Dear alma mater. I do love you so, Victoria’s Secret, even though I offer constructive criticism at times.

It’s no secret that I didn’t like the Angels idea. I felt our lingerie brand was a beacon of positive sensuality, one that American women trusted to help them through the muddy morass of American morality and mixed messages about sexuality.

I wanted American women to star as angels and devils, too, on their own home stage, leading them quietly to a place of sensual confidence expressed by Brazilian women, or French and Italian ones. Swedes and Danish beauties come to my mind also as women who embrace their sensual selves without a lot of doubt.

Missionary Mission In American Sexuality

We had the opportunity to do sensual missionary work with American women, the ones who made their husbands and boyfriends stand in line at shopping centers for hours to buy Christmas presents of Victoria’s Secret lingerie .

Instead, my dear friend, you went Las Vegas, choosing extravaganza over sensual substance. I agree the strategy makes for good theater, and nobody does it better than you.

My feelings aren’t hurt that you wouldn’t listen to me about the Angels. This situation arises in American business all the time. Now I feel that I must write you directly, because you are surrounded by talented people sending you the trend-forward message about female sexuality and Smart Sensuality values for tomorrow’s woman.

Las Vegas is so over. Forgive me, but this is not an example of Adriana Lima in silver screen glamour. You might as well have delivered her in a Hummer.

Russell James V2 Erotic Art Photography

As for your close friends who have a different philosophy about women, I’m speaking of the exquisite Russell James photographs of many Victoria’s Secret models, revealed in the new V2 book. And just now I was blown away by the Kayne West film ‘Runaway’.

Both James and West have impacted me deeply because they are inspired by Smart Sensuality values: smart, sexy people with heart.

No woman can look at the Russell James photos and not be inspired to nurture her own sensual self. These splendid images aren’t fixated on Bombshell breasts but on natural womanly ones.

There is no glitter, no jewels, no neon signs in the Russell James images. Just Richard Branson’s Necker Island paradise, which is more than a getaway nirvana. It’s also a state of mind grounded in a positive self image about being a ‘real woman’.

The photos of Miranda Kerr, Candice Swanpoel, Erin Heatherton and all the other models in V2 represent a graceful, natural reverence for female sexuality.

Victoria’s Secret brand invented this language for American women, before you got yourself all glitzed up in diamond bras. I know that you’ve cut back on shine, going for a $2 million bra this year, and not the $9 million beauty from a few years back.

Sorry, but it’s not enough to deliver tomorrow’s Smart Sensuality women, not even the 21-year-olds.

Kanye West’s Female-centric Values

Have you watched Kanye West’s ‘Runaway’ film? A former Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks is the quintessential Smart Sensuality woman in Kanye’s spectacular film about American values and materialism.

Kanye West speaks a language in the film, that is increasingly heard here at Anne of Carversville — and from men, too. Not only is it borderline tacky to be parading around in million-dollar bras right now, but the imagery celebrates materialism above a woman’s natural sensuality.

At Anne of Carversville, we say ‘she’ is more important. She is the Bombshell.

Many men and women are looking towards a new set of American values — Cultural Creative values versus Modern or Traditional ones. This trend is tracked globally, with America being behind Europe, but catching up quickly.

Being a woman of style but also one with a lot of heart and concern for women of the world, I have meshed the more Modern values love of fashion into a sophisticated, stylish reverence for female-centric values called Smart Sensuality.

Your Las Vegas values are Modern ones, and they were the predominant ones in America for decades. When we split company over a decade ago, Modern values remained the prevailing vision of American success. Even then an alternative view called Cultural Creative values was growing from 25% of the population to 35%, with that CC group being 65% female. You can do the math.

Smart Sensuality Phoenix Rising

Many Smart Sensuality women once had Modern values, but like Kanye West, they now understand we need true birds of paradise to guide us.

