Three days ago, on October 15th, Victoria’s Secret made its long-awaited return to the runway. Broadcasted live from Brooklyn, New York City and watched by millions around the world. The show drew in over 10 million viewers within hours—a staggering number for a brand many had written off as a relic from a bygone era. But the moment the wings hit the stage, so did the debate. X (formerly Twitter) split in two: some viewers applauded what they saw as a modern, more inclusive comeback, while others dismissed the show as the same old fantasy, with a new shiny marketing strategy of so-called 'empowerment'.
Celebrated plus-size model, Precious Lee, known for her vocal advocacy around body representation in fashion. Making her debut as a VS Angel on the 2025 Runway.
Image Credits - https://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/5216909/victorias-secret-buy-every-fashion-show-outfit-56/
Once upon a time, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was the pop culture event of the year, dominating an industry based on fantasy femininity, size 0 waists, and bouncy blowouts. Since 1995, the brand’s annual show has attracted millions and hosted some of the biggest names in music. Models, dubbed as “Victoria’s Secret Angels,” strut down the runway in wings and lace, embodying an image of perfection that became synonymous with the brand. By the early 2000s, the VS Fashion Show was at it’s peak; lavish productions weren’t just fashion events, they were cultural , shaping how women viewed beauty, desirability, and confidence.
Yet the façade of perfection was never sustainable. A wave of criticism and scrutiny came crashing down in 2019, when the show was cancelled amid plummeting ratings and widespread backlash. The brand faced accusations of exclusion, body shaming, and an overreliance on the male gaze.
For years, the show’s relentless celebration of a narrow body ideal had real-world consequences. Countless critics and researchers have linked the rise of eating disorders and body image issues in young women to the constant stream of ultra-thin, impossibly toned models on the Victoria’s Secret runway. For many viewers, the annual event became a painful reminder of unattainable standards. Stories from former models about extreme dieting, starvation, and pressure to maintain sample sizes only reinforced the sense that beauty, as defined by the brand, required self-denial and even harm.
This legacy still casts a long shadow, and any attempt at rebranding must contend with the very real damage caused by decades of equating worth with thinness. The once-celebrated vision of glamour, built on these unrealistic ideals, no longer felt aspirational but discriminative. Audiences began demanding authenticity, diversity, and representation, leaving Victoria’s Secret struggling to evolve in a world that had shifted beyond the fantasy.
Fast forward to 2024, and the brand is attempting an unprecedented comeback. The new show arrives with a full-scale rebrand, featuring a diverse lineup of models, ambassadors, athletes, activists, and influencers. Victoria’s Secret now speaks the modern-day language of empowerment and inclusivity, hoping to rewrite its story for a new generation. Yet the comeback has sparked debate: some applaud the fresh approach, while others argue that the magic and meaning of the original show have been lost.
WNBA Athlete Angel Reese became the first pro-athlete to work the runway in this year's show.
Image credits - https://athlonsports.com/wnba/chicago-sky/angel-reese-drops-strong-victorias-secret-declaration
Third-year fashion degree student, Kitty Carpenter, said she’s noticed the online backlash surrounding the new lineup. “I’ve seen a lot of controversy about a lot of the Angels wearing wings when it was supposed to be ‘earned,’” she said. “But I think VS is iconic for the wings: it’s about the image of them on the runway, especially now they’ve made it more inclusive.”
Kitty believes the shift toward influencer culture is part of a broader industry trend: “It has become a bit more influencer-centred, which isn’t great,” she admitted, “but it’s changing with the times. Influencers are one of those things that have become integrated into everything these days.”
Still, not all the changes impressed her, “I feel like they used to be exclusive runway pieces, so I’m a bit disappointed - they were a bit lacklustre.” An opinion many viewers have shared online.
Further criticism erupted online, with many disappointed that the “inclusive” revival still leaned heavily on traditional beauty ideals. Teen Vogue associate editor Aiyana Ishmael captured the frustration: “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.”
Taylor Hill, Jasmine Tookes, Elsa Hosk, Adriana Lima, Behati Prinsloo and Candice Swanepoel at the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
Image Credits - WireImage
The question in this year's runway remains: is this transformation genuine progress, or performative feminism dressed in lace and wings? Victoria’s Secret still profits from an industry that commodifies women’s bodies; the only difference is the marketing message. Empowerment has replaced allure, but the business model remains much the same. True feminism isn’t a slogan or a sales strategy.
Can a brand built on measuring women’s worth through attractiveness really become a champion of inclusion and empowerment? By jumping on the next social trend, does Victoria’s Secret truly change its brand values?
What does Victoria's Secret stand for in 2025 and what does this mean for the industry?
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