The Victoria’s Secret fashion show has returned to the runway for the first time since 2018 and has displayed its first-ever all-female lineup while also making strides towards inclusivity by including the first transgender models in the fashion show.
Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio walked the runway on Oct. 15, and their appearance resurfaced past comments of transphobia from former Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek. In a 2018 interview with Vogue after being asked if trans models should be included, Razek simply claimed he did not think they should be featured.
The comment by Razek received a lot of backlash and the brand ended up releasing a statement saying that they would cast a trans model, but the ones who came to castings simply did not make the cut like other models.
It was not until 2019 that Victoria’s Secret cast the first trans model, Sampaio, in a project titled after her. Within days of the project, it was announced that Razek would be retiring from the company.
Victoria’s Secret is a brand that I feel has a very firm belief in the way a model should look and who should be allowed to walk the runway. The lack of inclusivity regarding models of varying body types and the hesitancy to include trans women in the shows tells me all I need to know about them.
In 2023, the company released a documentary that showed various designers and artists across the world and featured the most trans inclusion yet for the company. Some of the talent featured in the show were artist Edun Sodipo, DJ and producer Honey Dijon, models Ceval Omar and Alex Consani.
During the fashion show, Alex Consani appeared during Tyla’s performance. She wore a pair of wings that reached the floor made of satin, as well as a light blue sequined bralette top and high-waisted boy shorts in the same color. Sampaio appeared on the runway during the section opened by Kate Moss with Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll” playing. She was dressed in a glittery black bikini with a bow made of black sheer fabric behind her. She also wore a sheer skirt decorated with crystals.
While I believe that the inclusion of trans models appears to be a step in the right direction for the brand, I think it is a long overdue step. Comments made in the past regarding trans models are a clear indicator to me that the brand never felt strongly about trans inclusivity, and is only now making these changes to keep up with the times and to avoid backlash.
Victoria’s Secret is a brand that I feel has a very firm belief in the way a model should look and who should be allowed to walk the runway. The lack of inclusivity regarding models of varying body types and the hesitancy to include trans women in the shows tells me all I need to know about them.
This is a brand that has caused so many young women to hate the way they look. Since middle school, I remember walking through the mall and seeing these models plastered on huge posters throughout Victoria’s Secret and Victoria’s Secret Pink. The imagery of “perfection” that I and many other women have ingrained into their minds is from Victoria’s Secret advertising. I only wish the younger me could have seen more inclusivity featured in these ads before the standards started to form.
I am glad they are taking steps to be more inclusive now, and I hope that the brand is changing with genuine intentions. However, the comments made in the past sting a little and only reinforce the idea that if you are not white, skinny and cisgender, you are not beautiful.
oparisi@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @saintdemie, X
