With the iconic “Angel, Wings,” Gigi Hadid opened the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which made its triumphant return on Tuesday evening.
The iconic runway show was broadcast live on Amazon’s Prime Video and was held at Victoria’s Secret’s flagship store in New York City after a six-year hiatus.
The 2024 show also saw the return of Victoria’s Secret vets Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima, as well as next-generation icons Taylor Hill and Barbara Palvin.
Cher headlined the evening, along with Blackpink alum Lisa and rising star Tyla, marking the show’s first-ever all-female musical lineup.
It comes three years after the lingerie brand’s controversial ‘woke’ body-positive rebrand in 2021.
Victoria’s Secret’s iconic Angels were replaced by “ambassadors” like soccer star Megan Rapinoe, and the company fired its longtime CEO due to declining sales and a bombshell that accused the company of misogyny, sexual harassment and bullying.
With the iconic ‘Angel, Wings’, Gigi Hadid opened the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, making its triumphant return on Tuesday evening
The iconic runway show was broadcast live on Amazon’s Prime Video and was held at Victoria’s Secret’s flagship store in New York City after a six-year hiatus
Lisa kicked off the show with an ultra sexy performance of her hit Rockstar, riding into the venue on a motorcycle while models got hyped backstage.
Surrounded by leather-clad dancers, the 27-year-old singer showed off her toned stomach in a black vinyl bra in the shape of angel wings.
It was styled with chain mail and micro shorts.
Lisa’s provided an extensive choreography under pink stage lighting on the enormous catwalk.
Gigi Hadid opened the legendary show – which first aired in 1995 – with pastel pink wings and a glittering pink costume.
The model, 29, strutted her stuff during a fun mix of Chappell Roan’s hits Femininomenon and Charli XCX’s viral single 360.
After six years of retirement, Adriana Lima made her long-awaited return to the catwalk on Tuesday evening.
Gigi Hadid opened the legendary show – which first aired in 1995 – with pastel pink wings and a glittering pink costume
The model, 29, showed off a fun mix of Chappell Roan’s hits Femininomenon and Charli XCX’s viral single 360
Walking to the beat of Chappell Roan’s Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, the Brazilian beauty dropped jaws in a glittery pink and blank plaid bodysuit and pink holographic wings.
Hours before storming the 2024 runway, the models turned cameras backstage as hairstylists and makeup artists transformed them from bare-faced beauties to glamorous vixens.
The iconic ’90s show announced it was returning in May after a four-year hiatus.
The fashion show was canceled in 2019 after poor ratings and a slew of wild controversies, and has since made an effort to become more inclusive.
Victoria’s Secret announced the big news with an Instagram post, promising that the 2024 show would be “a reflection of who we are today, plus everything you know and love: the glamour, the runway, the wings, the musical entertainment.’
The popular mall brand from the early aughts previously returned with a ‘reimagined’ Victoria’s Secret World Tour Prime show in 2023 that wasn’t well received – with people calling the show boring.
Many former fans watching at home called for the return of former Victoria’s Secret Angels like Gisele Bündchen, Heidi Klum, Molly Sims, Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima and more.
That was far from the biggest problem with the brand, as Victoria’s Secret has faced multiple controversies in recent years.
In 2020, a bombshell report in The New York Times claimed that Victoria’s Secret owner Les Wexner was mocking the retailers’ efforts to champion women with different body types.
The Times interviewed more than thirty executives, employees, contractors and models, and looked at lawsuits to uncover a toxic culture of sexual harassment.
Employees said Wexner ridiculed the retail industry’s attempts to embrace different body types, saying, “No one goes to a plastic surgeon and says, ‘Make me fat.’
Wexner also allegedly berated employees about their weight, including mocking an employee for getting seconds at a buffet.
Following the backlash, the lingerie company pivoted in an effort to appeal to Gen Z and appointed new brand ambassadors, including soccer player Megan Rapinoe and transgender model Valentina Sampaio.
Ahead of the 2024 show, fans flocked to beg Victoria’s Secret to return to their glamorous roots.
Despite the brand’s assurances that this year’s show would be “a reflection of who we are today, plus everything you know and love,” one woman caused a social media storm when she tweeted: “Victoria’s Secret fashion show is tomorrow and I hope they bring THIS fashion back. show with femininity, glamour, glitter and girl power! I don’t want to see any of that politically woke stuff.’
Many people agreed and the tweet on X (formerly Twitter) received over 4,200 retweets.
‘And girl power! None of that stirred things up,” someone else wrote.
However, some called her out in the comments, with one writing, “Y’all just want the skinny LMAO,” and others saying, “God I wish I could be so willfully ignorant.”
Hours before storming the 2024 runway, the models – including Gigi Hadid – allowed cameras backstage as hairstylists and make-up artists transformed them from bare-faced beauties to full-on glam vixens
Victoria’s Secret veteran Alessandra Ambrosio – who last walked the show in 2018 – was seen backstage in the iconic pink and white coat
Adriana Lima — who returned to the Victoria’s Secret runway after six years of retirement — nailed her lines during her time in the hair and makeup chair
Plus-size model Ashley Graham looked sensational in a black strapless bra as her glam team put the finishing touches to her hair and make-up
Others claimed that US hasn’t been the same since Rihanna started Savage x Fenty lingerie and “stole the show” with her own A-list-approved runway that was much more inclusive.
Another critic tweeted: ‘Tomorrow is Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show! It was canceled in 2019 for woke reasons, now they’re back. I’ve always enjoyed looking at it because it shows what is possible. Nature is healing.’
On Reddit, many fashionistas were more concerned about the idea of the famous VS Angels being replaced by nepo babies and influencers.
“I expect it’s a bunch of nepo babies lying around in their underwear,” one Reddit user stated.
In the same Reddit thread, someone wrote, “I don’t see the point, tbh; their stuff is of much lower quality than it used to be. I hope there are no influencers around.’
“Sponsored by Ozempic,” one commenter snapped, while someone else agreed: “This is what I was thinking. They’ve been waiting for the ‘trend’ of plus size models to end and the show to come back.”