The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned last night in Brooklyn, New York after a six-year hiatus after the brand was embroiled in anti-trans and fatphobic controversy. This year, they returned to the runway, featuring two trans girls in the show, Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio.
Valentina Sampaio wore a basic black satin lingerie set, over top of which she wore a sparkly embellished fishnet midi skirt. In lieu of classic Victoria’s Secret Angel wings, she had a giant black and bronze organza bow strapped to her arms. Alex Consani wore a periwinkle two-piece lingerie set with sequins and a pair of floor-length plush satin wings.
The 2018 show suffered poor ratings following comments made by Ed Razek, a then-executive at L Brands, Victoria’s Secret’s former parent company, stating that he did not believe that trans and plus-size models belonged in the Victoria’s Secret show. The company further snowballed into controversy after a 2020 New York Times report that exposed a company culture of misogyny and harassment.
“If you’re asking if we’ve considered putting a transgender model in the show or looked at putting a plus-size model in the show, we have,” he said. “We invented the plus-size model show in what was our sister division, Lane Bryant. Lane Bryant still sells plus-size lingerie, but it sells a specific range just like every specialty retailer in the world sells a range of clothing. As do we. We market to who we sell to, and we don’t market to the whole world.”
In celebration of an attempt at a more inclusive chapter for Victoria’s Secret, many familiar faces showed up in attendance, including Cardi B, Coco Jones, Remi Bader, and more.
The 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Red Carpet Was Almost Hotter Than the Runway
