashion special that featured supermodels strutting around in underwear did not violate indecency regulations. Charles W. Kelley, head of the FCC's investigations and hearings division concluded "Based on the information you and others provided to us, you have not demonstrated that the sexual aspect of the material was, in context, so graphic or explicit as to be patently offensive."

Victoria has a secret...		...It's her Angels
Heavenly Hotties Strut Their Stuff

Undaunted by their detractors, the next installment of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show aired on November 19, 2003 on the CBS Network. The annual program opened with Sting singing his single "Englishman In New York" as Heidi Klum descended from the ceiling with outstretched Angel's wings. Later, other Victoria's Secret Angels modeled the world's sexiest lingerie as a tribute to the bright lights of Broadway in an extravaganza entitled "The Victoria Secret Lingerie Show." Taped the previous week at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York, the event featured a Cirque-du-Soleil-style winged acrobat who descended on wires to open and close the show  and then disappeared into a column of fire. Later, runway models like Adriana Lima, Naomi Campbell and Eva Herzigova along with Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum and Delish Karolina sported Victoria’s Secret trademark angel wings (some resembling bird or insect appendages). 5-foot-11-inch, Czech beauty Delish Karolina admitted to Entertainment Tonight, "I had little spiky wings [last year] dangerous wings...This year they gave me little, sweetie, angel wings. They're very comfortable. When you walk it's a little heavy, but we have to suffer a little bit for beauty, don't you think? For such beautiful wings, I don't mind to suffer!" To entice viewers, CBS conducted a sweepstakes that offered winners a trip to New York to watch Gisele Bundchen and Tyra Banks -- on stage and backstage.

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show returned to CBS on Tuesday December 06, 2005. Tyra Banks made her last walk down the runway as she retired from modeling to pursue a career in TV as the host of the daily talk show "American Next Top Model".

The Victoria Secret Angels also appeared on the runway at MTV's show HOUSE OF STYLE hosted by Rebecca Romijn. As Rebecca revealed in an June, 1998 interview for Maxim "I got Heidi Klum to pretend she was picking her nose. I got Tricia Helfer to poke herself in the bellybutton. And Tyra Banks promised she was going to slap her ass for me. But she's one of the Victoria's Secret angels, and so she was wearing these enormous, eight-foot wide wings. Then she went the wrong way accidentally and these big, stupid, clumsy wings were hitting everybody in the face, and anyway...she forgot to slap her butt. But I forgive her."

The popularity of the Victoria's Secret Angels theme inspired "Dream Angels," a Victoria's Secret product line for cosmetics, perfume, lotions that featured images of pure and innocent female angels naked but for their white feathered wings. The bottom of the ad states, "Scent from above. A celestial blend of soft florals and earthy warmth creates sheer heaven on earth for the wearer. Your skin will be fabulously fragrant and blissfully cared for. Choose from among the full Dream Angels heavenly Collection."

Series of "Dream Angel" Print ads

In April 2004, Victoria's Secret cancelled plans to televise its annual fashion show on CBS. Their decision was made in light of the recent Federal Communications Commission's crack-down on broadcast indecency inspired by the Janet Jackson's Superbowl incident.. Ed Razek, Chief Creative Officer for Limited Brands (parent company of Victoria's Secret) told the Associated Press: "We had to make the decision probably six or eight weeks ago when the heat was on the television networks."

In the fall of 2004, a special entitled "Victoria's Secret Angels Undercover" aired on the VH1 channel on December 13th from 10:00pm - 11:00pm EST  It featured a behind the scenes photo shoot of the new 2004 Victoria's Secret catalogue. Viva la sexy babes!

TRIVIA NOTE: Victoria's Secret is part of The Limited, Inc. that includes The White Barn Candle Company, New York & Company, and Express. In 1982, Les Wexner, chairman of The Limited, Inc., was in San Francisco when he noticed a small lingerie shop that reminded him of a European boutique. He acquired the store that same year, but it wasn't until 1993 that Victoria's Secret ventured into national advertising. In February 2002, Wendy Burden, executive vice president of operations and administration, spoke at Syracuse University. During a question-and-answer session she revealed just who Victoria really is. "She's not a person or an embodiment, but an aspirational client envisioned for the brand...She's in her late 20s, has lived in Europe, has a job, and is very fashionable. She's a woman, not a girl, and is somewhat worldly and interested in traveling."