ALEXANDRA ALCALA / ASST. A&C EDITOR

After six years, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is back. Victoria’s Secret is famously known for being a retail store focused on lingerie, clothing and beauty products. The show, hosted by the brand, is a one-night event of glamor and high-profile models. 

“I had always known of the Victoria’s Secret show as it was a very iconic symbol of the ‘90s and 2000’s, so when it was canceled it was a little sad because it felt like that iconic symbol of [those] times was no longer represented in society,” USD sophomore Neve Borgeding said.

Because the show aired from 1995 until 2018, the impact it had on viewers was significant. It had become an iconic fashion show that a lot of people anticipated every year.

“I would describe the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show as something that I grew up on,” USD sophomore Talia Derbedrosian said. “My sister and I used to watch it all the time. We would sit down once a year, and we would watch it together. When I think of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, to me, it’s honestly just like something that reminds me of growing up and something that my sister and I would always do together.”

This year’s show took place in New York City at the Duggal Greenhouse, a popular venue in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Besides showcasing the models, the show featured performances from famous singers such as Cher, Tyla and Lisa from Blackpink. The show streamed on different platforms such as Prime Video and Amazon Live, as well as on Victoria’s Secret social media accounts such as Instagram and YouTube. 

“I couldn’t watch it with my sister this year because I’m in college now and I don’t live with her,” Derbedrosian said. “But we were texting about it, and it  kind  of  just felt like that part of me that was from my childhood finally came back. I just enjoyed watching   it in  general. I would  just admire the clothes, the models, their beauty and everything.” 

One of the main appeals of the show is the models. After a long awaited return, there were appearances from big household names such as Adriana Lima, who is one of the most known Victoria’s secret models and named the most valuable Victoria’s Secret angel in 2017. 

“I had heard through social media that the show was coming back, which made me very excited because I have always loved watching the shows and seeing the amazing outfits and what singers they have,” Borgeding said. “I think that one of my favorite models is Adriana Lima because she came from a lower income background, so it was really cool to see her build a name for herself and become such an inspiring woman for other girls growing up.”

Victoria’s Secret models are famously  named  “angels”— a name that is represented by the wings that they wear during the runway. Other angels that returned after the six-year hiatus included   Gigi  Hadid,  Bella  Hadid, Kate Moss and Barbara Palvin, all of which started and grew their career by being part of the show. 

“I’m really excited for the show to be back, however I wish we could see some new faces, not those who are already famous walking the runway,” Borgeding said. “I feel like it’s lost some of its authenticity now that there are so many girls who are on the show because their mom was an angel. I would love to see new models who made a name for themselves.” 

Still, some people do not believe the comeback of the show was a great idea as the reason the show stopped six years ago was due to controversial and unrealistic beauty standards.  Back in 2018, the fashion show was canceled after being critiqued as sexist, outdated and lacking diversity. These critiques were based on the fact that the show is characterized by models being primarily of the same race and body type.  Because of these critiques, some felt the show had no business being aired and suggested the company rethink the image they were portraying to women, specifically young girls and teenagers. In contrast, some appreciated how the show was back in 2019 and did not like the idea of change.

All of the controversy ultimately caused the final show in 2018 to have a mass decline in viewers, declining from their average nine million viewers to only three million. The loss of one of their main chief executives, who left after the 2018 show, also affected the company. 

“I have heard about the controversies surrounding inclusivity issues which is understandable,” Borgeding said. “However, I think this past show they did a better job of including women of different ethnicities as well as some more diversity concerning body types. Another controversy [that] I think is interesting is the rise of nepo babies, especially in the modeling industry. I think it’s unfortunate how there are some girls who are automatically receiving special testament because their mom was an angel when there are more hardworking girls out there.” 

The last show took some of the critique into consideration as it now featured more women of color, two transgender women and their first plus size models— Ashley Graham, Tyra Banks and Paloma Elsesser. 

“I think it was a good call [to add plus size models to the show], especially considering the push back they’ve had in the past, moreso with the lack of plus sized models. I don’t think they had any pushback about lack of trans models, though I could be wrong,” Moore said. “Also having one of the biggest fashion shows in mainstream media, next to NYFW, doing something like this is a big thing.”

While there has been change on the runway, women of color and transgender women were already part of the show back in 2018. This could explain why the plus size models were the ones to cause the most impression on the audience— they were the first to ever walk a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. 

“The dilemma with the  shows was that there were no different body types included in [it], and honestly I have two opinions on this,” Derbedrosian said. “I agree while at the same time, I disagree. I agree that there should be more body types on the stage. I don’t think modeling should be limited to just one body type for women. I understand why women were upset about this, but at the same time I didn’t think this would lead to the cancellation of the show. I’m just happy that the show is back and that they did include some more body types.”

There has been no confirmation if the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show will return to its usual yearly production or if this was just a one-time occasion. Regardless, it seems that many USD students have a soft spot for the show and its relation to their childhood. The controversy surrounding the show continues to spread on social media, but it appears that this year, the brand took into consideration some of the past critiques that led it to its six-year hiatus. 

Adriana Lima back on the Victoria’s Secret runway after retiring in 2018. Photo Courtesy of @adrianalima/Instagram