On Oct. 15, pro athlete Angel Reese starred in a Victoria Secret fashion show. She’s the first professional athlete to walk the runway. The athlete herself posted an instagram story while attending a Victoria secret last year that said, “I’m gonna be a Victoria Secret model one day.” She then said, “I didn’t know it was gonna come so fast.” The fashion show took place in Brooklyn, New York, where many talented models are. This moment is very significant for both Reese and the brand.
This is very progressive for the brand, as Victoria’s Secret hasn’t always been seen as realistic. This fashion show in particular had many diverse models. Reese being one of them, as the first professional athlete. Two time champion Suni Lee also debuted in this fashion show, showing us that Victoria’s Secret is scouting out models not just for their beauty anymore but also for their accomplishments. Along with Reese, soccer player Megan Rapinoe was in attendance, as well as Olympic gold medal winning skier Eileen Gu.
Victoria’s Secret didn’t always have the diversity that they do now. As recently as 2015 Victoria’s Secret was producing nearly two-thirds of the revenue they once were. In recent years they have been attempting to reclaim their once famous brand by having a wider range of celebrities collaborating with them. They also have launched the VS collection with a group of ambassadors known for promoting gender equality and body positivity. The show featuring Reese and the other models in particular had a very positive impact on the internet as they had many well known models and celebrities from all over the world and from many different backgrounds.
Jasmine Tookes was the first model out on the fashion show that night and she walked out proudly almost nine months pregnant. While they have had pregnant models walk the runway before, she is the most recent one for the Victoria’s Secret brand. Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio were the first trans women to walk in the Victoria’s fashion shows, both of which are recent; this just further shows that Victoria’s Secret is trying to become more inclusive with the time. Reese herself has said, “Everybody looks different but they are all beautiful, that’s the inclusivity of being a Victoria secret model and knowing that you can look beautiful in many different shapes, sizes, lengths, heights-tall, short – you can be here.”
