Victoria's Secret hasn't hosted its annual fashion show in years, but it's coming back soon ... except now -- brace yourselves, cancel culture vultures -- it might return in a "woke" form.
Indeed ... the news came down Friday in an earnings call for the company, where CFO Timothy Johnson announced VS was bringing back their Angels to hit the runaway again -- this after a 4-year hiatus -- only this time around, the look and feel will be different.
Johnson is quoted as saying, "We're going to continue to lean into the marketing spend to invest in the business, both at top-of-funnel and also to support the new version of our fashion show, which is to come later this year."
The company further said their new "brand projection and mission" will be their guiding light -- although it's unclear what exactly that is. VS adds, "This will lead us into new spaces like reclaiming one of our best marketing and entertainment properties to date and turning it on its head to reflect who we are today. We're excited to share more later this year."
Considering Victoria's Secret has been mired in controversies for the past few years -- with everything from alleged toxic, misogynistic work environments being fostered to execs being tied to Jeffrey Epstein and a general convo about modern beauty standards -- it's probably a safe bet to assume that Victoria's Secret is aiming to be more inclusive going forward.
We've already seen VS change up the types of women they employ as models ... they've brought on transgender women and even women with disabilities onto the roster. With that said, it's not quite clear what folks can expect to see on the runway from here on out.
While it remains to be seen when this is all gonna roll out, it seems the days of old are done. The 2017 and 2018 VS fashion shows can be seen here ... where the ladies are adorned in the traditional bra/panties/wings getups. That might be getting scrapped too.
If that comes to pass -- namely, losing the scantily-clad outfits -- it'll be interesting to see how VS finds the right balance in representing their models ... and more importantly, their products. Fact is, they're a lingerie company ... and they gotta move merchandise somehow.
Of course, we are living in a time of body positivity and all ... so maybe they'll just trot people across the stage from all walks of life and continue to bare it all. Time will tell.
Anyhoo, old VS was fun while it lasted -- and certainly introduced us to some mega stars who, hopefully, stand the test of time. In any case, sentiments are a-changing, folks.
Onward and upward!