Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
By Alana
After taking a 6 year hiatus the Victoria's Secret show returned for a second year in a row. This was the first show for the new executive designer Adam Selman who was appointed in April of this year, giving him only a few months to prepare for this much spoken about event. The show was opened by a pregnant Angel Jasmin in a gold diamanté dress over gold shape wear - setting the tone for a more inclusive group of models compared to Edward Razek’s time. With performances from Madison Beer, TWICE and Missy Elliot the show hoped to redeem itself from its past reputation and boost sales after a dry spell; but has society moved on from the misogyny of the nineties in the wake of #MeToo, and is this display of women’s underwear falling out of fashion?
The revenue of Victoria’s Secret fell from $3.2Bn in the height of its popularity, 2001, to $2.08Bn in 2023. This drop in sales - as well as the rise in the popularity of the nostalgic 2014 trend - persuaded the brand to bring back its infamous fashion show. However, the general attitude in society nowadays is very different from the nineties and naughties. The rise of body positivity and equality in society means there were many more hurdles for those in charge at the underwear giant to consider in order to satisfy those harking after the old VS, and those who wanted to see a positive change in the atmosphere of the brand. While Selman had clearly done his research by including a more inclusive and diverse range of models - both in terms of nationality, body type and ability, it was unclear whether this came across as sincere or performative. The concept of underwear modelling is hard to present in the right way: the line between empowering women to feel comfortable in their skin and sexualising femininity is thin, and critics aren’t sure whether Selman got it right. Is a man creating a show of women modelling underwear not just another way of controlling the way women present themselves?
However, the turn out of stars who were spotted in the audience suggests there is still demand for it. Celebrities such as Sarah Jessica-Parker, Law Roach, Jodie Turner-Smith and Chloë Sevigny all attended the show on the 15th October, and a further almost 9.8k have streamed it on YouTube alone since it aired. Additionally, the revenue of the brand has risen by 21% since the return of the show - proving that although it may be considered distasteful by some, it has clearly made the brand more relevant again, and seems to be sticking around for the time being.
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