It’s no secret that the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is a national event. It has a record of being the most watched fashion show on an annual basis. (Personally, it’s my second favorite holiday after the Met Gala.) However 2018 was a rough year for the lingerie company, this being it’s lowest reported ratings with only 3.27 million viewers. With iconic musical guests, a new angel lineup and of course, here’s a run-down on the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion show.
The Lineup
Earlier this year, Ed Razek, executive producer of VS, faced backlash to comments he made about the lack of diversity in the show’s models. Razek claimed that inclusion of plus sized and transgender models was unnecessary due to the “fantasy” that the show needs to create.
Needless to say, that can explain the drop in ratings.
Historically, this was the most diverse group of angels VS has ever had. Not even half of the models are from the United States, and the world was ~shook~ when Winnie Harlow, a model with vitiligo, announced that she would be doing her first walk for VS. This was also the first walk for Kelsey Merritt, the first ever Filipino model featured in a VS fashion show.
This year also had some iconic “instacelebs” walking the runway. Kendall Jenner, Duckie Thot, and of course the Hadid sisters.
There were an astounding 18 newbies in the show this year from all over the world, and the four youngest models are only 19 years old. Ironically, this was the 19th walk for supermodel Adriana Lima, who announced earlier this year that this would be her final year as an angel.
The Artists
Singer Halsey distanced herself from her VS performance the week before the show on Instagram, publicly stating how she disagreed with Ed Razek’s comments on diversity. She even noted that she made a “sizable donation” to GLSEN, a charity benefiting LGBT youth.
In my opinion, this was the lowest of the low for musical artists. Yes, Shawn Mendes and Halsey are some of the biggest artists in the world, but The Struts and Kelsea Ballerini are on the lesser known spectrum. Having so many artists this year was ambitious for the company, each only getting a couple of songs. Maybe I’m just disappointed because I know nothing will beat Harry Styles’ performance from 2017.
NEVER forget.
Gif courtesy of giphy
The Legacy
For the first time this year, customers can actually purchase their very own VS fantasy bra. While the original is valued at $1 million and dawned with Swarovski Diamonds, a $250 version with it’s own Swarovski Crystals can be bought in certain stores and online.
Even though this was statistically the worst Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in years, this show will always be a dream. Many of these women have been dreaming of this since they were young, and they train year-round for it. Millions of dollars go into promotions, marketing, makeup, hair, and outfits (of course). The “fantasy” of this show can overcome this rough patch and the VS fashion show can be the biggest (and most diverse) fashion event of the year.
Gif courtesy of giphy