00:00Okay, so let's talk about it. After years of controversy and a pretty dramatic break,
00:05the Victoria's Secret fashion show made its huge return in 2025. This was a massive gamble to try
00:11and reclaim its spot in pop culture, but believe me, the world was watching with a very critical
00:16eye. So yeah, after basically being kicked out of the cultural conversation, the lingerie giant
00:22staged its most ambitious comeback yet. This wasn't just another fashion show. It was meant
00:26to be a statement, a huge declaration that the brand was ready to fly again. And that's the big
00:32question, right? In this explainer, we're going to break down the whole spectacle, the strategy behind
00:37it, and the seriously divided reaction to figure out if Victoria's Secret is actually ready for a
00:41new era or if the ghosts of runways past are still haunting them. All right, first things first. To
00:48really get why this comeback was such a big deal, we have to go back and remember exactly why the
00:54most famous fashion show on the planet got canceled in the first place. I mean, just look at this
00:59timeline. It really lays out the crazy speed of their rise and then their fall. Back in the early
01:052000s, the show was an absolute cultural juggernaut. But by the mid-2010s, the criticism was getting
01:11louder and louder until, boom, they shelved the show in 2019. After a kinda quiet rebranded return in
01:182024, they came back with this massive 2025 show we're talking about today. So it wasn't just one
01:25thing that brought the angels down. It was kind of like a perfect storm of cultural shifts. That
01:31one-size-fits-all bombshell ideal just felt totally out of touch as the body positivity movement took
01:36off. You had competitors championing inclusivity, and the show's whole male gaze vibe just wasn't
01:42connecting with the women they were actually trying to sell lingerie to. Okay, so that was the problem.
01:48How did Victoria's Secret try to fix it? Well, for their big comeback, they didn't just tweak a few
01:54things. They tried a massive course correction across the entire show. And right off the bat,
01:59the most obvious change was who they put on the runway. They really tried to build a bridge between
02:04the past and the future. You had icons like Adriana Lima and Gigi Hadid back, but walking right alongside
02:11them were trailblazers like transgender model Alex Consani, plus-size model Yumi Nu, and even history-making
02:17athletes like WNBA star Angel Reese and Olympian Suni Lee. But look, the changes went way beyond just
02:24the models. They moved the whole show to the industrial Brooklyn Navy Yard for a grittier,
02:30more modern vibe. They streamed it for free on YouTube and Amazon Prime to get it in front of as
02:35many people as possible. They even hired Adam Selman, who used to work for Savage X Fenty, as their new
02:40creative lead. The whole energy was different, too, with an all-female lineup of performers,
02:45where Carol G. actually became the first artist ever to perform in Spanish.
02:50So, they did all this stuff, they put on this massive show, but did anyone actually like it?
02:57Well, that's where things get complicated. And let me tell you, the internet had a lot of thoughts.
03:04The reaction was basically split right down the middle, and it really shows you this tightrope
03:08they're trying to walk. On one hand, people praised the diverse casting, and it got a ton of social media
03:13buzz. But on the other hand, a lot of critics called it performative, pointing out that most
03:18models were still straight-sized. And the longtime fans? They felt that the over-the-top, magical
03:24spectacle they loved was just gone. And this comment from social media pretty much sums up one of the
03:30biggest complaints. People felt the outfits, the very heart of the show, looked cheap, almost like
03:36fast fashion. A huge departure from the super luxe fantasy designs of the past. And it wasn't just the
03:43clothes. Even the famous wings, you know, the centerpiece of the whole fantasy, got dragged.
03:50Instead of being these awe-inspiring works of art, they became memes, with people comparing them to
03:56everything from mattresses to those travel neck pillows. Ouch.
04:01And speaking of wings, get this. Bella Hadid's wings weighed a staggering 50 pounds. Viewers noticed
04:09right away that she was really struggling to walk, looking wobbly and uncomfortable under all that
04:14weight, which made a lot of people question the design choices. This one really hits home, because
04:20for a company that sells lingerie, this was seen as a massive fail. On model after model, people pointed
04:26out that the bras, the core product, just didn't seem to fit right, which kind of undermines the
04:32entire point of the show, doesn't it? And finally, a lot of people just missed the fun. The original
04:38angels were famous for blowing kisses, winking, and selling this amazing party vibe. In contrast,
04:45many viewers felt the 2025 models looked bored or just low energy, swapping that signature charm for a
04:51sort of, I'd rather be anywhere else stare. Okay, let's be real. You absolutely cannot talk about
04:57the VS comeback without talking about the brand that completely changed the game while they were
05:01away. Rihanna's Savage X Fenty. And this chart really breaks it down. See, Savage X Fenty didn't
05:08just add inclusivity to an old formula. They built their entire brand around it from the get-go. It's
05:14theatrical, it's high energy, and it truly celebrates all kinds of bodies, instead of just including
05:19them. They set a whole new bar, and now that's the bar Victoria's Secret is being measured against.
05:25And this right here, this is the core challenge for Victoria's Secret. The rebrand feels too slow
05:32and maybe not genuine enough for the new, diverse audience they're trying to win over. But at the
05:37same time, it's alienating their original fans who miss the old glamour. It brings up this huge
05:42question. Is this change real, or is it just a marketing strategy to get people to buy things again?
05:47And if you look at the money, the numbers tell a similar story. They're seeing really strong
05:52growth internationally and in their physical stores, which is great. But their online sales
05:57have actually dropped a bit, which suggests that the digital first customer, the one they really
06:02need to convince, isn't totally sold yet. So, after all the hype, all the drama, and these mixed
06:10results, what's next? Where does Victoria's Secret go from here? Well, officially, the company
06:17has this three-step plan they're pushing. First, strengthen their core identity. Second, boost
06:23growth by adding more product lines. And third, change the whole foundation to focus on global
06:29expansion and something they're calling product-driven entertainment. And look, we have to give them
06:35credit for one thing. The show absolutely succeeded in getting everyone talking about Victoria's
06:40Secret again. Love it or hate it, the brand was back in the conversation. And you have to
06:44assume that was goal number one. But, you know, buzz fades. The real test now is whether this
06:51new identity shows up in every single product, every ad campaign, and every store. Can they
06:57prove to a pretty skeptical world that this change is for real and that it's here to stay?
07:02And that leaves us with this one last thought, which really gets to the heart of this whole
07:06thing. It's a challenge so many iconic brands are facing today. Is it actually possible to evolve
07:11without losing what made you famous in the first place? Or, in this case, will the weight
07:16of those old wings always pull you back down to earth?
07:18Do you wanna meet with those? Was it again heavy or two of them? Or, in this game who was
07:40left hand to earth? Or, I was so out of time, uh, there's a problem. That's still a problem.
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