Six years after the angels donned their wings for what many thought would be the last time, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show returned last night.
Here’s everything you may have missed.
Wasn’t the Victoria’s Secret show cancelled?
Broadcast for the first time since 2018 — after which the show was cancelled after record low viewing figures that came after years of declining interest — this revived catwalk is part of the lingerie brand’s ongoing efforts to rebrand itself after a rocky few years.
Once essential water-cooler fodder, the show, for many, became emblematic of the toxic beauty standards that the burgeoning body positivity movement has campaigned against. (See: A “Perfect Body” campaign that only featured thin models that generated a petition with 30,000 signatures decrying its narrow vision of perfection.) This was exacerbated when the then chief marketing officer, Ed Razek made controversial comments about plus size and transgender people. At the same time, the company itself was plagued by scandal on multiple fronts: The founder of its parent company L Brands, Les Wexner’s association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, for example, and a 2020 New York Times investigation that alleged a “toxic” workplace culture of bullying, harassment and misogyny.
As Victoria’s Secret itself phrased it on Instagram when they announced the show’s return this spring, “we’ve read the comments and we heard you,” promising a show that “will reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love — the glamour, runway, wings, musical entertainment and more.” It also promised a show that would “celebrate all women.”
Who walked the 2024 Victoria’s Secret runway?
The show was opened by angel-stalwart Gigi Hadid, wearing a set of wings that expanded as she walked the runway. “We are back,” read the screen behind her as 2024 breakout sensation Chappell Roan’s “Femininomenon” played.
The rest of the lineup was filled with familiar faces: Adriana Lima — who actually announced in 2018 that she was retiring after 20 years as an “angel” — and Hadid’s sister Bella were in the lineup, joined by other regulars like Candice Swanepoel, Taylor Hill, Jasmine Topeka, Alessandra Ambrose. Kate Moss, accompanied by her daughter Lila, also walked the runway.
Ashley Graham made her runway debut this year, years after she called out the brand for their lack of plus-size angels on social media.
There were other new faces as well, many seeming to attempt to re-dress some of the wrongs of previous years. In addition to Graham, for example, there were several other “curvy” models on the runway- albeit a handful out of the 50 models who walked and most more mid-size than plus-size — and the show featured two transgender models, Alex Consano and Valentina Sampaio, a first.
Tyra Banks, who last walked for VS in 2005, closed the show.
Who performed at the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Show?
This year’s entertainment came courtesy of Cher — singing “Believe” among a medley of hits — and Tyla, performing her global smash-hit “Water.” Lisa from K-pop band Blackpink also was on hand to headline.
What has the reaction been to the 2024 Victoria’s Secret show?
While viewing figures for the show, which was held at their New York flagship store and aired live on Amazon Prime Video, are not yet available, it is clear that the show’s return has generated conversation online. While some thought the production value had suffered with time — the Daily Mail, for example, cites an X user who called it “the most boring show ever” and another who missed the more elaborate staging of previous shows — while on Victoria’s Secret’s own Instagram posts there has been a sense of underwhelm, undercut by a backlash against the very diversity, especially of bodies, that the show promised.
“I miss seeing the models who actually look like models,” wrote one commenter. “It was a fantasy. A show. I wouldn’t want to watch a show of dad bods if it was reversed.” Another saw the show as lacking “the vibe, the energy” of the older editions, where it was as much about the preparation for the show as the event itself.
At the same time, others commented on those same posts that they found the new iteration inspiring, even moving them to tears. Some celebrated the range of ages — one reacting to Carla Bruni, walking at 56, as “best thing ever” — while others found room for improvement, like those that complained that some of the “curvy” models, like Tyra Banks, weren’t dressed in true lingerie and wore leggings when their thinner colleagues did not.
