Victoria’s Secret models looked like in 1979

With their Seventies perms, overly blushed cheekbones and deep tans, the models in this 1979 Victoria's Secret catalogue are virtually unrecognisable from today's glossy Angels.
The 32-year-old Victoria's Secret catalogue, unearthed by Retro Space, shows young ladies lounging in bed wearing marabou slippers and relatively demure knee-length slips.
Flaunting body shapes more akin to those of 'real' women, they can be seen reading books together, and chatting in front of still life paintings in chintzy, dated sets.

Lingerie memory lane: With the seventies perms, overly blushed cheekbones and heavy decor, this 1979 Victoria's Secret catalogue is virtually unrecognisable

Looking back: The catalogue is an intriguing example of how much the lingerie business has changed

Real women: The most noticeable difference between the catalogues is the use of Photoshop - or lack of it in 1979, compared to the overt overuse of it today

Most noticeable, though, is a distinct lack of airbrushing. Unlike the marketing imagery we see today, the '79 cast of models have uneven skin tones, slight love handles and even sagging breasts.

Then and now: The Victoria's Secret campaigns of today feature heavily airbrushed and colour corrected models thanks to the rise of Photoshop

Muscle lines - which would normally be softened - are prominent, waists are not carved away, and tan lines, nipples and even pubic hair are visible.
While the poses are slightly awkward and the make-up is layered on, the models essentially still look real.

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It is a far cry from today's catalogues, now the domain of overtly airbrushed supermodels walking on pristine beaches, and gives an interesting example of how significantly the company, and the intimate apparel industry as a whole, has changed.
The old catalogue shows how a woman might actually look wearing the garments advertised, rather than depicting a mostly unattainable beauty ideal for women, as seen in the catalogues today.
As Ed Razek, the chief marketing officer of Victoria's Secret told UK Vogue:  '[Victoria's Secret] Angels are a rarer thing than the world's top-performing superstar athletes.'
And it is these Angels, who are then also digitally perfected, now modelling the lingerie real women look to buy on a daily basis.

Without Photoshop: The model's faces are shiny, their boobs sag, and in some cases you can see nipples underneath their sheer bras - in other words, how one might actually look in the lingerie advertised

Vintage: The Victoria's Secret catalogue is now the domain of airbrushed supermodels, but it was once a place where young ladies lounged together in bed, read books to each other, and chatted in front of still life paintings

Beauty ideals: Despite the awkward poses, the old catalogue shows how a woman might actually look wearing the garments advertised, rather than depicting a mostly unattainable beauty ideal for women, as seen today