The rebranded “inclusive” and body-positivity Victoria’s Secret Show left viewers divided. While some observers felt that the highly anticipated lingerie fashion event was too “woke,” others thought that the show wasn’t inclusive enough. Nevertheless, many agreed that including trans models was a positive step forward.
Airing on Amazon's Prime Video, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show took place in New York, USA, on Tuesday night (October 15), for the first time since 2018.
Highlights
- Victoria's Secret Show returns with inclusive approach, sparking mixed reactions.
- Trans models included, marking positive step forward for representation.
- Valentina Sampaio, Alex Consani, make historic trans debut on runway.
- Critics say show not inclusive enough despite featuring plus-size models.
The annual event went on hiatus amid a series of controversies that rattled the lingerie brand and a decline in viewership, Forbes reported on Tuesday.
After years of sparking outrage, with many accusing the lingerie brand of perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards and narrow ideals of femininity, Victoria's Secret announced in May that its iconic fashion show would return, promising to "reflect who we are today."
The rebranded “inclusive” and body-positivity Victoria’s Secret Show left viewers divided
Image credits: TheStewartofNY/Getty Images
This statement likely refers to the brand's effort to overhaul its image, embracing a more inclusive approach to body types, gender identities, and diverse representations of beauty, as per Forbes.
Hosted by former Victoria’s Secret Angel Tyra Banks, who walked in nine of the brand’s shows before retiring, this year’s event elicited a polarized response from the audience.
A Threads user commented: “I love how inclusive Victoria's Secret is this year for plus-sized beauty. Amazing to see and Tyra killed it as usual.”
A person commented: “WOW WHAT AN INCLUSIVE SHOW Victoria's Secret!”
A separate individual chimed in: “If I hear ‘inclusive’ or ‘accessible’ once more in this Victoria’s Secret live stream coverage I will rip my dang wings off.”
Image credits: Victoria's Secret
The 2024 show also saw the return of Victoria's Secret vets Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel, and Adriana Lima, as well as next-generation icons Taylor Hill and Barbara Palvin, The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday (October 16).
Moreover, the evening show reportedly marked the first walk down the Victoria’s Secret runway for Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio, who was the first transgender model to represent the brand in 2019.
Social media star Alex Consani, who is also a transgender woman and a professional model, debuted the lingerie brand’s catwalk in a sky-blue set.
Amid long-standing criticism of Victoria’s Secret for promoting overly thin models in the past, this year’s fashion show marked a significant shift with the debuts of plus-size models Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser.
Some observers felt that the highly anticipated lingerie fashion event was too “woke”
Image credits: Masato Onoda/WWD/Getty Images
However, the show’s inclusivity efforts prompted disappointment on X (formerly known as Twitter), as an X user penned: “Victoria’s Secret came back with the most boring show ever.”
Someone else noted: “The Victoria’s Secret show looks so modern and boring now, I’m disappointed.”
A person commented: “Victoria's Secret has yet to listen to our public demands. This is not the show we wanted.
“Everyone’s hair is flat, no extremely tall models, the entire production is different.”
Image credits: TheStewartofNY/Getty Images
A viewer argued: “The new Victoria's Secret fashion show feels so SOULLESS omg... and like why are they playing fake crowd cheering sounds? Where's the iconic runway???”
“This was cute but it wasn’t enough… we need to bring back the glitter runway, more lively performances!” a commentator shared.
For Aiyana Ishmael, Teen Vogue's associate editor, this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show wasn’t inclusive enough.
“As I watched thin model after thin model take the runway, I was catapulted right back to my childhood living room, watching women who didn’t look like me set a beauty standard most women will never meet,” Aiyana wrote in an op-ed for Teen Vogue on Tuesday.
“It's almost as if the show was meant to draw on its roots without holding on to any of its substance the brand promised it would bring,” she added.
Others thought that the show wasn’t inclusive enough
Image credits: TheStewartofNY/Getty Images
Aiyana went on to express that the repeated claims from Victoria's Secret executives and pink carpet hosts, Tefi Pessoa and Olivia Culpo, stating that the event was "all about women," felt forced and insincere.
