Curled up on her couch with her laptop glowing in front of her, senior Sophia Zhang watches this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show live. The show, with the theme Reawakening, kept the brand’s signature wings and glittering heels yet promised a new era of empowerment.
As models appeared on her screen, Zhang said she noticed a wider range of skin tones and body shapes than in years past. But instead of feeling inspired, she found herself questioning whether the brand’s sudden inclusivity was genuine or just a marketing move.
“They used to be very white-centric, with mostly white models, and now it seems like they’re moving towards a more inclusive approach,” Zhang said. “But I’m not sure if it’s because they truly want to or because they realized that other industries — like makeup and clothing — are becoming more diverse and doing better because of it. If they wanted to keep making money, they knew they had to be more inclusive.”
For senior and former model Cailey Quita, the brand’s message of empowerment came across differently. Having grown up in modeling, she said Victoria’s Secret’s shift toward inclusion felt genuine and personal.
“The fact that they’re stepping out and showing it shows how much they want to commit to that mission,” Quita said. “Seeing an Asian represented, like Suni Lee, who’s such a role model for me because she’s Asian and strong as an athlete — it’s almost like seeing myself as an Asian athlete. She was modeling, and I used to do runway, so it was one of those ‘I see myself’ moments.”
Junior Kate Lindstrom, though, said the rebrand felt less like progress and more like performance. To her, the company’s efforts at diversity hide deeper issues that still exclude many women.
“It is 100% a marketing tactic,” Lindstrom said. “There is no real change that we are seeing. Just because you have one Black model does not mean you are actively representing different groups — not just race, but also disabled or LGBTQ+ models. It’s just talk. There’s no action behind the words.”
The show also featured Olympic athletes — a move that sparked debate online. Some critics argued their bodies didn’t fit the traditional model look. But Quita said expecting women to match a single standard defeats the point of empowerment.
“I don’t think there’s a specific model look,” Quita said. “Looks are subjective, and you shouldn’t say, ‘Oh, this girl has a model look, and this girl doesn’t.’ For example, Suni Lee has a gymnast’s body — it’s unique to her. That shouldn’t limit her. There shouldn’t be a stereotype that models have a specific look.”
Zhang said the criticism toward athlete models reveals how much beauty standards still shape ideas surrounding femininity.
“People liked Victoria’s Secret because it sold this image of perfection — a perfect body, a perfect face,” she said. “That’s what the brand was built on, so people aren’t used to seeing it change. But I think having Olympians there is great — they’re literally some of the fittest people in the world. We shouldn’t be criticizing their bodies. If anything, that’s what healthy and strong looks like.”
However, Lindstrom said the show’s version of empowerment still leaves out many women, like those with wider rib cages, and only celebrates certain body types.
“In the fashion show, we are only letting who we want to be empowered be empowered,” Lindstrom said. “There are only certain body types that are being promoted … and we’re showing the same people, so it’s not true empowerment.”
While Lindstrom appreciated the runway variety this year, it still came with limits. Both Olympians and traditional models, she said, represent an unattainable level of perfection.
“Anyone performing in this fashion show is going to be the most extreme version of this idyllic perfection that real people aren’t gonna be able to recreate,” Lindstrom said. “They have worked really hard on their bodies — for the Olympians, to make sure that they can perform and play their sport; and for the models, to make sure that they are this level of perfection. But either way, that’s not the average American.”
Lindstrom said the lack of broader representation stems from deeper industry incentives that prioritize what sells.
“There are different body types that could be represented, but at the end of the day, a fashion show isn’t gonna hire somebody that people aren’t going to want to watch,” Lindstrom said. “A lot of these fashion shows, the imagery, the personifications — they’re adhering to the male gaze.”
She also warned that token gestures, like adding one plus-size or nonwhite model, can create the illusion of progress.
“There has been an increase in representation in major corporate fashion shows like the Victoria’s Secret one, but that’s one model in a show of however many it is,” Lindstrom said. “They’re doing the bare minimum and getting all this praise for it.”
Still, Zhang said seeing more variety, even if it’s not perfect, reminds her that there is no one definition of beauty.
“It helps me feel more seen,” Zhang said. “Obviously, there’s a wide range of body types, and most people don’t look like the models on the runway. But seeing that kind of diversity reminds me that beauty doesn’t only look one way.”
