Honestly, the pink glitter runway isn't what it used to be. For years, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was the undisputed Super Bowl of fashion. You’d huddle around a TV in early December, watching wings that weighed forty pounds and models who seemed to subsist entirely on celery and determination. Then, the whole thing crashed. Hard.
After a four-year hiatus and a 2024 revival that had everyone talking (mostly about the lack of glitter), the 2025 show just wrapped this past October. If you’ve been following the drama, you know the brand is in a weird spot. They’re trying to sell the "fantasy" while also trying to be everyone's best friend. It's a tough tightrope to walk when your history is built on being the most exclusive club in the world.
The 2024 Pivot: Nostalgia Meets Damage Control
When the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show finally returned to a live runway format in 2024, the internet basically broke. We saw Tyra Banks return at 50, looking like she hadn't aged a day since 2005. We saw Gigi and Bella Hadid in red lace, and Cher performing "Believe" while models strutted by.
But there was a vibe shift.
The 2024 show felt... smaller? Critics called it "low budget" because the stage was a flat, gray surface instead of the sparkling, high-octane sets of the 2010s. The brand was clearly trying to distance itself from the "Angels" era that former exec Ed Razek once famously defended by saying plus-size and transgender models didn't fit the "fantasy."
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Naturally, the 2024 cast included Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio, both transgender icons, and plus-size powerhouses like Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser. It was a massive win for representation, but some fans felt the "magic" was lost in the process of being politically correct.
What Really Happened with the 2025 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
By the time the October 15, 2025, show rolled around at Steiner Studios in New York, the brand had refined the formula. They realized they couldn't just do a boring runway and call it "inclusive." They needed the spectacle back.
The 2025 lineup was a wild mix of "legacy" names and social media titans.
- Adriana Lima and Candice Swanepoel were back, grounding the show in its golden-era roots.
- WNBA star Angel Reese made her runway debut, which was a genius move for capturing the sports-meets-lifestyle audience.
- The musical guests—Missy Elliott, Karol G, Madison Beer, and TWICE—were clearly picked to hit every possible demographic from Gen Z K-pop fans to nostalgic Millennials.
The 2025 segments had actual themes again, like "First Light" and "Magic Hour." It felt less like a public apology and more like a fashion show. Still, the brand is navigating a "Path to Potential" strategy, as CEO Hillary Super calls it. They're seeing the numbers go up—sales were up 9% in Q3 2025—but the "Angel" wings now have to share space with a more realistic version of womanhood.
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The Business of Being "Nice"
Victoria's Secret isn't just changing because they want to be kind; they're doing it because they have to. In 2018, the show's ratings hit an all-time low of 3.3 million viewers, down from over 9 million just a few years prior. Brands like Savage X Fenty and Aerie were eating their lunch by actually showing stretch marks and different body types.
The 2025 strategy is basically: Casting for Clout.
By hiring models with massive social media followings—think Lila Moss or creators like Quenlin Blackwell—they aren't just buying a walk; they're buying an audience. If you can get 20 million views on a YouTube livestream within 24 hours, who cares if network TV doesn't want to broadcast it?
Why the "Fantasy" is Still a Problem
There’s a tension that Victoria’s Secret hasn’t quite solved. The original appeal was the "unattainable." You watched it because it was a fairy tale. When you make it "attainable" by showing clothes you can buy immediately on Amazon Live, it becomes... well, a commercial.
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Some critics argue that by trying to please everyone, they’ve lost the specific "sexy-cool" identity that made them a billion-dollar empire. In late 2025, the company even rolled back some of its DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) language, replacing it with "inclusion and belonging" to avoid political heat. It shows just how much they are struggling to find a permanent identity in a very loud culture.
How to Follow the New Era of VS
If you’re trying to keep up with where the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show goes from here, you have to look past the main event. The "show" is now a year-round social media campaign.
- Watch the VODs: Don't just look at the 2025 clips on TikTok. Watch the full 2024 and 2025 replays on Prime Video to see how the production value is slowly creeping back up.
- Follow the "New" Faces: The brand is betting big on athletes and creators. Keep an eye on how they use people like Angel Reese to sell their "VSX" sport line—that's where the real money is moving.
- Check the "Pink" Carpet: The pre-shows, often hosted by people like Law Roach, are where the real fashion commentary happens now.
The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show might never be the cultural monolith it was in 2003, but it’s definitely not dead. It’s just... different. Whether it’s "better" depends entirely on whether you’re looking for a fairy tale or a mirror.
Next Steps for Your Wardrobe and Feed
If you want to see how these changes actually affect the clothes you buy, take a look at the "Shop the Runway" collections on the Victoria's Secret website. You'll notice that the 2025 pieces lean much more into wearable "lifestyle" items—think high-end sport bras and lace that doesn't require a corset to wear—than the avant-garde lingerie of the past. You can also track the brand's shift by following the #VSFashionShow tag on TikTok, where the "behind the scenes" content now gets more engagement than the actual runway walks.