The Victoria Secret Fashion Show made its highly anticipated return last week after being cancelled in 2018 due to its controversy. The return of the show included the many famous iconic models including Kate Moss, Tyra Banks and Adriana Lima to name a few. But has the show really learned from its mistakes?
We did see a lot more inclusivity on the runway this year, with older models including Tyra Banks who’s now 50. We saw transgender models including Valentina Sampaio who was the first openly transgender woman to walk down the Victoria Secret runway. We saw more body inclusivity on the runway including supermodel Ashley Graham. We also saw a lot more representation for Black and Asian models, including Maty Fall Diba and Mika Schneider. These are all highly positive elements to have at a fashion show, especially for underwear because it is important to make everyone feel included and to see themselves on the runway.
However, the majority of the models in this fashion show are upholding an unattainable beauty standard. These models are unfortunately, a symbol of what the fashion show used to stand for and what it used to be featured. The return of Kate Moss is interesting to me, because I understand she is an icon in the fashion world, however I don’t think she is someone who should have been featured in this particular show, due to her “iconic” saying: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. If Victoria Secret wanted to move away from the image that they previously manufactured, I think they should have included more focus on different body types. As well as this the “plus size” models were wearing more conservative clothing, while the thinner models were all modelling in underwear. I think that if they wanted to promote inclusion that they should have everyone dressed pretty much the same. Having the “plus size” models covered up more sends a negative message almost saying, “you can be in our show but you have to be covered up”.
The musical artists are often an aspect of the show that everyone looks forward to, the show previously featuring stars like Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and who could forget The Weeknd and Bella Hadid’s flirtation on stage during the 2016 show. This year LISA, Tyla and the ever-iconic Cher performed alongside the angels on the runway. However, the general sentiment was that the music fell flat this year mainly from limited interaction between the performers and the models. In previous years they would flirt, smile, or hold hands and this year we did not see much of that. This was certainly a mistake made by the show this year, as I know that it was definitely lots of people’s favourite aspect of the show.
The production of the show also faced a lot of online criticism. It was not deemed as “glam” as previous years. There were also parts cut out of this year’s show, notably the lack of a fantasy bra and a lack of a theme. Fans of the show were left disappointed and I think the show fell flat. After a lot of build-up on social media, people were expecting it to be as big and as bold as previous years.
Overall, I think Victoria Secret has made a step in the right direction, but I think it will take a lot more for them to change the image that they have once dominated since the beginning of the company’s rise.