Loading...

Connects you with your favourite muse

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Is Back. Are We Ready To Do This Again?

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is officially coming back. Many of us grew up watching the ostentatious display of performed femininity, thinness, and whimsy, as the world’s most powerful supermodels strutted alongside pop talents like Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande. What first started in 1995 as a tactical annual promotional show for the lingerie brand, became one of the most prominent tentpoles of the cultural zeitgeist. Receiving the title of Victoria’s Secret “angel” meant more than just wearing the wings (and getting a massive contract), you were solidifying yourself in pop culture history, never to be forgotten.

But then in 2018, it all ended.

In November of that year, Ed Razek, the company’s then chief of marketing was met with extreme backlash after suggesting that trans women could not be Victoria’s Secret supermodels. He referred to them using an offensive and outdated term—telling Vogue, they could not cast trans women because “the show is a fantasy.” Razek later apologized for the comments, noting that trans women had “attempted” to audition for the show in the past, but that “it was never about gender.” Razek faced criticism for similar comments regarding plus-size models, stating they had not attempted to do a show for them since 2000 since there was “no viewer interest.” Razek resigned in August 2019.

After that, the VS runway show was placed on a shelf, like many early 2000s phenoms that refused to catch up to the current times. After an array of brands like Savage X Fenty, Parade, Aerie, and Skims made their way to the forefront — boasting size diversity and inclusion as one of their main pillars — Victoria’s Secret decided they’d give their brand another chance. This initial return was met with similar dismay as they decided to play it safe, returning with a better range of size diversity but with none of its original allure.

Now, the show is set to return on October 15, original supermodel Tyra Banks will host, and the internet is wondering if this return to its OG stars will also mean a return to the glamour and big wings, with, hopefully, a lot more diversity.

We talked to the Teen Vogue team about their thoughts on the return of the show and if it even feels worth watching after all these years.

Mandy Velez Tatti, Associate Director of Audience Development & Analytics

“I was in college when young people, millennials, in particular, started to voice discomfort with the VSFS. I remember it used to be a whole “event” that would entail group watch parties and chats. These women’s bodies were unattainable for the average person but we accepted that: Victoria’s Secret Angels are the epitome of thinness and perfection. Water is wet. It just was a juxtaposition that existed, and to be honest, for a while that was part of the lore. I liked seeing the insanely thin bodies, in a sideshow kind of way. I also liked the fanfare of it all and hearing about the wild diets that I wish I could follow but never could. I also just liked seeing the cool wings. Sure, it came at the cost of feeling like shit about myself for a day, but it also felt like culture. But around this time, concurrently around the same time as the social-driven “body positivity movement” (which in itself was flawed but that’s a conversation for another story), we all kinda had a moment of like, this is…not normal. Why are we celebrating it? Now I have a better understanding of the ethos of the brand, its management, and the culture that enabled a very monolithic show like that to happen in the first place. I’m skeptical of the show’s return. At the same time, the way that Abercrombie reinvented itself, I’m open to the idea that VS can, too. But if it doesn’t, count me out.”

Catherine Mhloyi, Associate Manager, Creative Development

“Victoria, sweetie, if you want to make it work, you have to remember that this is for the girls. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen people online say that Victoria’s Secret can’t be inclusive and sell “the fantasy”, but what is the fantasy but divine femininity? Even with all its flaws, the old Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show always felt like a celebration of women. Nothing about these models walking down the runway in drag-esque lingerie looks gave “this is for men”. The Twitter incels predicting that the start of inclusivity would signal the end of fanfare and reverie is unfortunate because they were never the target audience. You mean to tell me you can’t give Adriana Lima-level opulence with feathers and opera gloves, and garter belts (oh my!) with Geena Rocero? Give us Precious Lee in a divine corset doing a Naomi Campbell walk down a glittering runway. Let Sabrina Carpenter serenade us to “Bed Chem” as Nicola Coughlan shows off a matching fembot nightgown, followed by Yumi Nu, Anok Yai, Sasha Colby, Julia Fox, and so on. Feel free to steal this idea by the way.”

Aiyana Ishmael, Associate Editor

“I grew up watching the Victoria’s Secret runway show. I was 5-foot-10 in the fourth grade and often got comments that I should “be a model,” so I was obsessed with all things runway from a very young age. Whether it was a fashion magazine, ANTM, or the VS Show, I was tuned in. But I often found myself confused when I’d receive those model comments because as I stared passionately at the angels on my screen, none of them even slightly resembled me. How could I “be a model” when none of the models I saw looked like me? I soon gave up on the idea and allowed myself to believe that not everyone was meant to be a Victoria’s Secret Angel, myself included. As a lover of fashion and a co-signer of the IYKYK ideal, I cannot say that I believe everyone needs to be involved in everything. But, when it comes to a major retail brand sold across the country like VS, they should be for everyone. You cannot exist broadly in an almost overconsumption sales frame and try to be exclusive. It’s hypocritical and a brand identity issue. VS, sold at every local mall near you, should be highlighting its customers, not trying to sell an unattainable image like it once did in the 2000s. And that focus on inclusivity doesn’t mean you have to get rid of the sex appeal and feathery fun it originated with. All bodies deserve to wear gorgeous, larger-than-life wings. So while for the last few years I’ve been very disinterested in the VS brand, if next week they brought back the original show, bold glamour makeup looks, oversized wings, and an assortment of bodies strutting down the runway as Cher and Tyla serenade the room, I’d turn on the television and let them cook for a minute — but they still only get sixty seconds from me.”

Amalie McGowan, Manager, Creative Development

“If Victoria’s Secret had wanted to stay relevant they would have needed to make their show like Chromat’s years ago. Radically inclusive. Throw in some It people (Richie Shazam, Charli, etc.) and you’ve got a brand that’s remaking itself. It could have had the Abercrombie comeback…but to be honest I think it’s too late.”

Emily Zirimis, Art Director

“I have visceral memories of walking through Victoria’s Secret at the local mall with my mom in the early to mid-2000s, specifically the PINK section. If I’m not mistaken, the biggest size they carried at the time was a large–so if/when I was able to find something that fit, it was typically something that ran “oversized”. Even with my disappointment around the limited size range, I still wanted so much to fit in and to be a part of the sexy, whimsical, bubblegum world that was the VS phenomenon. While I have graduated to other brands all these years later, my sentiments remain the same–I am still the 14-year-old so eagerly wanting to be a part of something –– to feel accepted, and to feel like I can participate too. We’re not asking for perfection, we’re just asking for the ability to participate, which feels pretty bare minimum to me. That is what I hope to see/feel at the upcoming VS show.”

Skyli Alvarez, Editorial Assistant

“I have a permanent image in my brain of Cara Delevingne decked out in pink stripes, glittery pinwheel in hand, as Justin Bieber sings and smolders behind her. I love a good spectacle, and the more absurdly theatrical, the better. I’m eager to see how (and if) the upcoming show revives the glamour, the maximalism, and the fun of it all, with a long-overdue inclusion of body and racial diversity that doesn’t feel forced. Ready for veteran Angels and new faces, plus the range of that performance lineup! Farewell Bieber, hiiii Cher and Tyla.”

***