The Victoria’s Secret Fashion show was once the sexiest show in the fashion calendar, with the world’s hottest supermodels setting a seemingly unobtainable beauty standard as they posed in outrageously skimpy lingerie.
But when the show returned for the first time in six years on Tuesday night at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, it was slammed for a new ‘woke’ agenda, with plus-sized and transgender models taking to the stage for the first time – while fans called the pared-back production ‘boring’.
The new take also played out in the little details of the once-perfect outfits and bodies, with tan lines on show rather than being coverd up with fake tan or makeup.
And while previous shows were defined by cleaveage boosted by pneumatic push up bras, this year’s interation was all about the natural look – with several models taking to the runway without a hint of underwire in sight.
Among them was Gigi Hadid, 29, who stunned in a red ensemble as she rocked the iconic angel wings to open the show.
The Victoria’s Secret models took to the catwalk with tiny imperfections on show to fit brand’s new ‘woke’ agenda. Pictured: Gigi Hadid’s tan lines were not covered up in her skimpy body suit
The mother-of-one donned a very racy outfit – later opting for a see-through red lace bodysuit and a red ruffled boa.
But where, in previous years, Gigi had taken to the runway in perfectly sculpted underwear to display her toned figure, this year she seemed to go without a bra at all.
Her skimpy lace bodysuit also showed off the mother-of-one’s tan lines.
When Lila Moss, 22, walked the runway for the first time with her legendary mother Kate, she sldo wore a skimpy baby pink number – with clearly visible tan lines.
The shows of the 2010s would get more and more risque every year, with skimpy outfits taken to new extremes.
Taylor Hill’s striped loose pants this year – which had the effect of ‘frumpy PJs’ would have seemed out of place back in the day.
Meanwhile, Ashley Graham, 36, was proud and body positive, dressed in a short outfit to show off her cellulite with pride as she also made her debut in the show.
She previously wrote a powerful message on Instagram for her followers: ”I workout. I do my best to eat well. I love the skin I’m in. And I’m not ashamed of a few lumps, bumps or cellulite… and you shouldn’t be either.’
Lila Moss walked the runway for the first time with her legendary mother Kate, she opted for a skimpy baby pink number – around which her tan lines could clearly be seen
Ashley Graham was proud and body positive, dressed in a short outfit to show off her cellulite with pride as she also made her debut in the show
Gigi Hadid walks the runway for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024, with tan lines visible
Speaking before the show, she said: ‘I’m not nervous, and everything’s very secure; we’re not going to have anything pop out, which makes me feel good so I can strut it, and I’m honestly more excited just for the full representation that’s going to happen during the show.’
Graham, who shares three young sons with husband Justin Ervin, requested a look with more coverage after she was initially given a tiny outfit.
She has twins Malachi and Roman, two, and firstborn son Isaac, four.
‘The first thing they gave me was this tiny, tiny little underwear, and I said, “Hello, I just had three children,”‘ the mother-of-three explained.
She donned a very racy outfit – later opting for a see-through red lace bodysuit and a red ruffled boa, with tan lines visible
Rocking the iconic angel wings, Gigi Hadid opened the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion show as it made its triumphant return on Tuesday night
Taylor Hill dazzled in a crystal-covered bra and loose pants with wings covered in beaded tassels
She added, ‘Even though it was like two years ago, but I was like, “Is there any more we can put on?” So then I got a bodysuit and I feel really sexy in it, and then when the wings came out, that’s when I was like, “Oh yeah, I feel like an Angel. This is hot.”‘
Graham graced the catwalk in a slinky black lace bodysuit layered over a matching, thick-banded thong.
Prior to the show, she went through $325 facial cupping and $325 electronic acupuncture.
‘It’s exciting because their hope and dream is to go into extended sizes finally. And that’s why I said yes,’ Ashley – a body positivity activist – noted.
‘Because they really are thinking about everyone. I really like to be a woman of my word and make sure the people that I line up with, the companies that I line up with, are servicing the women who follow me that are larger.’
Graham continued: ‘There’s no one look for beauty. Perfection doesn’t exist. We are all humans living in bodies that, I think, are beautiful.
‘And that’s what I hope Victoria’s Secret’s like biggest takeaway is that everybody should be serviced with lingerie with pajamas. And it shouldn’t be just about sizing. It should be about everybody getting a chance to have it.’
