Victoria's Secret fashion show returns after six-year hiatus: NPR

Models Kelsey Merritt (from left), Maia Cotton, Willow Hand, Iesha Hodges, Myrthe Bolt and Melie Tiacoh walk the runway at the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Pier 94 in New York City on November 8, 2018.

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Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Victoria's Secret models are returning to the runway for the lingerie company's fashion show after the once-famous event was on hiatus for six years.

Tuesday night's event will be the first time the company has staged a full fashion show since Victoria's Secret executives announced the show's cancellation in 2019.

At the time, the fashion industry was facing backlash due to body positivity, transgender rights and the #MeToo movements, which saw modeling as a key industry for change.

And controversial comments from then-Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek only brought additional scrutiny.

“Shouldn’t you have transsexuals on the show? No. No, I don’t think we should,” Razek said at the time, using an outdated term for transgender. He also said there was no interest in seeing plus-sized women on the runway, saying the show was intended as a “fantasy.”

Due to this and other controversies, Razek later resigned.

Now that models are wearing the company's fashion clothing again, Victoria's Secret's values ​​have changed and the 2024 show will be a reflection of these changes.

Keep writing Instagram Back in May, the company said: “We have read and listened to the comments. The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is BACK and will reflect who we are today and everything you know and love – glamour, runway, wings, musical entertainment and more!”

Former Victoria's Secret superstars such as Jasmine Tookes and Adriana Lima will return to the stage, as will plus-size model Ashley Graham. Television presenter and supermodel Tyra Banks, who last walked the runway in the Victoria's Secret show in 2005, will also be joining the cast.

Hoping to attract a wider audience, the fashion show will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video as well as new media platforms YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

The last few years have been financially tough for Victoria's Secret as competition in the mid-range lingerie market increased and the brand name lost some of its luster among younger shoppers.

A triumphant return of its annual fashion show, which saw 12.4 million viewers at its peak, could help the company regain some of its dwindling market share.