The lights dim, the crowd silences and an enchantress appears on the runway. Jasmine Tookes portrays a morning goddess with her shimmering jewels. She walks to the end of the runway and showcases her pregnant belly capturing true feminine power. Pure beauty was presented on October 15, as the Victoria’s Secret show returned once again for a display of femininity, sisterhood, and inner goddesses.

The Victoria’s Secret fashion show has returned for the second year, after a six year hiatus. The show is monumental in the world of fashion because of the beautiful display of glowing wings and jewels glimmering from every corner of the runway. It returned last year with massive expectations, however the public was expecting more from the return of the legendary show. Fans were anticipating a major show for the 2025 couture event.

Isabel Gabel,  a long time fan of Victoria Secret, shared some thoughts about the opening walk. “The opening with Jasmine Tookes who is very pregnant was beautiful. I thought the whole opening was ethereal and almost brought tears to my eyes” Gabel said. As eighteen year olds, Isabel and I have been watching these shows for as long as we can remember and truly love the women empowerment portrayed in the show.

The world was not only looking forward to the display of fashion itself, but also the iconic models that gave the VS fashion show its fame. The show included legendary models Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, the Hadid sisters, Irina Shayk and many more icons. Those familiar faces bring back the old Victoria’s Secret confidence that so many fans adore. Their looks were nothing short of astonishing.

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion show is widely recognized for the Barbie-like models whose body types are almost all the same. One of the main reasons the VS show was disliked by many was because they weren’t inclusive with the body types. The VS show directors understood where they went wrong and since the return, VS has made it essential to include all body types. Models of every form joined together on the runway for a truly iconic show. Ashley Graham who had been a longtime voice for those who felt misheard when it came to lacking in different body types walked her second show for VS. Graham expressed her gratitude and love for the new shows. The 2025 one truly understood the assignment and made it essential to include diversity and body types for every girl watching.

The world loved the body positivity and diversity, but there is a standout figure that also just walked her second show and who is a voice for many. The amazingly popular Alex Conasani, model of the year 2024 came back for another year. Consani has a very large social media presence and has gained a massive following for her vibrant personality and her powerful words regarding her transgender journey as a model. Fans loved seeing her looks on the runway again. Consani expressed her love for the show and joy in many interviews from the Victoria’s Secret social media platforms.

The returning angels gave a sense of familiarity to the fashion show, but there were notable new

faces that joined the runway. New and up and coming models were given the opportunity to strut and shine in the show, but it was also the first time professional athletes posed up on the VS runway. WNBA legend Angel Reese, and two time gold medalist gymnast Suni Lee hopped on the runway to display women empowerment with powerful walks and dazzling looks. “I loved seeing new faces,” Gabel said. “I am a huge fan of the USA gymnast team so I was so excited to see Suni lee on the runway along with all my favorite models.”

Not only has VS moved in the right direction with diversity, and body positivity but they are also giving opportunities for women in all fields.

The Victoria’s Secret fanbase loves to see the performances from the few artists that are chosen to perform on the runway. The runway welcomed performances from Madison Beer, Kpop group Twice, latin pop star Karol G, and a notable closing performance from Missy Elliot. Fans expressed

their love, “legendary stage design, iconic models, and actually talented performers, this is really the best Victoria Secret show of all time” said Twitter user fantasizemafia.

There was plenty of criticism from last year’s show about the lack of iconic flowy blowouts, notable wings, etc. The VS fanbase was expecting some old Victoria’s Secret flair for the 2025 show. Did the show gave the fans what they wanted this year? “Yes, and n” Gabel said. “I loved how they brought back the big bouncy blowouts, and most of the wings were beautiful. However, some segments weren’t my favorite. Besides the fact that there were some design issues I personally wasn’t a fan of, I thought the new faces and diversity was amazingly represented.”

Overall there are mixed reviews of the show, and most of the critiques from the public are because it wasn’t like the “old Victoria’s Secret shows.” I believe that the point of the show was to pay respects to the old shows but also add a modern touch and give a new flair. Some people may hate it and some may love it.

As the doors opened to all the stunning models, pink confetti rained down on them as they all gathered together for one final walk during the 2025 show. It’s evident that Victoria’s Secret isn’t just taking back the runway but also redefining it for a new era.