Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returns with transgender models

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show’s splashy return to the runway made history on Tuesday as it featured transgender models in the lineup for the first time ever.

In years past, the glamorous show drew together lingerie-clad models, musical performers and a dazzling celebrity guest list before things came to a crashing halt. In November 2019, the annual show—which debuted in 1995—was put on hiatus, amid declining ratings and criticism of its failure to represent women of varied body types and backgrounds, away from what had been seen as the standard tall, thin frame.

Taking things in a new direction two years later, in 2021, the lingerie brand announced that it had parted ways with its supermodel “Angels” in favor of a line-up of women whose accomplishments lie far from the catwalk. At the time, these ambassadors for its VS Collective included “accomplished women” such as soccer star and LGBTQ activist Megan Rapinoe, actress Priyanka Chopra, and trans model Valentina Sampaio.

The annual fashion show, which had long been a fixture on the celebrity calendar over the years, appeared to have been permanently consigned to history.

However, on Tuesday, the show returned with a presentation in Brooklyn, New York City, featuring veteran and newer models, including Kate Moss, Alessandra Ambrosio, Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima, Carla Bruni, Joan Smalls, Eva Herzigová, Behati Prinsloo, Doutzen Kroes, Jasmine Tookes, and sisters Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid.

In an apparent answer to previous criticism, the show also displayed a more inclusive direction as transgender models Alex Consani and Sampaio were among those modeling the company’s eye-catching designs on the night. Emira D’Spain, another transgender model for the brand, sat in the front row at the show.

Weeks ahead of the show, a representative of Victoria’s Secret told People in a statement that the runway extravaganza would “deliver precisely what our customers have been asking for—the glamour, runway, fashion, fun, wings, entertainment—all through a powerful, modern lens reflecting who we are today.”

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Sampaio, Consani, and Victoria’s Secret via email for comment.

Who Is Alex Consani?

Aged 21, Consani held the distinction of being the world’s youngest transgender model when she embarked on her career aged just 12 back in 2015.

After signing with power agency IMG Models in 2019, the California native saw a wider boost in popularity when she started sharing comedic videos on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Making her runway debut in New York City for Tom Ford in 2021—the same year that she graduated high school—Consani was feted on the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s (GLAAD) 20 Under 20 list for 2022. That year, her runway work would go on to include walking for Versace and Alexander McQueen.

For Spring/Summer 2023, Consani was named one of the standout models of the season by fashion bible Vogue. During that time, she walked for such lauded brands as Chloé, Burberry, Boss by Hugo Boss, and Roberto Cavalli.

She came into the Victoria’s Secret orbit last year, when she participated in the brand’s reimagining of its fashion show, called The Tour ’23.

Speaking backstage at this year’s revived Victoria’s Secret presentation, Consani told Paper magazine: “I’m so excited. It’s my first ever Victoria’s Secret show. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m here.”

This is something of a banner year for Consani, who was nominated for the Fashion Award for Model of the Year 2024, becoming the first openly transgender women to be put forward for the honor. In the spring of this year, she also appeared in music videos for singer Charli XCX and rapper JT.

Who Is Valentina Sampaio?

A native of Brazil, Sampaio, 27, became the first openly transgender woman to model for Victoria’s Secret when she joined the brand back in 2019.

She also blazed a trail as the first trans model to appear on the cover of a Vogue edition, gracing Vogue Paris in 2017. This first was also achieved in 2020, when she appeared in the pages of Sports Illustrated.

Other magazine appearances earlier in her career included German and Brazilian editions of Vogue and Elle Brasil. Her work also saw her land a role as a spokesperson for L’Oréal.

Walking her first runway in November 2016 at São Paulo Fashion Week, Sampaio has worked with a roster of brands that includes Marc Jacobs, Moschino, Dior, Philipp Plein, and H&M. In 2021, she became an Armani Beauty Ambassador.

Following the announcement that she had joined the Victoria’s Secret family, Sampaio modeled for VS PINK in a catalog photo shoot.

Ahead of making her runway debut for Victoria’s Secret on Tuesday, Sampaio told People: “This moment is one I will cherish for a lifetime. Today, the Victoria’s Secret family has shown the world that being trans is just as exceptional and beautiful as anyone else on that runway.

“Inclusivity is crucial to the world we’re building, and I’m honored to walk with pride, love and the hope of inspiring the next generation. Thank you, Victoria’s Secret, for making a long-held dream come true.”

Why Was Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Put on Hiatus?

As well as criticism that the image Victoria’s Secret projected several years ago was somewhat dated, the brand also faced further controversies and issues, including internal allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.

The company, which was founded in 1997 by married couple Roy and Gaye Raymond, was hit with a steady decline in sales starting from 2016—the same year that longtime CEO Sharen Jester Turney stepped down from her role.

After being appointed president and CEO of Victoria’s Secret in 2006, she was credited with overseeing an increase in total sales revenue from $4.5 billion to more than $7.7 billion.

Leslie H. Wexner, whose company L Brands has served as Victoria’s Secret’s parent company since the early 1980s, subsequently split the brand into three parts—Victoria’s Secret Lingerie, Victoria’s Secret Beauty, and Pink—appointing a CEO for each.

However, the company’s image dramatically faltered when Victoria’s Secret’s then-Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek sparked furor over his expressed aversion to the inclusion of transgender women in an interview with Vogue in November 2018.

Addressing the brand’s lack of transgender and curvier models at its annual show, he said: “Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special.

“If you’re asking if we’ve considered putting a transgender model in the show or looked at putting a plus-size model in the show, we have. We invented the plus-size model show in what was our sister division, Lane Bryant.

“Lane Bryant still sells plus-size lingerie, but it sells a specific range, just like every specialty retailer in the world sells a range of clothing. As do we. We market to who we sell to, and we don’t market to the whole world. We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes [in 2000]. No one had any interest in it, still don’t.”

Amid a sea of backlash, Razek issued an apology via Victoria’s Secret’s official Twitter account, stating: “My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive. I apologize. To be clear, we would absolutely cast a transgender model for the show.”

He added: “We’ve had transgender models come to castings… And like many others, they didn’t make it… But it was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are.”

However, the damage was done, with critics coming out in full force to condemn Razek’s remarks, which were published days before the annual VS fashion show.

The show would go on to suffer its worst ratings ever, with just 3.3 million viewers tuning in—a sharp drop from the previous year’s audience of 5 million, which itself was a record low. Razek would resign from his post in August 2019.

Musician Halsey, who was the featured performer at the 2018 event, took to Instagram to condemn the show, writing: “After I filmed the special performance, some comments were made regarding the show that I simply cannot ignore.

“As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have no tolerance for a lack of inclusivity. Especially not one motivated by stereotype… If you’re a trans person reading this, and these comments have made you feel alienated or invalidated please know that you have allies. We stand in solidarity. And complete and total acceptance is the only ‘fantasy’ that I support.”