The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is a worldwide phenomenon. It blends fashion, entertainment, and celebrity into one show that captivates millions. When it was first introduced in 1995, the show quickly became a hit, showcasing top supermodels in extravagant lingerie designs while featuring some of the biggest names in the music industry. 

From 1995-2019, the show was one of the most-watched fashion displays every year, but rumors circulated that behind the scenes the show wasn’t what it seemed. In July 2019, The New York Times reported that L Brands CEO Leslie H. Wexner had ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.  Consequently, the company canceled its long-running fashion show a month after it was announced. In November of that year, Edward Razek, L Brands’ chief marketing officer, said in an interview with Vogue that “no one” had any interest in seeing plus-size models on the Victoria’s Secret runway and that the show should not feature transgender models.

After the questionable views from the company’s CEOs became public, the iconic lingerie brand canceled its show in 2019 due to plummeting ratings and bad criticism for being outdated and lacking in diversity.  After a 5 year hiatus, the infamous fashion show returned in October 2024 with the promise of changing its views and wanting to showcase “who we are today,” a representative from Victoria’s Secret said. 

With the return of the show, fans hoped changes like including plus-size and transgender models would be showcased without removing any of the glitz and glamour. The 2024 event featured some of the brand’s veteran runway stars, including models Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Behati Prinsloo, and Candice Swanepoel. Performances were sung by Tyla, black-pink star Lisa, and Grammy-award winner Cher. 

The updated catwalk included more diversity than the previous years. Models over the age of 40 were featured for the first time, including the runway debut of former First Lady of France Carla Bruni, who at 56 became the oldest model to walk a Victoria’s Secret runway show. Further proving it was more inclusive, plus size models strutted down the Victoria’s Secret runway for the first time: Ashley Graham, Paloma Elsesser, Kai Soleil, and more who all ranged from size 8 to 16. The runway also included two transgender models, Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio. 

The fashion show streamed live on YouTube, with an average of 1.3 million viewers tuning in.  Despite the brand’s commitment to showcasing new talent and bringing changes to the show, fans were still disappointed with the outcome of the show. According to Fashion Dive, “Out of the 52 models in the show, just 10 represented any sort of change to its previous policies, and there were no models at all who reflected Victoria’s Secret’s previously stated interest in supporting adaptive fashion.”

Viewers online felt that the show looked cheap; they also wondered if Victoria’s Secret was more worried about representation rather than giving us the true fashion show. Many believed the show could have been better and are wondering if Victoria’s Secret will make improvements next year – if the fashion powerhouse decides to put on another spectacular. BMO Capital Markets Managing Director Simeon Siegel said, “We do not think the show is a shoo-in for a repeat next year just yet, as management evaluates whether this is the right medium for messaging and whether every 12 months is the right time frame.”