Recently, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned after a five-year hiatus, this time featuring Adriana Lima, Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Anok Yai, and other well-known models, followed by performances by Lisa from Blackpink and Tyla. However, it seems that Victoria’s Secret spent all its budget on inviting supermodels and neglected the full picture.
Inaugurated in 1995, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show marked a time and ignited the hearts of countless girls. “I want to be a Victoria’s Secret supermodel” became not only a dream, but also an inspiration. From the bouncy blowout to the heavenly feather wings, the appeal of Victoria’s Secret Angels (models under contract with Victoria’s Secret) defines the time of the 2000s and iconically paints an image of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
As a lingerie company founded in 1977, Victoria’s Secret had become the largest lingerie retailer in the US by the time of the 1990s. Funny enough, according to Newsweek, the founder Roy Raymond claimed,”When I tried to buy lingerie for my wife, I was faced with racks of terry-cloth robes and ugly floral-print nylon nightgowns, and I always had the feeling the department store sales woman thought I was an unwelcome intruder,” therefore opening the doors to his eight-year-long study in the lingerie industry.
Alongside the fame came dilemmas. “The lingerie brand’s catwalk show was scrapped after its 2018 edition drew low ratings as well as criticism that it was sexist, outdated and lacked diversity,” theBBC reported. The runway was criticized for including only thin models and promoting stereotyped body images, therefore leading to the downfall of Victoria’s Secret Runways.
However, this year, Victoria’s Secret made a comeback. Or to say, it simply came back because of its underwhelming visuals and facility. Usually, Victoria’s Secret would host at the Plaza Hotel or 69th Regiment Armory in New York City. This time, it budgeted down and chose Brooklyn Navy Yard, which appears smaller in dimensions and features no actual runway, only a zero-elevation, bland, gray floor. In fact, the floor was so poorly built of squares that there were visible spaces within each tile, sinking supermodel Doutzen Kroes’s heel in between. Although she played it off confidently, the flying heel around the ankle still caused some imperfections. Not only so, when the camera zoomed in from bottom up, the misaligned floors caught just as much attention as the supermodels’ catwalks. Compared to the fashion shows from before, which had all-around lights lining by the runway and an elevated floor alongside sectioned audience seats, 2024’s stage surely stirred some disappointment.
The slick backs, greasy-textured hair, and miniscule plastic wings just cannot surpass the shiny blowout, the perfectly styled French curls, and the six-foot tall, fluffy, enormous wings from the early years. What was most mediocre, though, was Adriana Lima’s look. Known as the most beautiful woman by many, not only in the model industry but also in many young girls’ hearts, Lima was carried out with the most unique-looking hairstyle and lingerie. The small black bikini was paired with an awkward purple-and-black-striped bolero and same-patterned thigh-highs. To make it more unique, Lima had magenta resin or plastic wings that did not go with the outfit. The only reason the overall look was not insanely questionable purely credits to Lima’s breathtaking face.
High expectations came with some levels of disappointment, yet, despite the flaws, the show reignited the nostalgic memories of many, and eyes were regardlessly blinded by the glowing supermodels and performers.
