Victoria’s Secret fashion show is back after 4 years

Victoria’s Secret is a popular lingerie brand that is known for showcasing an annual fashion show called the “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show”. The show went on a hiatus four years ago due to several controversies surrounding the company but will be making a return this year.

The fashion show was a massive promotional event that featured dozens of models, celebrities, entertainers, and special performances. The last show was held on November 8, 2018.

A controversial history

The brand faced intense backlash over allegations of sexual harassment, misogyny, toxic work environments, and not being inclusive to all women and body types. The sexual harassment allegations were directed at former Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek and were made by over 30 current and former Victoria’s Secret employees and models.

The company’s image was damaged further following Hulu’s 2022 documentary series titled “Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons” which took a deep dive into Victoria’s Secret’s history of body-shaming and misogyny.

Despite a turbulent history, the current chief financial officer, Timothy Johnson, hopes to revamp the brand to be more inclusive.

Johnson told People: “We’re going to continue to lean into the marketing spend to invest in the business, both at top-of-funnel and also to support the new version of our fashion show, which is to come later this year.”

Consumers have already begun to see Victoria’s Secret employ transgender women and women with disabilities as models, but many believe that it might be too late for the brand to try to save its image now.

A spokesperson told People: “As we’ve previously shared, our new brand projection and mission will continue to be our guiding principle. This will lead us into new spaces like reclaiming one of our best marketing and entertainment properties to date and turning it on its head to reflect who we are today.

“We’re excited to share more later this year,” they concluded.

Lizzo speaks out

Lizzo recently took to Twitter to discuss whether or not this decision by Victoria’s Secret is truly for inclusivity’s sake or merely for more money.

“This is a win for inclusivity for inclusivity’s sake,” the singer wrote. “But if brands start doing this only because they’ve received backlash then what happens when the ‘trends’ change again?”

“Do the CEOs of these companies value true inclusivity? Or do they just value money?” she concluded.