WNBA player Angel Reese became the first professional athlete to walk the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on Wednesday, as the lingerie label — and self-proclaimed arbiter of sexiness in the 1990s — continues to rebrand following years of commercial turmoil.
The 23-year-old Chicago Sky forward joined supermodels like Bella and Gigi Hadid, and former “Angels” including Adriana Lima, in a star-studded lineup that also featured transgender, pregnant and plus-size models.
The diverse cast reflects the brand’s revamped vision for its annual extravaganza, which returned in 2024 following a six-year hiatus. Speaking backstage, Reese claimed she had “manifested this moment” while attending last year’s show.
“I posted on my (Instagram) Story last year, when I was here at the show watching front row. I said, ‘I’m gonna be a Victoria’s Secret model one day,’” she said adding: “I didn’t know it was gonna come this fast.”
Once a major televised event, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was often criticized for promoting outdated beauty standards, with viewership plummeting (from 9.7 million in 2013 to 3.3 million in 2018) before its cancelation in 2019. An American mall staple thanks to products like the “Miracle” pushup bra, the lingerie giant was known for using primarily slim White models in its promotional campaigns.
By contrast, Wednesday evening’s live-streamed runway opened with nine-month-pregnant model Jasmine Tookes, whose baby bump was visible through a gold macrame dress with pearl embellishments and a clam shell-shaped wing evoking the image of Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.”
Plus-size models Paloma Elsesser, Ashley Graham and Yumi Nu also appeared, as did Alex Consani, who (alongside Valentina Sampaio) made history last year by becoming the first trans woman to feature at the show. Olympic gymnast Sunisa Lee meanwhile appeared in a “halftime show” for Pink, a Victoria’s Secret sub-brand targeting younger women.
“Everybody looks different, but they’re all beautiful,” Reese told CNN, while getting ready, ahead of the show. “(That’s) the inclusivity of being a Victoria’s Secret model and knowing that you can look beautiful in many different shades, sizes, lengths, heights — tall, short — you can be here.”
Reese said her appearance resulted from conversations with Victoria’s Secret CEO Hillary Super, the woman charged with reversing the label’s fortunes. “She really told me… ‘You can be here. You’re an athlete, you have the body and you look amazing, and you’re really, really confident,’” the athlete said.
Super’s arrival in August 2024 coincided with a modest increase in annual revenue, which grew by 1% to $6.23 billion last year. But the uptick follows a decade of slowing sales, store closures and increased competition from athleisure brands and lingerie labels prioritizing comfort, diverse sizes and varying “nude” shades.
As recently as 2015, Victoria’s Secret was producing nearly two-thirds of the revenue for its parent company, L Brands, which was then worth $28 billion. By 2020, the lingerie label had been taken private in a deal that valued the brand at just $1.1 billion.
In the years since, Victoria’s Secret has attempted to reposition itself by partnering with a wider range of celebrities. Before last year’s comeback show, the label launched the VS Collective, a group of brand ambassadors known for promoting gender equality and body positivity.
Soccer player Megan Rapinoe and Olympic gold medal-winning skier Eileen Gu were among them, though Reese is, to date, the only sportsperson to walk the Victoria’s Secret runway. “A lot of young women are going to be watching me today to know that they have some inspiration and know that they can dream this big,” the basketball star said.
The label still turned to former Angels like Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio on Wednesday evening, though the cast also featured several unexpected newcomers, including former “Euphoria” actor Barbie Ferreira and YouTuber Quenlin Blackwell. Missy Elliott and Karol G were among the musicians to perform on a night that — although a marked departure from years past — still reveled in voluminous hair and risqué ensembles.
“I’m not going to shy away from looking like this, because I work my ass off for this body,” Reese said. “Being sexy is just something that I love and always embrace.”
