Trending 1st August 2023 by Aoife CodyKane

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Is Back With A ‘New Brand’ Following Body Diversity Backlash

The fashion brand are trying to be better.

Image via Instagram, @palomija

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is a household name – it was one of the largest events of the year for a long time, with people tuning in from all over the world to watch as a number of women who were always thin and conventionally beautiful strutted the runway.

Then things started to change. Victoria’s Secret were at the forefront of promoting the idea that women should fit a certain stereotype, and their archaic notions about women’s appearances began to earn them significant backlash.

In 2018 the show saw a drastic dip in viewership, receiving its lowest ever ratings. In 2019, it was officially cancelled. The abrupt end to the spectacle came amidst a cultural and social shift toward embracing body diversity, and a general movement against brands that promote unrealistic body types.

The company also came under fire for a 2022 Hulu docuseries, Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons, which showed a pattern of sexual abuse experienced by VS models behind the scenes.  This seemed to seal the fate of the fashion show, and chief marketing officer Ed Razek and CEO Les Wexner resigned.

 

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However, the runway affair has not disappeared – in fact, it’s making a come back. This time, though, they want to do things differently.

The brand have slowly been switching to more diversity among their models, making a considered effort to show women with different body sizes, shapes and skin colours. Now they’re reintroducing the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show through Prime Video, as a viewing experience that will be part runway show, part documentary.

The show will be called The Victoria’s Secret World Tour, and will be focused on being more empowering to women. A spokesperson for the company said “As we’ve previously shared, our new brand projection and mission will continue to be our guiding principle. This will lead us into new spaces like reclaiming one of our best marketing and entertainment properties to date and turning it on its head to reflect who we are today.”

Hmm. Sounds a little like the idea has been born more out of profit seeking than genuine concern for body positivity!

Still though, outwardly the change in representation from the company is immense. In 2021, the brand put together a new “VS Collective”, which set up partnerships with a number of influential women to help lead the brand into its next chapter. Priyanka Chopra, Megan Rapinoe, Eileen Gu, Pamela Elsesser, and Bella Hadid are all among the women involved, and they are committed to “revolutionising” the brand.

As for what to expect from the show, there’s set to be four fashion collections from Bogota, Lagos, London, and Tokyo. They haven’t announced who’ll be walking the runway, but there’s likely to be women from the VS collective, which also includes Hailey Bieber and Naomi Osaka. The lingerie seen when the show goes live will then be immediately available to shop online.

There’ll also be performances from musicians, like Rihanna’s iconic guest appearance on the show in 2012.

You can watch the Victoria’s Secret World Tour on Prime Video on Sept 26th.

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