The world needs a phoenix, the mythical bird that flies far ahead to the front, collecting sensory information about our world and the events unfolding in it. The 21st century phoenix must be female. Milliions of men worldwide believe that only women as phoenix can lead us out of this wilderness. Soon it may be too late.

Loving her body, as a reflection of her integrated self and including her soul, is far more important to women than diamonds. I know that women have embraced the status of luxury for centuries, but economics went just crazy the past few years.

At the end of the day, diamonds are not a girl’s best friend, and they are no substitute for intimacy and good sex. American women are just getting wise on this subject, but this is where the phoenix wings play a starring role. Women in other cultures are far ahead of us in having their life priorities straight.

Until now, I could never reconcile myself with the Angels, but I have been reborn. Reflecting on ‘Runaway’, I see new potential to make your Modern values Victoria’s Secret Angels into Smart Sensuality phoenix angels.

A New Ending for a Really Big Victoria’s Secret Show

I propose a new ending to this year’s New York City Victoria’s Secret fashion show on November 30.

Instead of the beautiful, sensual Adriana Lima strutting her diamond-encrusted Bombshell cleavage front and center, I see an ending with all the models and official Angels as phoenix goddesses.

Perhaps you call in Shakira as the ultimate Smart Sensuality phoenix goddess. She’s known for turning her schedule on a dime, if it’s for her kids. Shakira is always in our Top 15 reads; she has two in the Top 15 this past month.

Shakira: Brainiac Activist with Curves

Close your eyes and imagine this.

All of the Victoria’s Secret phoenix birdies appear as ballet dancers with golden scissors. They hover over Adriana Lima like fireflies, gently snipping away all her diamonds, dropping them into a classical Greek urn on loan from the Metropolitan Museum for the evening.

When all the diamonds are removed from the bra and Adriana Lima stands as the radiant Brazilian goddess that she is for real, she pulls a check for $2 million out of her Bombshell bra and hands it to Shakira for her ALAS foundation. Both Carlos Slim and Howard Buffett support Shakira and her friends at ALAS, giving her $100 million each, so most of the due diligence is already done.

This, my dear friends, is real Bombshell power in action. No leaping out of war machines, strutting across the tarmac like the Israeli army. The new Bombshells are fireflies.

Perhaps you fly in Queen Rania for the evening and hand her a million or Dr. Muhammad Yunus from the impeccably-run Grameen Foundation. You could earmark the $2 million to Grameen to fund microloans for American women, if you wish.

Grameen now operates in Omaha and Queens, giving loans where the American banks won’t andstill maintaining their awesome repayment rate. This generous initiative on your part could help get America moving again. Think of the PR.

Because I love you so, Victoria’s Secret, I want you to have brand values that resonate with tomorrow’s woman, one who just isn’t so impressed with Bombshell boobs and Diamond Lil fashion shows. This young Smart Sensuality woman has soul. And so do the men who love her. Trust me, there are many like her in the pipeline.

American women desperately need your help on so many fronts, when it comes to positive sexuality. In reality, your super-sexy 360 young woman has fewer orgasms than most, according to medical research. Not to worry.

I think we can made lemonade from lemons here. After watching Kanye West’s ‘Runaway’ and thinking about the phoenix global archetype, wings have a new meaning for me, and I’m ready to embrace them.

You could create sexy phoenix goddesses that rule the world with their beauty, sexuality, beautiful lingerie and hearts of gold. It’s time to scratch the diamond bra because it’s full of negative karma.

Guys Who Know

I’ve always said that women are the best advisers on how to properly brand Victoria’s Secret. But I have such confidence in the Russell James and Kanye West approaches to women (except when KW pulled that incorrigible stunt at the Grammys), that these guys can guide you without my help.

Please consider this visionary new idea for the Victoria’s Secret brand, my old friends. You could shine brightly in the heavens for years to come if you just change your Modern values tune to a Smart Sensuality melody.

With all respect to the Donald, it’s not your best look, and it’s time to kiss the stones goodbye.

Love, Anne