I had high hopes for what many other reviews are calling for: a return to Victoria's Secret with models of various sizes, ethnicities and abilities. Like all creative efforts, "The Tour" begs questions of intention and purpose: What is the purpose of a lingerie brand's fashion show? Is it to educate us about interculturality, diversity and political unrest - or is it to arouse viewers? Is it the proper platform for discourse on ageism and sexism - or is it a flashy ad? Does Victoria's Secret need to be experimental - or can it just be thoughtful? Must something be serious to be beautiful - or can fun be transcendent precisely because it is fun? VS wants to have its cake and eat it, too. Instead, the company opted for virtue-signaling an inclusiveness that it should have had a decade ago and still can't seem to make good on. With our pervasive cultural bias that disabled and ill people are not sexual like everyone else, this exclusion is concerning.Ģ023 was the perfect opportunity to reintroduce the Victoria's Secret fashion show. But it is troubling that rather than cast models who have stretch marks, scars, chronic illness and cancer and then designing a collection to amplify these real conditions, the designer fabricated stretch marks and scars and placed them on taut, skinny bodies (with the exception of one plus-size model). Valdés' pieces - intricately and intimately crocheted by the designer's own mother - form webs reminiscent of spiders, root systems and cells, quite lovely in their own right. Inspired by stretch marks, tumors and scars, designer Melissa Valdés explicitly references chronic illness and cancer as her inspiration. This absence of disabled talent is particularly startling, considering the design concept of the Bogotá collection. It must also be noted that not a single model in the entire tour appeared to have a disability. There's something akin to relief at seeing plus-size models' - and Michaela's own - rolls and loose skin pouring over the edges of the clothes we saw gracing the catwalk a decade ago. One of the most compelling aspects of the London show was following designer Michaela Stark as she explored the archival VS Fashion Show costumes in Ohio. Instead of just one show, " The Tour '23" consists of four separate sister shows curated by teams from four different countries: the U.K., Nigeria, Colombia and Japan, each with its own fashion designer, team of artists and set of models. Following a restructuring of leadership and a hard-working social media rebrand, Victoria's Secret released a reimagined version of the Fashion Show on Sept. And models had long been speaking out about the dangerous dietary and exercise regimens the career-making show required in order to maintain that youthful allure.ĭespite this harmful history, Victoria's Secret has been mounting a comeback. Unfortunately, it can be hard to recognize the sexualizing of children's bodies when our beauty standards for adult women are essentially the same: thin, hairless, petite, cellulite-free, wrinkle-free. It might seem obvious that lingerie designed and marketed for tweens and teens could have insidious motives. Hulu's 2022 documentary "Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons" laid bare the connection between the brand, human trafficking and sexual exploitation, a particularly revolting exposé for those who grew up alongside the launch of VS "little sister" brand PINK. Through her visionary company, singer-songwriter Rihanna offered inclusion that Victoria sorely lacked. The launch of Savage X Fenty in 2018 prophesied the downfall of Victoria's Secret. And it was never just underwear: Each model was adorned in layers of costuming designed to accentuate VS products. Growing up in the era of Teen Vogue and "America's Next Top Model," the VS Fashion Show felt like just another arena of fun and style geared toward young women. Every year, I'd stake out the family TV after my parents had gone to sleep to watch the rainbow of fantastical outfits and theatrical performances. Still, I loved the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. I only entered the hallowed halls of Victoria's Secret to grab bottles of the body spray I'd douse myself with before and after gym class. I hit puberty as the American shopping mall was taking its final, dying breaths.
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