The Ethics of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show: Has It Truly Evolved?

Following a six-year hiatus, the Victoria's Secret fashion show has made its much anticipated return. The show was cancelled in 2019 due to a flurry of criticism surrounding the brands problematic links with Jeffrey Epstein, and the absence of diversity.

The brands first attempt to introduce body diversity to the runway was in 2012 with the debut of a new angel, Barbara Palvin. Palvin was praised by many for being the brands first ever 'plus-size' model... as a size 8. As the years went on and society developed, it was realised just how unhealthy this outlook was. This is one of many factors that contributed to Victoria's Secret's 'promotion' of unrealistic beauty standards.

Due to the immense scale of the corporation, Victoria's Secret had impressionable young women and girls in a choke hold. As the annual show was such a monumental event, the angels became idols and a size small became the new large. On every girls Christmas list was the staple Victoria's Secret pink robe, body spray, bouncy blow dry and toned tummy. But, the efforts made by the models to achieve such a look were scarcely discussed in mainstream media. While many maintain that they live a perfectly healthy lifestyle, even sharing their daily meals and exercise regimes, others, such as Bridget Malcolm and Erin Heatherton, have detailed their uses of appetite suppressants and struggles with anorexia. In the wake of such unrealistic beauty standards many girls followed suit.

Why are these women worshiped purely for their appearance?

Some of the brands most cherished angels, Adriana Lima and Bella Hadid, have been repeatedly dubbed by the media and by 'experts' as 'the most beautiful women in the world.' This, in conjunction with the trend of being thin which ravaged the noughties and 2010's, had a catastrophic effect. A study published by Evolution and Human Behavior found that prototypicality was a key factor in someones attractiveness. In simpler terms, the more average the face, the more attractive they are to the masses. Perhaps it is because humanity finds solace in familiarity. With the age of social media combined with celebrities cherry-picked for their appearance, their abnormal 'perfect' look quickly became normal to people. This was only worsened with the rise of photo editing.

The relaunch of the show in 2024 saw a rise in diversity. Yet, they maintained the essence of Victoria's Secret with the return of much loved original cast members such as Jasmine Tookes and Candice Swanepoel. New notable alumni include Alex Consani, Lila Moss, and Ashley Graham. It is crucial to have transgender models and models of varying body types. While tall, slender models were originally selected because they display clothes as they would look on the hanger, the spectacle that models have become means this is no longer reasonable. The next generation of women, growing up in the digital age, need to understand that their curves, cellulite and stretch marks are normal. As a brand with a solely female demographic, Victoria's Secret must celebrate all women rather than promoting the doctrine that one type of woman is superior. While they are not solely to blame, the fashion industry as a whole (arguably) is, and an industry that Victoria's Secret is a catalyst in. But, they have made the first crucial steps and hopefully will continue to grow, away from the slew of accusations of anti-feminism and diet culture rhetoric.