Why the VS Fashion Show Doesn't Belong in 2019

These days, there aren’t a whole lot of breaking news events in the world of fashion. One event however that shook social media and created a lot of chatter recently was the cancellation of the victorias secret fashion show, a nearly 18-year tradition that was a favorite of many, but also a source of controversy for many years.

The fashion show has been a part of the brand since 2001 and started out as a hit. People around the world would wait in anticipation as they counted down the days to the fashion show, which was known for over the top costumes, extravagant set design, high profile musical performances, and beautiful models called “angels”. For many years it succeeded as an hour-long fantasy where everyone and everything is beautiful, talented and sparkly.

So why was it canceled? According to Variety, the 2018 show brought in 3.3 million viewers, which is down from 6.7 million in 2016 and worse, 9.7 million in 2013. This dramatic decrease in viewership could be due to a multitude of issues with the brand, or the show itself. Not only has the number of viewers plunged, but store earnings have fallen from the prior quarter 7%. Beyond business reasons, victoria’s secret has faced criticism for insensitive statements from their ex-marketing chief who said that they would not be including plus-sized or trans models in the runway because “the show is a fantasy.” This comment showed an incredible sense of prejudice, transphobia and body shaming and is truly the heart of the attitude that has caused this brand to be on the decline.

It is 2019. Brands openly opposing the representation of entire groups of people are unappealing to the great majority of people, and simply unacceptable. Telling people that if they don't look like Kendall Jenner that they don't belong in the “fantasy” will almost certainly turn them away from the brand and leave them with a bad taste in their mouth. The fashion show for years has given traditionally beautiful, skinny, tanned (but not too tan) women a runway to strut down and denied anyone who looks any different. Because it is a “fantasy.” That idea is outdated and the social climate now more than ever leans towards accepting and diverse, which are two things that the VS fashion show is incapable of pulling off.

This year, Rihanna proved through her SavagexFenty fashion show that these things had no reason to be so isolating to plus-sized women, women of color, trans women, etc. Women were inspired by her show of diversity and support, and frankly, it was more entertaining and visually appealing than any VS fashion show had the guts to be.