The 2024 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show came back with a hot pink vengeance on Tuesday, Oct. 15. It was a feat few believed the lingerie brand would be able to pull off less than a decade removed from a series of controversies that nearly tanked its credibility with women forever. Times were so tough, in fact, that executives cancelled the runway show indefinitely in 2019—a decision you can read all about in a timely new book about the brand's complicated history.
Five years and a global rebrand later, Victoria's Secret has emerged from that identity crisis with a self-awareness and generosity of spirit it didn't have before. Casting for this year's show feels markedly more inclusive, featuring curve models like Paloma Elsesser and Ashley Graham alongside veterans such as Gigi and Bella Hadid, Tyra Banks, Barbara Palvin, Candice Swanepoel, Adriana Lima, and Jasmine Tookes. Outdated tropes like the multi-million dollar "Fantasy Bra" and explicitly referring to the models as "angels" seem to have been nixed entirely. And instead of booking one buzz-worthy act to perform alongside the models, the show chose to showcase three legendary female performers: Grammy-winner Tyla, "Goddess of Pop" Cher, and K-pop star Lisa.
