The 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show took place on Oct.15 after a five-year break, aiming to be more representative of women by including plus-sized and transgender models. Though the show’s return drove tons of excitement, UT students with ties to the fashion community felt that it fell short of the glamour and sexiness it’s known for while trying to be more inclusive. Many viewers argued that the show’s production value and attempt at inclusion missed the mark completely.
The first lingerie-filled runway show debuted at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in 1995. Since 2001, it’s been broadcast on television one night a year. The show has captured the hearts and eyes of millions of people who like to wear high-priced underwear and gaze at the impossibly beautiful women on the runway. These models are often referred to as angels because of the luxurious wings gracing their backs while they strut down the catwalk.
This year’s show took place in New York City and featured iconic Victoria’s Secret models like Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima, and sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid. They also introduced their first transgender angels, Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio.
The return of the show marked a new era for Victoria’s Secret, one that aimed to stray away from the backlash it received after Edward Razek– the former chief marketing officer of Victoria’s Secret parent company, L Brands, and the founder of the Victoria’s Secret Angels– refused to hire plus-sized and transgender models in 2018.
The New York Times investigated the company and published its findings in February 2020, which highlighted the show’s “culture of misogyny” and claimed that Razek was attempting to harass models. This, paired with declining viewership is what led to the 2019 show being canceled, along with the hiatus.
“We want to be a brand that all women can participate in, whether it’s watching the show, getting your first bra fitting with us (or) following us on social (media),” said Sarah Sylvester, executive vice president of marketing for Victoria’s Secret, to Women’s Wear Daily. “The fashion show will be the ultimate portrayal of that.”
While this statement gave hope to viewers that the new show would mix the brand’s iconic style with inclusivity, many ended up feeling that the show fell short of their expectations. Some viewers were left wondering where the diverse representation was. Those in the fashion community at UT felt the same.
“They didn’t have their big specialty wings (only) on (veteran) angels, almost everyone had wings. There wasn’t much going on with the stage. There wasn’t really a consistent theme throughout,” said Jae Turner, a member of the stylist committee for Texas Fashion for Students. “(The show) was just kind of like, ‘Here’s some inclusive fashion. You have different size models a little bit. Leave me alone.’”
Mia-Katherine Tucker, president and founder of Texas Fashion for Students, said the angels were the big “wow” factor for Victoria’s Secret in the past. The unreachable beauty standards of the tall, skinny supermodels wearing million-dollar fantasy bras and six-inch heels amplified the show’s appeal. Tucker said she feels that Victoria’s Secret is struggling with maintaining this image while also being inclusive.
“A big complaint is that they’re kind of doing inclusivity badly,” Tucker said. “They’re trying to include people, but they’re also trying to still be the beauty standard. These are opposite ends of the spectrum, so when you try to meet somewhere in the middle it just doesn’t feel like you’re getting enough of either side.”
Many viewers agreed with Tucker and took things a step further by posting to TikTok to express their discontent. One video by @keiralovesyou6 received more than 200,000 likes, and said, “VS supermodels are not supposed to be inclusive,” and “Plus-sized people can model for plus-sized brands.”
Others feel as though the allocation of the 2024 show’s budget was what caused it to not have the same allure as past shows.
“I think they did still have enough budget to put on a good show, but it’s the way they decided to use their budget that just felt really flat,” said Madeline Morris, a member of the creative team for Texas Fashion for Students. “They paid more for celebrity appearances than actually paying attention to the quality of the wings and the overall set.”
While some members of the fashion community felt that the show’s star quality was not up to par, they recognized this was not their most important concern. They also agreed that the show was not representative of the fashion community as a whole, especially considering the lack of diversity in a show that was marketed as being more inclusive this year.
Turner emphasized the importance and growing popularity of sustainable, circular and inclusive fashion, noting that the fashion community values these things much more than their disappointment in the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
“That’s kind of what everyone’s looking (for) right now, to be more sustainable, be more inclusive, (to) reuse what we have and be environmentally conscious,” Turner said. “I think that’s more important than the fashion show.”
