The Victoria’s Secret Runway Show returned on October 15th after a 6-year hiatus and the internet is divided. The show was put on pause after receiving low ratings for lack of diversity and surrounding controversy about how the brand contributes to women’s body image. Now, Victoria’s Secret promises a new era of “body-positivity” runway shows that embrace women of all backgrounds and body shapes.
However, in the 2000s when the show was at its peak notoriety, concerns about self-perception and unrealistic beauty standards were nonexistent. The runway show was jaw-dropping; the brand’s executives spared no expense and their audience thanked them for it. The spectacle was fashion-fabulous: bedazzled wings and costumes that looked like they cost a fortune, dance numbers that wowed the crowd, VS lingerie sets that were completely original, and the most adored models in the world. The shows were a pop-culture spectacle and they were iconic.
But underneath the glitz and glamour, the show was undeniably problematic. The Victoria’s Secret shows reinforced male gaze-centered ideas of femininity and beauty. The lack of ethnic and body-shape diversity among models presented an inequitable image of the ideal woman. Models took part in unhealthy habits to maintain their unworldly perfect looks.
The show unabashedly profited off the unattainable beauty standards the 2000s were infamous for.
So, when Victoria’s Secret announced their Runway Show was returning in 2024 all heads turned. In the 2020s, diversity and inclusion are critical values in our evolving society. This show was the brand’s chance to evolve its image and adapt to today’s more inclusive beauty standards– or risk being deemed out-of-touch and outdated.
A Feminomenon: Big Names and Big Changes!
The show featured an all-female guest list with some of the biggest names in the music and modeling industries. K-pop idol, Lisa of the Blackpink band opened the show with Gigi Hadid kicking off the runway walks. The show brought in some of the most iconic Victoria’s Secret Angels of all time including Kate Moss, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Tyra Banks, Bella Hadid, and others. Fans were pleased to see model/TikTok star Alex Consani debut as the first transgender Victoria’s Secret Angel alongside Valentina Sampaio. The brand mixed old and new music icons to the female fanfare by featuring performances by Cher and Tyla.
The 2024 show paraded one drastic change, there seemed to be more Black and Brown models in this show than in any other. Even more positively drastic, these models wore their hair natural: big and curly! Tyra Banks looked stunning strutting down the runway with her natural hairstyle. As far as racial/ethnic representation goes, Victoria’s Secret got the message and seems to be making steps in the right direction. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any room for improvement. I, along with I’m sure Black girls everywhere, would love to see models with darker complexions.
Plus-Size Tokenism Rebranded as “Body-Positivity”
Victoria’s Secret’s 2024 show made history by walking the first-ever plus-size Angels. The show ran six plus-size models– Ashley Graham, Paloma Elsesser, Kai Soleil, Devyn Garcia, and Jill Kortleve– in addition to Tyra Banks who now walks in the plus-size category. Victoria’s Secret promised inclusivity and to celebrate bodies of all sizes, yet most of the plus-size models were more covered wearing sleeves, slip dresses that covered their torsos, and leggings.
The brand claims to celebrate plus-size models and body positivity but covers their curves.
Many critics say Victoria’s Secret is using plus-size models to avoid further criticism without genuinely empowering curvier women. Victoria’s Secret’s bare-minimum diversity and inclusion is tokenism in its truest form and their audience clearly sees it.
Underfunded and Unfabulous
As I watched the most famous women in the modeling industry walk glowing and glammed I noticed my attention drift away from the models down to the runway they were walking across. It was boring: plain black, not elevated, visible seams. There wasn’t a single fabulous thing about it. Then, I started paying closer attention to the costumes. Although creatively themed, the wings were nothing compared to the wings VS fans are used to. Some wings (cough cough Candice Swanepoel’s) looked like a PTA mom’s DIY project. Even Adriana Lima’s wings, arguably the most highly-anticipated Victoria’s Secret model returning to the show, looked less than up to the typical VS standard. The size and materials did nothing to amaze me. In fact, nothing in particular amazed me about the show other than the beauty and talent of the models. Even the models’ performances left something to be desired. There were no spectacular dance routines, no holiday-themed features, and some of the lesser-known models gave zero energy with their walks. Everything about design and execution seemed… cheap.
Where did the overblown Victoria’s Secret budget go? From an outsider’s perspective, it seems like the show’s budget was mostly allocated towards hiring the most famous models in the industry. Perhaps the brand thought the best promotion strategy to boost viewership was to bring in as many big names as possible. But if the brand is willing to sacrifice quality for celebrity appeal, what is Victoria’s Secret really worth? If Victoria’s Secret’s rebrand is a transition from fashion artistry to a high-profile marketing stunt, does the brand really care about women or just its sales?
Is the Victoria’s Secret Runway Show Good for Women?
No one is looking to Victoria’s Secret to make astute socio-political commentary on diversity and inclusivity. No one is expecting the brand to reach far beyond its expertise in women’s fashion. Nevertheless, Victoria’s Secret, as a women’s fashion (originally lingerie) company has a serious responsibility to wield its power over perceptions of feminine beauty with care and consciousness.
Yes, it’s fun and exciting to watch the VS shows and gush over how amazing the models are. But Victoria’s Secret must remember the little girls watching their shows wondering why all the models are perfectly skinny, toned, and light-skinned. And more frustratingly, if Victoria’s Secret is going to promise diversity and proper representation, it must deliver with full effort, not a superficial show to appease critics.
Is the VS Runway Show good for women? Allure writer shares a stop-and-make-you-think point “They would never put on a show like this of basically naked men.” The Victoria’s Secret show, at its most basic form, is a show that glorifies sexualizing women. It puts women in lingerie on a runway and says that their bodies and beauty are the most noteworthy parts of them. On the other hand, maybe the effect of the show is more important. It can be exhilarating and empowering to see women so confident in themselves. The show makes femininity feel like something to be celebrated spectacularly and unapologetically.
If real women find fun and enjoyment in watching the show, maybe that is valuable enough.
Whether you love it or hate it today’s Victoria’s Secret Runway Show is exactly what it has always been: skinny, hot models in skimpy lingerie. The only difference now is that the brand’s entire budget goes to hiring ultra-famous models leaving the routines, runway, and wing design looking cheap and passed over.
But, will our culture’s need for nostalgia be enough to keep the show running? Will our societal draw to the Angels’ beauty spark obsession and adoration like it did in the 2000s or will it prompt the same outrage that ended the show six years ago? Now, we wait to see if Victoria’s Secret can find a balance between resurging its iconic past and addressing the demands of a more progressive and socially conscious audience.