She noted an awkward delivery and questioned the brand’s commitment to women's confidence. The writer pointed out: “Tyra Banks’s voice opened the show as she boomed into the microphone.
“‘A brand new Victoria’s Secret fashion show, where women take the reins and the spotlight.’ It is true that women were center stage in this show, though they always have been.”
Aiyana acknowledged that removing male performers reduced the male gaze and therefore saw the value in any event that boosts women's confidence.
Image credits: TheStewartofNY/Getty Images
However, she argued: “But just because we speak the words doesn’t usher in the action.
“I wanted nothing more than to turn on my television and return to the adolescent joy I had for this show, but I’m older now and I realize that, while I thought being an angel meant something then, the real meaning was a legacy of upholding unrealistic and exclusive beauty standards, one the company continues to profit from even as they try to expand their scope.”
She continued: “The proof is in the pudding, and aside from a few ‘plus’ models (who, it’s worth noting, mostly fit into straight sizes), the runway was overwhelmingly thin.”
Aiyana noted a stark contrast between Paloma Elsesser and Ashley Graham and their thinner counterparts, as she noted that they were more covered up than models like Gigi and Bella Hadid.
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show took place in New York on Tuesday night (October 15) for the first time since 2018
Image credits: Masato Onoda/WWD/Getty Images
“They were more covered up, wearing short dresses and bodysuits, compared to the string bikini underwear and bras of models like the Hadid sisters,” the Teen Vogue editor stated.
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show viewers were able to shop the looks in real-time on Amazon, prompting the op-ed writer to question: “But if your attempt at diversity begins and ends with mid-size, hourglass-shaped models, where do I and so many women like me fit in?”
The show continued to cause a rift in viewer opinions, as a woman named Zoe Gabon expressed on TikTok: “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was a little bit underwhelming for me.
“Like, don't get me wrong, I love what they did, like, inclusivity, diversity, everything was there. But, it wasn't the same fun that I used to get back then when I was watching it.”
Image credits: breigonzalez01
The TikToker noted the lack of “glitter,” fun, model-singer interactions, and the absence of the iconic “Fantasy Bra,” which she said she had been eagerly anticipating.
The Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bra, a jewel-encrusted piece often worth millions of dollars, was featured as the centerpiece of the annual fashion show.
Worn by select top models like Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, and Adriana Lima, it symbolized the pinnacle of the brand's glamor and exclusivity.
According to Marie Claire, outdated tropes like the Fantasy Bra and explicitly referring to the models as "angels" seem to have been nixed entirely for this year’s show.
The annual event went on a hiatus amid a series of controversies that rattled the lingerie brand and a decline in viewership
Image credits: breigonzalez01
Nevertheless, the debut of Valentina Sampaio and Alex Consani as the first trans women to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show ignited positive feedback.
TikToker “Mimmi’s Diary” said in a video: “Feeling quite good as a trans woman, being sat here watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after watching it my whole life and finally seeing some representation.
“Shout out to Alex, my trans queen, walking in the show, like, wow. Victoria's Secret, you actually made a good comeback.”
Back in 2018, Victoria’s Secret former chief marketing officer Ed Razek was slammed for making insensitive remarks about brand talent.
Responsible for a homogenous, airbrushed, and sexualized brand image, Razek infuriated the public with transphobic comments he made in a Vogue interview about Victoria’s Secret’s casting practices: “Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy.”
The confirmation of Razek’s departure from the lingerie brand came on the same day that news talks began circulating about Victoria’s Secret hiring its first-ever transgender model, Valentina Sampaio, Bored Panda previously reported.
A year later, the lingerie company signed Ali Tate-Cutler, its first-ever size-14 model. The retailer worth billions of dollars has since undergone a rebranding.
With the appointment of CEO Martin Waters in 2021, the company implemented policy changes and new partnerships with a number of new spokeswomen, including Megan Rapinoe, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Naomi Osaka.
"It's good that they learned their lesson," a reader commented
