After a four-year hiatus, the Victoria's Secret fashion show has made a grand return in an entirely new form - an event that can rightfully be called the fashion industry's annual extravaganza.
This year's show has been dubbed the "Return of the Gods" by netizens. The supermodels who made a mark in the era of television still have their names floating around. Their runway moments from the social media era are still being clipped and revisited. Spanning over two decades, it was unexpected to see the return and reunion of the superstars of the Victoria's Secret stage, with names like Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Campbell, Adriana Lima, and "Angel" Candice Swanepoel prominently featured.
Looking at the lineup, it almost feels like being transported back to the glamorous and dazzling era of the millennium. Apart from "Sex and the City," the Victoria's Secret show has been stirring up discussions and capturing attention every year.
The models strutting the runway in Victoria's Secret lingerie with enormous wings have had their expressions, rhythms, and strides magnified and broadcasted globally, propelling them step by step onto the global model's earnings list. The precious and exquisite fabric materials and the shimmering jewels embellishing the lingerie make the audience feel as if they are viewing a flowing "lingerie museum," symbolizing the vibrant energy of the millennium, where discussions about beauty, sensuality, and desire are openly held.
However, the Victoria's Secret show experienced a sudden decline in the past few years. The absolute replication of the sexiness and standards unique to the millennium era was no longer feasible. The business of serving women had to envision their future. In 2019, Victoria's Secret announced its discontinuation, prompting a deep reflection and internal and external reforms. Now, as it makes a comeback, Victoria's Secret has completed an important lesson. The Victoria's Secret fashion show has transformed into an entirely new form, being recorded and watched in the form of a streaming movie. Victoria's Secret has evolved into an entirely new entity.
- The Transformation of Female Idols
Who says watching lingerie shows is just about appearances? Many female viewers watch Victoria's Secret for the female idols. There is a stereotypical misconception about female models, that "good looks," "long legs," and "beauty" are their core elements, and their primary function is to be beautiful vases that complement the attire. However, the history of the stage tells a different story. Those supermodels who are remembered have their own unique skills. Only women with distinct personalities, traits, and outstanding professional abilities are remembered and cherished for the brief moments they spend on the stage. Behind this lies years of training and rigorous self-discipline. They are by no means the same standardized beauty templates.
Gisele Bündchen, known as "Goddess Gisele," single-handedly updated a certain aesthetic. During the era dominated by the slim aesthetics of Kate Moss, the "Goddess Gisele" from Brazil brought a passionate and sharp demeanor to the stage, showcasing a different type of beauty. Her skin tone is naturally healthy with a South American flavor, and her thighs exude power, both slender and muscular. Some people referred to her runway walk as "walking like a horse," with a gait reminiscent of a galloping horse, exhibiting a robust and powerful beauty. This robust beauty has also been recognized, continually expanding the definition of female idol beauty.
Gisele announced her retirement from the runway in 2015, having held the top spot on the Forbes Global Model Earnings list at the time. She made the resolute choice to explore a different life, marrying the American football star Tom Brady and having children. Apart from walking the runway for the Brazilian Olympics, she has made few public appearances, occasionally making headlines for scenes of her taking her kids to the beach or surfing. Last year, she announced her amicable separation from her husband, and her return to the Victoria's Secret stage after many years seems to be her comeback performance.
Known as the "Black Pearl," Naomi Campbell can be regarded as the "sister" of the Victoria's Secret stage. Twenty years have passed, yet her scene of "swinging the fringe" is still frequently brought up and talked about. When she walks the runway, the fringes on her lingerie seem to possess an energy of their own, following her rhythm and beats, exuding an aura with precision. Naomi has created many "firsts," becoming the first black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue at the age of 18. In an era where there were hardly any black models on the high fashion runways, Naomi conquered many luxury brands.
The supermodels of the millennium era all have their own significant stories. However, from 2015 to 2018, Victoria's Secret failed to regain its former glory. It was criticized for its overly monotonous aesthetic, and the old decision-makers allowed the new generation of young internet celebrities to take the stage, catering to the tastes of social media, leading to a rapid decline in the stage's business capabilities.
After years of cultivation, Victoria's Secret is now considering what true beauty for women really entails. In the new Victoria's Secret documentary film, "THE TOUR'23," you can witness revolutionary changes. While the Victoria's Secret show has previously created many angels, goddesses, and stars, it is now creating stars that emphasize not only the visual beauty of the goddesses but also their autonomy and creativity. In "THE TOUR'23," artists and designers use their ideas to change lingerie. The stories of female creativity are also brought to the forefront and seen.
In the film, there are new forms of supermodel runway shows, with models traversing the bustling streets of Tokyo, the wilderness of Lagos, and the rainy season in London. Each city has its own unique colors and style. Similarly, the women themselves do not need to conform to the typical "Barbie" look; they are the creators themselves, with different body shapes, ages, and temperaments, all seeking their own version of beauty. Each woman has a different viewpoint on "what is sexy." They put on Victoria's Secret wings and effortlessly traverse the world.
