The legendary Victoria’s Secret show is back — bigger and with better concepts — since their break in 2019 and after running for roughly two decades.
Many have shared their thoughts about the fashion brand’s comeback, including the well-celebrated musician Lizzo, who seems to favor the new ideas portraying size inclusivity.
Victoria’s Secret Makes A Return With New Look & Lizzo Feels This Way
During Victoria’s Secret’s 2022 earnings call on Friday, March 3, its chief financial officer Timothy Johnson, shared the news of the former annual show’s return and its official facelift.
Per PEOPLE, he declared, “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.”
Similarly, a representative for the company told the magazine that Victoria’s Secret is dedicated to advocating for women and is “always innovating and ideating in all spheres of the business to continue to put our customers at the center of all we do.”
The statement also revealed that the brand’s “projection and mission” will keep on being their “guiding principle,” leading them into “new spaces,” which they are excited to share later this year.
According to the release, the spaces in question include “reclaiming one of our best marketing and entertainment properties to date and turning it on its head to reflect who we are today.”
As VS fans know, the once-yearly fashion show was canceled in November 2019. The popular Victoria’s Secret Angel title was dropped at the time, given the criticism they gained for not including models of all sizes and backgrounds.
Moreover, the company was slammed in February 2020 after one of its former officers Ed Razek, was accused of “sexual harassment, bullying, and creating a culture of misogyny.”
The New York Times reported the situation then, with Razek denying the claims, telling the publication that “the accusations in this reporting are categorically untrue, misconstrued or taken out of context.” He further expressed, “I’ve been fortunate to work with countless world-class models and gifted professionals and take great pride in the mutual respect we have for each other.”
Victoria’s Secret held its first annual show in August 1995 and ran for nearly two dozen more times in the ensuing years, excluding 2004.
Within those years, its shows featured performances from celebs like Rihanna, Katy Perry, Usher, Harry Styles, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z, Ariana Grande, and Bruno Mars, among others.
In July 2022, Hulu dropped an exposé docuseries, “Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons,” highlighting the brand’s reported history of misogyny and body-shaming when Leslie Wexner was still a chair.
The company has since addressed the documentary, stressing that it has evolved after becoming a “stand-alone company” in 2021 and that the series “does not reflect today’s Victoria’s Secret & Co.”
Lizzo seems to agree with the enterprise’s change but still has a few thoughts about their convenient time inclusivity, which she recently dished on Twitter. “This is a win for inclusivity for inclusivity’s sake,” she wrote on the platform, retweeting another user’s update about VS’s comeback.
The 34-year-old continued, “But if brands start doing this only because they’ve received backlash, then what happens when the ‘trends’ change again?” She then wondered aloud if “these companies” CEOs valued genuine inclusivity or were only concerned about getting more money.
As for the user’s tweet, it showed a campaign video for VS’s return, featuring different models, including curvy ones, rocking inviting lingerie pieces.
The American Lingerie Brand Will Introduce New Store Displays With Curvy Mannequins
As Victoria’s Secret prepares for its annual show’s return later this year, PEOPLE reported the company is unveiling a new look for its retail outlets to “reflect the new company’s mission.”
For the first time in 44 years, the photographs of VS’s angels will be removed from all its stores nationwide and replaced with various shapes and sizes of mannequins.
The new creative director Raul Martinez revealed that in addition to the mannequins, the featured brighter lighting and pale pink walls in the stores were picked to create a more inviting space for women.
This is a win for inclusivity for inclusivity’s sake
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? https://t.co/ykmcUTLayQ
— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) March 5, 2023
In the same light, VS’s CEO Martin Waters told the outlet that the brand was “moving from what men want to what women want” while prioritizing feelings and inclusion rather than looks.
