Victoria’s Secret welcomed back its infamous fashion show on Oct. 15 in New York City, after a six-year hiatus. Its time-out was largely due to controversy surrounding the brand’s lack of inclusivity, promoting exclusively thin body types.
The show’s inception took place in 1995, and continued annually until 2018. Television broadcasting began in 2001, and witnessed an impressive viewership of 12 million watchers, sustaining its growth for over a decade. Its engagement began to decline after 2013, garnering an all-time low of just three million viewers in 2018.
So what led to the downfall of Victoria’s Secret’s once beloved fashion show?
Back in 2014, the beauty retailer launched a problematic lingerie campaign that included a photo of ten women wearing various bra types, with the words “The Perfect Body” across the image.
“The photo that accompanied the slogan featured 10 models, several with visible ribs,” according to ABC News.
The association of very slim, and non-diverse body types with the phrase “perfect body” marked the beginning of their demise, as people began to voice their concerns about the harmful effects of this messaging on impressionable young women.
This campaign ignited a Change.org petition, which accumulated over 30,000 signatures, urging Victoria’s Secret to apologize for this tone-deaf initiative and implement body-positive changes within its brand. While the brand modified the wording to “A Body for Every Body,” this phrase still fails to celebrate the diversity of women’s bodies, as all the body types in the photo are thin.
Karlie Kloss’ departure from the brand in 2015 also had a major negative impact, as she was a key endorsement.
“I didn’t feel it was an image that was truly reflective of who I am and the kind of message I want to send to young women around the world about what it means to be beautiful,” she said
In 2018, Vogue questioned Victoria’s Secret’s former Chief Marketing Officer Edward Razek on why the show does not include plus-size or transgender women. He claimed that he doesn’t think they should “because the show is a fantasy.” This response solidified that Razek believes only cisgender, thin women portray the “fantasy” that the show strives to promote.
The brand became further engrossed in controversy in 2020 when allegations against Razek became public involving inappropriate misconduct, including trying to kiss models, asking them to sit on his lap, and inappropriately touching them, according to The New York Times.
Andi Muise, a former model for the brand, reported that Victoria’s Secret stopped hiring her for their fashion shows after she rejected his advances.
Not to mention Jefferey Epsetein was a close advisor to the brand’s former CEO Leslie H. Wexner during the early days of Victoria’s Secret in the 1990s, who entrusted Epstein with managing his finances.
By 2019, public sentiment about the company was predominantly negative, resulting in poor ratings and viewership that ultimately forced the brand to pull the plug on the fashion show that year. The show remained obsolete for years, only to surprise everyone with its announcement of a comeback this year.
Despite all the criticism Victoria’s Secret received, people on social media still raved about the show’s return, anticipating a wave of nostalgia with the iconic angel wings and the revival of their favorite supermodels from the early 2000s.
The real question after all of the brand’s tarnishment is whether they can truly redeem themselves through the fashion show or if it will just provoke further backlash. Long story short, many were left disappointed. But let’s start with the good.
Models Alex Cosani and Valentina Sampaio made history as thefirst transgender models to walk the runway. This is a huge stepping stone for the brand, considering the harmful comments Razek made six years earlier.
“I think it’s really important to have people like me on the runway being perceived as beautiful, and especially in a setting like this that’s always been very cis-oriented,” Cosani told Women’s Wear Daily.
Plus-size models Ashley Graham, Paloma Elsesser, Devyn Garcia and Jill Kortleve also walked the runway, which is a stark step up from its 2018 show, which included zero plus-size or curvy models.
The fashion show also made clear efforts to shift its focus away from the male gaze, with an all-female lineup of performers including South African singer Tyla, pop star goddess Cher and South Korean pop singer Lisa. In the past, they included male musical artists like The Weeknd, Ed Sheran, and Shawn Mendes. This year’s exclusive female line-up felt refreshingly “girl’s girl” oriented.
In an Instagram announcement post from May 2024, Victoria’s Secret promised the show would “reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love.” However, many people believed they fell short on this commitment.
For starters, TikTokers are absolutely raging about the angel wings that were given to the models, labeling them as a huge downgrade, both in size and appearance from the angelic wings flaunted in the early 2000s shows. People were also disappointed that some of the naturally curly-haired models had their hair brushed out instead of embracing their natural texture. Additionally, several straight-haired girls wore slicked-back styles rather than the iconic blowouts seen in the past.
While there was more body inclusivity from its previous shows, it was still very minimal. What is even more troubling is that the curvier models seemed to be placed in more modest pieces compared to their thinner counterparts.
While there was more body inclusivity from its previous shows, it was still very minimal. What is even more troubling is that the curvier models seemed to be placed in more modest pieces compared to their thinner counterparts.
“In addition to Graham and Elsesser, there was a limited selection of curvy or small-fat (size 14-18) models mixed throughout the 50-something others, all of whom were dressed in comparatively demure pieces for the runway,” said Allure News Editor Nicola Dall’Asen.
Tyra Banks walked in nine of the fashion shows before her retirement in 2005 yet even she was covered “head to toe,” according to Dall’Asen. It’s important to mention that Banks played a big role in the toxic culture surrounding beauty standards in the early 2000s through her role in America’s Next Top Model.
As Banks has aged and embraced her curvier figure, this wardrobe shift from her more scandalous looks in the early 2000s shows may reflect the brand’s tendency to cover up curvier women, indirectly implying that their bodies are somehow less sexy when dressed in revealing clothing.
So yes, Victoria’s Secret has made some steps—baby steps—in the right direction. But it remains apparent that the brand is infatuated with perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards.
This year’s fashion show heavily relied on nostalgia to bring up viewership. However, they failed by changing key elements of the original shows, such as the wings, hairstyles, and set design. Instead, they focused their budget on bringing back iconic supermodels that haven’t walked in years, while everything else looked cheap. This cheap production was exemplified when model Doutzen Kroes’s heel got stuck on stage, resulting in an embarrassing moment when her shoe completely fell off during her walk, forcing her to pause and fix it.
The sprinkle of inclusivity felt superficial, like a token gesture of diversity to preserve their image. In 2024, people shouldn’t have to coddle Victoria’s Secret into gradually improving. This show was their chance, and they missed the mark. Toxic beauty standards, policing women’s eating habits, and the hyperfixation on their bodies are far outdated; perhaps this fashion show should be left in the past as well.