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion show was once the most notorious show in the modelling calendar, with the world’s most prolific supermodels setting a seemingly unobtainable beauty standard. Karlie Kloss is pictured in the 2012 show
In previous years, Gigi had taken to the runway in perfectly sculpted underwear to perfectly display her toned figure
Since becoming a mother of three, she has candidly discussed feeling initially insecure about her stretch marks before overcoming her misgivings in an eye-opening essay written for Glamour.
While pregnant with Isaac, she ‘got a few stretch marks, and I had a few really good cry sessions over the stretch marks,’ she recalled.
Two years later, when she was 30 weeks pregnant with the twins, ‘the stretch marks started to creep up,’ and she began trying to reassure herself.
‘I thought to myself, Okay, Ashley, you can handle this. You already had a few, this is life. You are a champion for all kinds of bodies, who cares? This is going to be a great moment. You can share this with other women, it’s fantastic,’ Ashley wrote.
‘But then they started creeping up even more, and you could see them coming out of my panty line, and then beyond my belly button, and I melted,’ she confessed.
Fashion fans rejoiced on social media after Kate Moss hit the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway along with daughter Lila
Kate’s daughter, Lila, 22, joined her – and earned a pair of epic angel wings of her own, as seen above
Fans rejoiced because Lila Moss walked in the same show, flocking to the Victoria’s Secret Instagram comments section to celebrate
Ashley Graham made her 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut as the underwear brand returned to the runway after a six-year hiatus
The 36-year-old curvaceous model’s participation in the event was announced four days earlier
Graham graced the catwalk in a slinky black lace bodysuit layered over a matching, thick-banded thong
L-R Jasmine Tookes, Paloma Elsesser, Barbara Palvin, and Ashley backstage at Tuesday’s show
She recalled: ‘Then one day I just stopped and thought, Screw it, this is my life, and I posted a photo of my stretch marks on Instagram, which that day my husband described to me as looking like the tree of life. Bless him.’
Victoria’s Secret made its runway debut in 1995, with Tyra Banks taking to the stage wearing the first set of angel wings three years later.
Ed Razek, former chief marketing officer of VS’s parent company, L Brands, once described the catwalk show as a ‘fantasy,’ excluding transgender and plus-size models from the ’42-minute entertainment special.’
The controversial statement landed the brand in hot water, and led to Razek’s 2019 resignation and the cancellation of the show due to backlash and poor ratings.
Victoria’s Secret then pivoted to promote diversity by including larger models in subsequent campaigns.
Valentina Sampaio, the company’s first transgender model, was also hired to star in a VS Pink campaign after Razek’s exit.
The return of the show for 2024 marked the first walk down the Victoria’s Secret runway for Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio, who had been the first transgender model to represent the brand in 2019.
Fellow transgender model Alex Consani also took to the catwalk as the lingerie brand expanded on its efforts to be more inclusive.
The event has been seen by some as a far cry from the event’s heyday, when outrageous walks and outfits dominated the fashion world for weeks after appearing on the show – before the company was hit by scandals including claims of a ‘toxic’ workplace culture.
Victoria’s Secret has also seen sales slide, with critics suggesting that moves towards more ‘inclusivity’ in recent years – including using plus-sized models – have failed to appeal.
Fans slammed the presentation of Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show held in New York City on Tuesday, the first time the show has been held since 2018. (L-R) Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid and Vittoria Ceretti seen during Tuesday’s festivities in NYC
Tuesday evening’s show also marked the first walk down the Victoria’s Secret runway for Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio, who is transgender
Also among the models taking part in the show was Paloma Elsesser (pictured)
Plus-sized model Ashley Graham was making her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut
Cher served as last night’s headline performer along with Blackpink alum Lisa and rising star Tyla — making it the show’s first ever all-woman musical line-up.
But there has been a backlash on X, formerly Twitter, with criticisms of what were seen as toned-down production values lacking glitz and ‘woke’ efforts.
The lingerie brand was famed for its sultry catwalks which featured the likes of Cara Delevingne and Miranda Kerr as its ‘Angels’.
Models were seen in the past strutting down the catwalk in 10ft white feathered wings, thongs and basques – yet the new show has been viewed as a letdown by many.
‘Victoria’s Secret came back with the most boring show ever’, said one poster, while another wrote: ‘The Victoria’s Secret show looks so modern and boring now, I’m disappointed.’
