Since 1995, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show has been an annual spectacle filled with thongs, push-up bras, larger than life wings, and some of the world’s “most beautiful” women. The televised special has captivated millions of viewers in over 100 countries… until 2018. The #MeToo movement was at its peak and testimonies about the brand’s anti-woman culture were unveiled. Not only was Victoria’s Secret publicly criticized for promoting impossible beauty standards, but they were also accused of criticizing and objectifying women and neglecting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. A brand that had catapulted to fame because of its alleged commitment to fostering a space for everybody to feel confident and comfortable in their own skin was now facing a host of challenges for doing the exact opposite.
To reevaluate brand ethos and DEI initiatives, the brand paused their participation in New York Fashion Week — a show that has been a fashion week staple for the past 20 years. For the past five years, Victoria’s Secret has been taking steps to relaunch the brand with more of an emphasis on inclusion. The first step in their reinvention was to retire the brand’s most significant runway angels and launch the VS Collective. This collective showcases 10 accomplished women, all of whom have different body types and physical attributes. The women include activists and entrepreneurs, Hailey Bieber, Priyanka Chopra, Naomi Osaka, Bella Hadid, and more. By highlighting a select group of women in all shapes, sizes, races, and ethnicities who are known for more than just their looks, VS took the first step towards ditching their narrow-minded traditional view on beauty and focusing more on promoting true inclusivity.
After the VS Collective launch, the brand announced that they would be returning to fashion week this year, but in a new way. The show will be presented on film, available on Amazon Prime, and it will follow the creatives behind the show from four cities around the world. VS travels to the cities of Bogota, Lagos, London, and Tokyo to follow the creative process of the designers, filmmakers, musical artists, and painters who work tirelessly to bring the fantasy of the Victoria’s Secret fashion show to life. A segment of the film, primarily narrated by Gigi Hadid, was debuted at this year’s New York Fashion Week and received rave reviews from attendees such as Alix Earle, Danella Urbay, and Priyanka Chopra.
The brand comes second in this film; it truly belongs to the creatives. The passion, creativity, and hard work of these creators radiates through the screen. The items created and worn in the show are not for sale, furthering the notion that Victoria’s Secret did not create this film for financial gain, but to champion female stories and voices within the fashion and creative space. The film is the last piece of the brand’s reimagination — here’s to hoping their mission continues to focus on not just promoting, but prioritizing inclusivity for years to come.
The fantasy that intrigued viewers for over two decades was surely not lost in this film. Victoria’s Secret still emphasized fashion, glamor, and entertainment in the Amazon Prime special, but the show’s focus was less on how the runway models look in the lingerie and wings, but rather how the intricate intimates and 50-pound wings were made by local international designers. The tour also has notably more diverse models than in years past, who openly speak about sexual identity, feminism, bodily autonomy, and other progressive topics that were lost on the brand in the past.
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