The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show made its long-awaited comeback on Oct. 15, five years after it was originally canceled. With musical performances by Cher, Tyla, and Lisa of Blackpink, the show was a memorable one. It featured the return of plenty of legendary VS models: Gigi and Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima, Irina Shayk, Alessandra Ambrosio, Jasmine Tookes, and Candice Swanepoel. Plus, icons like Tyra Banks and Kate Moss walked the runway.
The show made many callbacks to previous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows, but it also made some important adjustments and updates. Back in 2018, Ed Razek, then-chief marketing officer of L Brands, made controversial comments about the show’s lack of diversity — responding to pushes for more plus-size models and transgender models.
Razek said he didn’t feel a need to expand sizes or include more trans representation. “We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes [in 2000]. No one had any interest in it, still don’t,” he told Vogue at the time. “It’s like, why doesn’t your show do this? Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should … Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special.”
Razek later walked back on his comments, calling them “insensitive,” and stepped down from his position in 2019.
When Victoria’s Secret announced the show would be coming back in 2024, the brand made it clear they had a new mindset. “We’ve read the comments and heard you,” the brand wrote on Instagram in May. “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is BACK and will reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love — the glamour, runway, wings, musical entertainment, and more! Stay tuned…it only gets more iconic from here.”
But did they follow through on that promise? Some people who watched the festivities aren’t sure if “more iconic” is the best way to describe the show, even if parts of it were definitely new and improved.
Fans of the show were excited to see more diversity, including transgender models, plus-size models, and models over the age of 50.
“Valentina Sampaio and Alex Consani became the first trans women to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show,” one fan of the show wrote on X, formerly called Twitter. “The two models have made history!”
Fans also noticed a wider range of bodies on the runway. “You see how #VictoriasSecretFashionShow is being inclusive with body types while not putting their bigger models in some ugly , frumpy, poor fitting outfit? Yeah! More fashion brands can take a few notes,” an X user wrote, alongside photos of Jill Kortleve and Ashley Graham.
Others were hype to celebrate the older models on the runway. “The 50+ ANGELS,” one wrote with photos of Carla Bruni, Eva Herzigová, Tyra Banks, and Kate Moss.
While the show had plenty of good things going for it, some people were disappointed by the event. “No themes, no jewellery [sic], no hair volume, No colours, no set pieces, no drama or glamour. Just flat hair and polyester slip dresses. Save me VSFS 2007… 2013… 2005… save me,” one wrote on X.
A lack of bubbly moments and bouncy hair also rubbed people the wrong way. “The #VictoriasSecretFashionShow needs to get back into their groove,” one wrote on X. “This is what we miss, the colors, the costume, the musical guests being on the runway as the models walk by, the closeups for their fun expressions at the end, & the HAIR FLYING! WHY WAS NO ONE’S HAIR FLYING?!?!”
Doutzen Kroes’ fluff-less angel wings also left some people questioning the show. “i cant believe doutzen came out of hibernation for the vsfs only for them to put her in these f*ck*ss dollar store wings,” another tweeted.
Maybe next year they’ll manage to hit both marks: more diversity *and* the whimsy of the original fashion show.
