The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was started in 1995 by fashion retail mogul Les Wexner, who also owned stores such as American Eagle and Abercrombie & Fitch. He started it as a risky business venture to show off his product, but it paid off because, through the years, the fashion show became one of the most-watched television programs of the year. It created endless icons in the fashion industry, such as Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Heidi Klum, and many, many more. The show was, unfortunately, stopped in 2018 due to backlash on the internet from people saying the show was creating an outrageously high beauty standard for young girls. However, this year the show was back in full swing.
The show began with aerial shots of New York, the city the show took place in, then led to a girl on a motorcycle racing through the streets with shots of some of the most talked about models backstage getting ready mixed in. It was an iconic opening to an iconic show. When the stage was revealed, the first thing I noticed was it wasn’t a runway; it was a stage. This might seem small, but it is, in fact, huge. Changing the runway to a stage changes the concept of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show as a whole. This is no longer a show about tall women and lingerie; it's an entire spectacle about women as a whole. The first question arises: Is that a good thing? Will this show have the same impact on young women except now with a larger stage, or will this really mean a difference in the way beauty in women is viewed? Time will only tell.
Once the camera lands on the stage, it’s revealed to the audience that the girl on the motorcycle is LISA from the K-Pop group BLACKPINK. She gave an all-time best performance of her song, “Rockstar.” Ok, maybe I do like this stage. The focus wasn’t on women’s bodies; it was on music and performance. I thought overall LISA and her dancers put on a great show (I mean, I saw one sickled foot, but I digress.) I felt like this new Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show improved on the female fantasy—oh to be the most beautiful girl opening the show in an iconic lingerie outfit. That’s what matters to me. The female fantasy. It felt like the show came back with a vengeance to create that for women.
The first model to rise up from under the stage was Gigi Hadid. Another famous name made big on the Victoria’s Secret Runway. I really liked the choice of Gigi entering first because not only is she one of the most iconic models to ever grace the VS runway, but she’s also a mother. If you want to make a show about female empowerment, I’d recommend you start it off with a mother. Gigi took time off from modeling when she first became a mom, so it’s very exciting to see her back on the runway. Gigi is very lucky to be one of the few women in this world with a genuine choice of whether she genuinely wants to stay home and be with her child or go to work and be a “girl boss” because of her high status. This furthers the female fantasy even more. Her look was beautiful, and her wings were so elegant. I loved this moment. The show was off!
At first, I was so excited to hear a Chappell Roan song, then a Charli xcx song, then another song by a woman, then another, and then I realized the show only had songs by women. At first, I was disappointed in myself that something so small could make me so proud to be a woman, but I learned to appreciate it for what it was. Awesome music. All the outfits were the classic Victoria’s Secret mix of elegance and tackiness that Victoria’s Secret does so well. It really subsided my worries to see some of the outfits be really overdone even in an age of minimalism because everyone knows you have to be a little bit weird to be hot, duh. More icons walked down the stage, such as Taylor Hill, Ashley Graham, and Adriana Lima.
Next, it was time for Tyla’s performance as more icons graced the stage. My favorite was Candice Swanepoel. She served classic Candice, which is something only she can do. I really thought she outserved the other girls by miles. Now, of course, I wouldn’t want them all to be giving a sultry look instead of the usual VS girl next door look, but when Candice does it, I bow down.
The next performance was from a guitarist, Orianthi, a woman from Australia who played classic songs by amazing women through the years. This is when Kate Moss made her surprise appearance and her first appearance as a Victoria’s Secret model. She outdid herself, as usual.
The next performance was from Lisa once again. This time I couldn’t really understand the words, but I enjoyed the performance nonetheless. She was definitely overshadowed by the next performance, but who wouldn’t be because it was the one and only Cher? As a gay boy born in a straight girl’s body... I gasped out loud. She sang “Strong Enough” and "Believe,” and I had the time of my life. I love those songs, and I thought they captured the essence of what Victoria’s Secret was trying to do throughout this show. The show was, of course, closed by the one and only Bella Hadid. She’s the most beautiful woman on earth. I'm so glad they chose her to finish off the show. Then THE Tyra Banks walked all the models onto the stage to celebrate, a VS Show classic.
I was really nervous, especially when I saw that stage, that the show was going to be too concerned with trying not to get “canceled” and that it was going to lose its integrity. However, I don’t think that happened. While it was definitely different, it still kept to its roots and held on to the female fantasy for dear life. We have to be honest with ourselves; the show changed, but that’s because the times have changed, and if you want to sell kind-of-corny lingerie forever, you have to change too. I thought it was a very well-done piece of media, and I’m excited to see what they pull off next year.
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