By Adwoa Ampofo
The 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned with a stunning mix of nostalgia, controversy, and cultural evolution. The stage shimmered with veteran angels like Adriana Lima, Gigi Hadid, Lily Aldridge, and Joan Smalls names synonymous with the brand’s golden era. But what made this year’s show truly stand out wasn’t just the glitter or the wings it was the representation.
Walking alongside those classic icons were rising stars Alex Consani, Anok Yai, and Yumi Nu models who represent a new generation of beauty, one that defies outdated molds and celebrates individuality.
Breaking Barriers: Angel Reese’s Historic Debut
One of the night’s most talked-about moments came when Angel Reese made her debut as the first-ever WNBA athlete to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Known for her unapologetic confidence and athletic grace, Reese brought something fresh to the runway.
It also made perfect sense VS Pink, a sub-brand that has leaned into athletic and lifestyle wear, found its perfect match in Reese. Her inclusion symbolizes a shift in how we define femininity and strength: not just delicate, but powerful. Not just beautiful, but real.
The Rise of the Digital Angels
Joining Reese was influencer and model Quenlin Blackwell, whose online presence and humor have built her a massive Gen Z following. Her appearance marked a clear acknowledgment that the modern fashion world doesn’t exist in a vacuum it’s intertwined with social media, relatability, and authenticity.
Including figures like Quenlin doesn’t just diversify the runway; it expands the audience. She represents a generation raised on TikTok and YouTube rather than catwalks and catalogs. Victoria’s Secret knows that to stay relevant, it has to walk alongside culture, not behind it.
The Backlash and the Bigger Question
Of course, not everyone celebrated these changes. Social media lit up with criticism, claiming that figures like Angel Reese and Quenlin Blackwell aren’t “real models.” But that backlash raises a deeper question: what really defines who can be a Victoria’s Secret model?
Are we still clinging to the early 2000s ideal of the tall, ultra-thin, Eurocentric “Angel” with maybe one or two token models of color or are we finally embracing a runway that reflects the world we actually live in?
Pregnancy, Power, and Perception
Another standout moment came when a visibly pregnant model graced the runway, echoing the iconic moment when Adriana Lima became the first model to walk the show while pregnant years ago.
Her presence challenged an outdated narrative that pregnancy ends a woman’s modeling career. Lima herself once faced public criticism and disgust after returning to modeling post-pregnancy a harsh reminder of how the fashion world once equated motherhood with the loss of beauty. This year’s show proved otherwise: femininity evolves, and motherhood is part of that power.
Representation Beyond the Runway
Actress and model Barbie Ferreira, best known for her role in Euphoria, also joined the lineup, further emphasizing the show’s embrace of multidimensional women those who are not just faces, but voices, creators, and forces of culture.
And then there’s Alex Consani, one of the first openly transgender Victoria’s Secret models. After winning Model of the Year at the 2024 Fashion Awards in London, her presence was both groundbreaking and deeply humanizing. Known for her humor and confidence online, Consani embodies how visibility and authenticity can coexist beautifully.
Meanwhile, Anok Yai, the South Sudanese model with a degree in biochemistry, continued to shine. Her story discovered through a viral photo taken at Howard University’s Homecoming in 2017 reminds us that representation doesn’t just open doors; it transforms lives.
A Reflection of Our World Today
This year’s show wasn’t just a comeback it was a cultural mirror. For decades, the fashion industry perpetuated narrow ideals of beauty. But in 2025, we witnessed something different: models of varying ethnicities, body types, gender identities, and life stories walking side by side.
It’s not perfect. Fashion still has its dark corners, its struggles with tokenism and inclusivity. But in that glittering room under those lights there was hope. Hope for a young girl watching at home to see a model who looks like her and think, “Wow, I can be her one day.”
Because at the end of the day, that’s what this show should be about: not perfection, but possibility.
A dream come true.