Twenty innovative pioneers make up this year's VS20, hailing from Bogotá, Lagos, London, and Tokyo, including fashion designers, filmmakers, and artists. Designers from Africa, Asia, and Europe showcase their own understanding of beauty in different ways. In the chapter from Bogotá, the designer used "scars" as inspiration. Who says "scars" are always an imperfect existence? Why has it always been vigorously concealed and camouflaged in the past? The designer observed the skin texture of scars under a microscope and designed clothes with "scars" as the central expression. Confronting the scars on women's bodies also reveals the valuable power of women from the regenerated skin.
What truly defines a goddess? The right to define a goddess belongs to women.
Victoria's Secret has established "The Tour Impact Fund." The brand stated that the establishment of this fund is aimed at helping to promote gender equality and providing support to global female creative workers, entrepreneurs, and communities, empowering their work and artistic creation spaces. The innovative pioneers in "THE TOUR'23" are also able to voice their communities more freely as a result.
- Changes in Sensuality, Aesthetics, and Lingerie Demands
The Victoria's Secret show in the past was like a condensed shadow of the millennium era, shining and magnificent. It was a stage showcasing sensuality and the modern metropolis. When it first aired on ABC, it set a record with 12.4 million viewers. Victoria's Secret lingerie was a fresh hit in the millennium era, exuding a complex sensuality and beauty.
Similar to "Sex and the City," the Victoria's Secret stage naturally showcased luxury. The "angel wings" on the models' backs and the million-dollar Fantasy Bras they wore were signs of an era where material production had reached a certain peak.
Back then, an important context was that women could enjoy desire and intricate beauty, choosing sensuality on their terms. Why should women only be good wives and mothers?
However, over the years, women have realized that sensuality has been surrounded by layers of standards and weights, which only make this sensuality more burdensome. Sensuality has not liberated women; it has instead confined them.
Beauty is not irrelevant, but comfort related to self-perception is more important. The Chinese market had long embraced a trend of simplification, and Victoria's Secret executives had admitted in interviews that the brand had been slow to realize this change.
Since the cancellation of the 2019 show, Victoria's Secret has undergone a major overhaul, with a stable gender ratio of seven women to one man at the board and decision-making levels.
In the ICON series of lingerie launched by Victoria's Secret this year, one can see the brand's design changes. The ICON series still retains the core elements of the brand. It remains sensual, with a smooth sense of lines, but it redefines sensuality in relation to the self. The models showcasing the lingerie are diverse and possess their own unique beauty. Plus-size model Paloma Elsesser, under the camera, radiates both her skin and her gaze, with a unique and exquisite curve.
The ICON series still features lace that represents sensuality, but it is lighter, simpler, and softer. It still provides support, but it emphasizes a soft, skin-friendly, and burden-free texture. Sensuality is natural and emphasizes that it has no specific criteria or boundaries. The evolution of Victoria's Secret reflects the changes in women's perceptions. From products to company mechanisms, Victoria's Secret has provided its own answers to self-transformation.
- Victoria's Secret's Evolution and the Changing Narrative of Women's History
The concept of sensuality for women during the 1970s "sexual liberation" movement in the United States held significant weight. Victoria's Secret was founded during this era. Sensuality was often concealed within the private sphere, hidden beneath the "Victorian dress." In everyday conversations, sensuality was considered a social taboo. However, when taboos became part of a performative culture, entering into public discourse, discussions about sensuality loosened, and a genuine understanding gradually emerged.
Treating sensuality as a taboo likely only emphasized its allure. Sensuality should not be a taboo. But it also evolved in sync with history, experiencing different pains, contradictions, and reflections. In the scenes of the old culture, women were objectified and observed, their sense of self weakened and restricted. Yet, time spoke for women; they were always meant to be the subjects, expressing their sensuality. In the new culture, the premise of sensuality is the complete self-expression of women. Gradually, women discovered the details and truths of gender culture from everyday items and conversations, removing the gaze, empowering themselves, and exploring their own conscious and autonomous sensuality.
Before Victoria's Secret announced the discontinuation of its grand show in 2019, its runway was akin to a "podium" in the modeling industry. Only models with sufficient strength and fame could grace the runway, and those more popular and higher in rank could earn the opportunity to don the Victoria's Secret "Angel wings" and wear the million-dollar Fantasy Bra. It was one of the benchmarks of a model's prowess in the fashion industry.
Should women completely remove elements of sensuality? Not necessarily. Doing so would limit women's possibilities. Sensuality is also a form of self-expression and self-choice. If there is a kind of sensuality that women enjoy, it must be a kind that makes them feel comfortable.
To create a women-centric brand, it is not enough to shout a slogan flatly; it must start with specific product design - does it make women feel comfortable? Does the beauty it pursues revolve around women's thoughts and feelings rather than selling anxieties and dragging women into a "pursuit of beauty" that sacrifices their essence? A brand that truly thinks for women is bound to be respectful of diversity. A unified template of beauty cannot allow women to see and discover their uniqueness. When women let go of the burdens imposed by history and structure, to rediscover, recognize, understand, and express their true selves, and embrace their potential, to create a different kind of beauty, their history is elevated.
This is also the exploration that Victoria's Secret and all other women-centric brands are undertaking to empower women. The art and music created by women, or the objects created by their spirituality, will become the material and evidence used by people to explore the history of women for many years to come. A conscious and spontaneous beauty will inevitably remove the gaze.
