I went lingerie shopping at Victoria's Secret and Aerie to see which store is better, and the winner is clear

• Victoria's Secret has recently seen a decrease in sales while American Eagle's sub-brand, Aerie, continues to grow.
• I visited Victoria's Secret's flagship location and Aerie's stand-alone shop in New York City to see how the lingerie stores match up.
• I found that Aerie and Victoria's Secret had similar pricing and apparel options, but differed greatly in terms of sizing, atmosphere, and overall shopping experiences.
• Aerie's increasing success is due in part to its #AerieREAL campaign, which promotes body positivity, size diversity, and inclusivity.
• Victoria's Secret focuses more on making sultry lingerie and advertises its brand through a special cast of models and "Angels."
• Aerie was my favorite of the two stores due to their diverse size range and empowering atmosphere.

Since Victoria's Secret was founded in 1977, the company has nearly monopolized the lingerie industry. Now an iconic household name, the retailer is known for its special cast of models and Angels; its annual televised fashion show; and its sultry lingerie, designed for everyday wear.

But the introduction of American Eagle's sub-brand, Aerie, in 2006 shook up the lingerie scene more than anyone expected. The offshoot had a relatively slow start until the launch of its body-positive #AerieREAL campaign in 2014, when the brand ditched Photoshopped ads for good.

The game-changing decision brought booming business, and Aerie has since been lauded for its inclusive campaigns featuring diverse models with all different body types, as well as people living with disabilities and illnesses.

Due in part to Aerie's growing success, Victoria's Secret has recently seen sales slip. To see how the two competitors stack up against each other, I shopped at both to see which store is better.

My first stop was Victoria's Secret's flagship store. Immediately upon walking inside, I was overwhelmed.

I had barely made it through the front doors when I realized that this was the biggest Victoria's Secret I had ever seen. Music was blasting overhead, employees were bustling around, and the sight of escalators leading to two other floors left me questioning where I should begin my shopping trip.

I took a deep breath to compose my thoughts but instead inhaled a strong stench of perfume. To my left was a section dedicated solely to the company's fragrance lines. While the individual perfumes smelled fine, the abundance of samples gave off an intense odor for which I was not prepared.

The atmosphere of the first floor was dark and seductive.

The minimal lighting definitely set the mood and matched Victoria's Secret's aesthetic, but I found it a big deterrent to spending a lot of time on the first floor. I also had some trouble figuring out where certain products were stocked.

Before heading upstairs, I stopped to look at the most brightly lit spots in the store: the giant portraits of Victoria's Secret Angels that lined the walls. While I wasn't exactly bothered by the photos, I couldn't help but wonder if shoppers felt represented by the models who are the faces of the brand.

Fancy lingerie was everywhere.

Going into this assignment, I knew that a Victoria's Secret store in New York City would have much more room to display a wider variety of garments than the smaller stores I usually shop at in New Jersey. Still, I was shocked to see how much of the flagship location was taken up by sultry lingerie sets.

Don't get me wrong — the presentation was beautiful. The lace corsets, silk robes, and rhinestone bodysuits all looked gorgeous, not unlike items designed by a luxury brand. Each piece, however, started to look a little less appealing when I checked the price tag. The cheapest items were bustiers priced around $50, and the most expensive bodysuits went up to almost $90.

Another problem was evident in sizing: Lingerie was only available in sizes XS to XL; and bodysuits and bustiers — even in the largest sizes — seemed small.