Empowered or entrapped: What do Victoria’s Secret shows really mean for women?
Heels, hair and HOT! The secret formula that the Victoria Secret producers just recently rediscovered for their runway. October 2025 saw the second return of Victoria’s Secret, following 2024’s disappointing attempt: largely due to the lack of bombshell blowouts, glittery stages and intricate wings. Though some just used this as an excuse to propagate hateful body image ideals… but safe to say pretty much everyone was disappointed in one way or another. Background on the shows: The first show took place in August 1995, intimately hosted at New York’s Plaza Hotel. Its aim was to promote the brand and make lingerie more mainstream — breaking down the stigma around the sales. There was however, a conscious effort to illustrate the line as high-end, slightly unorthodox for what is ultimately, a ‘mall brand’. To gain a brand however, Victoria’s Secret had to introduce their ‘it factor’: taking form in their infamous angel wings. The first pair were worn by Tyra Banks in 1998, due...