I Can’t Quite Believe I’m Saying This But… The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Is Coming Back
I don’t think anyone was surprised with 2019’s cancellation of Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, with the combination of poor ratings, outdated concepts and questionable PR choices rendering the brand irrelevant and uninspired.
What is surprising though, was waking up to the news that VS is bringing back the infamous runway for 2024, promising that the event “will reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love”.
The video announcement shows a close-up of someone typing in a text chain titled “The VS Squad”; with mystery hands texting the group, “Models to the runway!”, “This fall” and “Pack your wings…”. For journalistic integrity, I must also note that there was a fourth text which featured the pink love hearts emoji AND the angel wings emoji.
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The camera pans and we discover the hands belong to Victoria’s Secret Angel/mega-babe Candice Swanepoel. She smiles and walks away in slow motion, revealing the message “WE ARE BACK” written on her tee, so huge congratulations to the intern who likely pitched this concept during a marketing meeting.
Established in 1995 and launching the careers of some of the biggest models in the industry, the VS Fashion Show was an annual event adored by international fans. Each year, we’d watch to see which models received their wings (which of course made them legally ‘hotter’ than the wingless) and watched in disbelief as one lucky woman strutted down the runway wearing the Fantasy Bra. Mind you, my only fantasy was to grow boobs (and it still is tbh). The show also platformed some of the biggest artists in the music industry, including Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Rihanna.
But with the rise of the #metoo movement and a growing cultural shift, the world started to outgrow the annual event. The brand was refusing to cast diverse representation, with Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek doubling down on public pressure and telling Vogue that the runway would not include trans or plus-sized models because “the show was a fantasy.” The resistance to diversity was only amplified by the introduction of Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Runway show, an inclusive spectacle that Harper’s Bazaar deemed “a cultural reset.”
Likely though, the nail in the coffin was when VS was investigated by The New York Times in 2020. The article largely targeted both Razek and Leslie Wexner, the founder of parent company L Brands and associate of Jeffrey Epstein. “Inside the company, two powerful men presided over an entrenched culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment, according to interviews with more than 30 current and former executives, employees, contractors and models, as well as court filings and other documents,” the piece stated. This one was hard to come back from, however, it seems the brand has been working on rehabilitating its image over the last few years.
In June 2021, VS replaced its Angels with a group of ambassadors named the Victoria’s Secret Collective. Unlike the Angels, a group of some of the world’s most famous supermodels, the new faces of the brand were a diverse range of female-identifying founders, entrepreneurs, activists and athletes including Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid, Adut Akech, Priyanka Chopra, Megan Rapinoe, Valentina Sampaio, Paloma Elsesser and Naomi Osaka.
“These extraordinary partners, with their unique backgrounds, interests and passions will collaborate with us to create revolutionary product collections, compelling and inspiring content, new internal associate programs and rally support for causes vital to women,” the brand wrote on Instagram. While the launch was received well and did lead to initiatives such as The Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers, it didn’t seem to do enough for the public to consider VS as rebranded.
There was also the 2023 Prime Video documentary The Tour ‘23. “Part spectacular fashion event, part documentary, the one-of-a kind show promises an unrivalled viewing experience that celebrates the mission of Victoria’s Secret – to uplift and champion women – on a global scale.
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Presented as a re-imagined fashion show, The Tour is a celebration of women and global creatives, looking at fashion and art through a cinematic narrative lens,” as described in its official trailer. Beautifully shot, wonderfully diverse and directed by women, it still wasn’t enough to make any kind of impactful statement. The documentary received a slew of 1-star reviews, along with comments calling it disconnected and accusing it of virtue signalling.
With the current climate, it feels like an unnecessary, ill-advised time to bring back the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and I still don’t know if VS will ever be able to convince the public it’s truly evolved. However, I will happily be proven wrong. Fashion, music and a diverse representation and celebration of women will always be welcomed in my book, but my gut tells me we need to leave this show behind and remember it for what it was; a fantasy from a time when the men in charge forbid us from acknowledging reality.
Image credit: Getty + Punkee