A separate commenter said: ‘Victoria Secret has yet to listen to our public demands. This is not the show we wanted. Everyone’s hair is flat, no extremely tall models, the entire production is different.’
Another remarked: ‘Victoria Secret really said go woke, go broke.’
Other comments included: ‘The new Victoria’s secret fashion show feels so SOULLESS omg… and like why are they playing fake crowd cheering sounds? where’s the iconic runway???’
Another viewer posted: ‘This was cute but it wasn’t enough… we need to bring back the glitter runway, more lively performances!
‘What happened to the dedicated sets per look, close up of the looks, backstage chaos let’s get back to our roots #VSFashionShow2024! The inclusion was okay but I guess…
‘The OGs chewed a lot the new girls, we were missing plots like who was new [Angels], who were the old, why should we fall in love with them?.. etc. A lot of no personality haute couture walking this is #VSFashionShow2024 where are the smiles, kisses and waves?!’
Valentina Sampaio’s walk down the runway last night marked the first time a trans model has walked in the retailer’s annual show
Valentina Sampaio appeared last night, having been the first transgender model to represent the brand back in 2019
Transgender model Alex Consani was also walking on the runway on Tuesday night
Lisa kicked off the show with a performance of her hit Rockstar, which saw her ride into the venue on a motorcycle
Surrounded by leather-clad dancers, the singer flashed her toned tummy in a black vinyl bra shaped like angel wings
Airing live on Amazon’s Prime Video, the runway show was held at the Victoria’s Secret flagship store in New York City after a six-year hiatus.
The 2024 show saw the return of Victoria’s Secret vets Alessandra Ambrosio, Tyra Banks and Adriana Lima as well as next-generation icons Taylor Hill and Barbara Palvin.
It comes three years after the lingerie brand’s controversial body-positive rebrand in 2021.
Victoria’s Secret’s iconic Angels were replaced by ‘ambassadors’ such as soccer star Megan Rapinoe – and the company axed its long-time CEO in wake of falling sales and a bombshell exposé that accused the company of misogyny, sexual harassment and bullying.
The company was founded in 1977 by US businessman Roy Raymond, who set up a small chain of boudoir lingerie shops.
Five years later he sold the firm to clothing magnate Les Wexner for $1million – a fraction of its current value. Raymond later took his own life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
He had chosen the name Victoria after Queen Victoria, thinking it sounded refined, and added Secret to refer to what was hidden under the clothes.
Eventually, hundreds of stores opened coast to coast, but it was the glitzy launch of Victoria’s Secret’s first blatantly sexy catwalk show at the Plaza Hotel in New York in 1995 which made the difference.
Broadcast on network TV to 185 countries, millions tuned in to see supermodels including Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Tyra Banks and Karen Mulder.
But eventually the tide began to turn in recent years when the event was judged to look like a relic of the past in the #MeToo era.
Gigi was pictured on the runway in front of a message that read ‘Welcome back’
Gigi opened the latest edition of legendary show, which had first been held in 1995
The supermodel wore pastel pink wings and a glittering pink costume
Gigi’s short blonde hair was tucked behind her ears, allowing her to show off her hoop earrings
Gigi seen in a red ensemble walking the runway at Tuesday’s fashion show in the Big Apple
Tyra Banks had a celebratory moment as she walked the runway for the company’s comeback
The America’s Next Top Model personality led the way as dozens of models were seen in the background
It was further plunged into controversy when marketing chief Ed Razek came under fire for saying that the firm would not cast plus-sized or ‘transsexual’ models because the show was meant to be a ‘fantasy’.
His statement got the brand in trouble and led to them cancelling the show in 2019 – the same year he made the comments and resigned.
Victoria’s Secret turned to promoting diversity by including larger models Paloma Elsesser and Ali Tate-Cutler in their campaigns.
They also hired Valentina Sampaio, their first transgender model, to star in their new VS Pink campaign after Razek left.
And the lingerie giant’s parent company L Brands confirmed in November 2019 that its annual show would not take place – with the decision being part of a move to ‘evolve the messaging of [the company],’ Fortune reported at the time.
Purchases by women aged 18 to 49 had been declining for several years prior to the move – but the firm has been hoping the return of the show will help boost fortunes.Performers at previous shows, before it was cancelled, included pop stars such as Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Harry Styles and Ariana Grande.
