Grab your angel wings! The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is back again, and spoiler: this time it delivered. On Wednesday night, the brand returned to the runway with their iconic sparkles, wings and blowout hair, but more importantly, a refreshed message of what being “sexy” looks like.
Victoria’s Secret ran annually from 1995 until 2019, when backlash over the lack of body diversity led to its cancellation. When it returned with more body types represented, fans complained that the show didn’t have the same glamour. The stage looked cheap, the wings were underwhelming and many of the outfits looked like they came from Shein.Â
As someone who loved the OG VS shows, I was seriously disappointed last year, so I didn’t know what to expect. But I’m happy to say they finally listened to viewers and gave us exactly what we were missing.
The show opened with Jasmine Tookes walking the runway nine months pregnant, dressed in gold and full angel wings, a clear statement that sexy is being redefined. With new woman CEO Hillary Super now in charge, the show set a powerful tone about womanhood from the start.
Each part of the show brought a different energy. The Pink collection was my personal favorite. It leaned heavily into pinks and playful girly energy, full of socks with heels, dancing, and girls having real fun on stage. K-pop girl group TWICE brought a youthful spirit to the runway while performing their song “This is for,” a perfect song for positivity and women’s empowerment. Every look felt cheerful and upbeat.
One standout moment was Karol G’s performance, full of red, bling and boldness. The models were confident and the styling looked more expensive than last year. The music throughout felt empowering towards women, but this moment especially. It ended with the words “Latina Foreva” lighting up the stage as Karol G walked the runway herself.
Lately in fashion, after years of improvements, fashion runways have unfortunately seemed to have reversed and size inclusivity is not something that most designers seem to be focused on. For a long time, VS didn’t either. Many of their models fit an unrealistic standard of beauty that made so many girls feel like being sexy meant being skinny.
In terms of inclusion, VS made a huge step forward. OG models like Bella Hadid and Alessandra Ambrosio walked the runway, alongside plus-size models like Paloma Elesser and Ashley Graham. They also included some non-models for the first time, such as professional basketball player Angel Reese and Olympic gymnast Suni Lee.
VS has become more inclusive in recent years, wanting to create a less idealized version of sexy and more of a range of what it could be: playful and happy. “Sexy” no longer has one definition. With mostly women behind the scenes, it presented a take on sexiness that was more filtered through a female gaze, valuing community, self-expression, and happiness.
The ending was just as empowering. Models laughed, smiled, and held hands during their final walk. Confetti rained from above as they gathered together to have fun. It felt like a true moment of girlhood. Victoria’s Secret finally recaptured the magic that made the original shows so fun and special and let girls watching everywhere know that sexy belongs to them too.
