Victoria’s Secret vs Etam: Is lingerie fashion truly inclusive or just spectacle?
Can Victoria’s Secret and Etam deliver authentic diversity and empowerment, or is lingerie inclusion just a glamorous illusion?
Diversity and Inclusivity in Lingerie Fashion: Victoria’s Secret vs Etam in 2025
The 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show drew global attention and sparked debate about whether the brand is truly embracing inclusivity or just focusing on spectacle. As one of the most iconic lingerie runways made its big return, people watched closely to see if Victoria’s Secret could deliver on its promises of transformation, blending glamour, storytelling, and genuine representation. Meanwhile, France’s Etam has quietly maintained its annual Live Show since the late 2000s, offering a subtler, more authentic celebration of femininity, sensuality, and body positivity—less theatrical, but deeply resonant and relatable.
With both brands dominating the runway conversation, a familiar question returns: how can lingerie fashion genuinely embrace diversity and inclusivity while staying true to each label’s identity? In 2025, this is a real issue shaping the future of lingerie, affecting what audiences expect in terms of narrative, empowerment, and the celebration of women of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities. Every catwalk, model, and ensemble now contributes to a broader dialogue about authenticity, inclusion, and the evolving definition of beauty in fashion.
Early Runways: Victoria’s Secret and Etam’s White, Thin Ideal
Looking back at the early Victoria’s Secret and Etam fashion shows, both favoured thin, mainly white models.
Over time, Victoria’s Secret upheld the idea that thin, white women embodied an angelic ideal, represented by their iconic wings. However, in 2019, because the creative director at the time was reluctant to adopt a diverse and inclusive model cast, the show faced poor ratings, viewership declined, and thousands of controversies arose.
In contrast, at the 2019 Etam fashion show, they attempted to feature a more diverse and inclusive cast, but only about one-fifth of the models wore sizes above 36, and most were still white.
Victoria’s Secret 2025: Pregnant, Plus-Size, and Trans Models Make History
Currently, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show opens with model Jasmine Tookes, who proudly displayed her pregnancy in a gold ensemble. The show also featured plus-size model Barbie Ferreira, professional athlete Angel Reese—the first ever to walk the runway—alongside gymnast Sunisa Lee and Alex Consani, the first transgender model to win Model of the Year. With the revival of its runway shows, Victoria’s Secret is rebranding itself as more inclusive than ever before.
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Victoria’s Secret redefines its legacy with inclusive casting—featuring athletes, plus-size, pregnant, and transgender models in a bold new era
Victoria’s Secret Comeback: Inclusivity or Glamour Spectacle?
However, this change has divided consumers: some praise the brand’s commitment to inclusivity and value finally seeing themselves represented among the new generation of Victoria’s Secret Angels. Others, though, long for the return of the 2000s “Angels” era, favouring the traditional ideal of perfection over today’s focus on diversity.
Etam 2025 Live Show: Authentic Femininity and Real Diversity
At Etam’s 2025 J’Etam Fashion Show, models of various body types also took to the runway. Among them were plus-size model Lorena Duran, internet sensation Léa Elui, and pregnant model Constance Jablonski.
Although Etam’s show did not feature as many globally recognised names as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, it still demonstrated some diversity, highlighting women of various ethnicities and body shapes. However, it remains less diverse overall than Victoria’s Secret’s presentation, as most models are still white and slender.
Despite its subtler approach to inclusivity, consumers tend to view Etam’s representation as more natural and less performative.
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Etam embraces natural diversity with models of varied shapes and backgrounds, promoting authenticity over performative inclusivity in lingerie fashion
Victoria’s Secret vs Etam: Two Different Paths to Lingerie Inclusion
While Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show favoured high-gloss spectacle and choreography, Etam’s stage felt intimate and romantic, echoing its message of natural femininity.
Both fashion shows promote diversity and inclusivity, yet Victoria’s Secret’s approach often feels like a loud declaration; a marketing strategy designed to reclaim its image, while Etam’s feels quieter, more organic, and aligned with its narrative of self-love and natural sensuality.
Audience Reactions Split: Praise, Criticism, and 2000s Nostalgia
Reactions to the two shows could not have been more different. Victoria’s Secret’s global legacy sparked louder, more polarised opinions. Some praised the brand’s newfound inclusivity and said they finally felt represented, while others dismissed the effort as performative marketing, nostalgic for the glamorous “Angels” era of the early 2000s.
Etam’s show, on the other hand, received more neutral to positive feedback. Audiences perceived it less as a manifesto of inclusivity and more as a romantic story of self-love and sensuality, expressed through a variety of silhouettes. Its smaller, Europe-based audience may also explain the milder, less divided reactions.
Many viewers thought the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show lacked a clear story—some felt the brand’s focus on inclusivity took centre stage. Still, most agreed that Victoria’s Secret ultimately achieved greater diversity than Etam, featuring a wider range of body types, ethnicities, and identities, including transgender models and even athletes—people who are rarely seen on the runway—making the show more relatable to a broader audience.
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Victoria’s Secret’s inclusivity sparks debate, while Etam earns quieter praise for its subtle, romantic portrayal of confidence and self-love
Diversity in Lingerie Fashion: Celebration or Commercialisation?
In lingerie fashion, diversity has become a double-edged sword: a commitment that can easily turn into a high-impact marketing tool, appearing bold yet risking superficiality.
Today, everything bears the burden of cultural expectation: is fashion genuinely empowering women, or is it using inclusivity as a promotional stunt that impresses audiences without genuine depth?
Victoria’s Secret presents its Angels as bold symbols of reinvention and glamour, while Etam takes a quieter approach, focusing on body positivity and self-love. Yet authenticity is everything—audiences are dissecting every choice, questioning whether these brands support true representation or just make it look that way.
Redefining Lingerie Beauty: Empowerment, Body Positivity, and True Representation
In 2025, inclusivity becomes the measure of credibility, especially in lingerie fashion. Can Victoria’s Secret and Etam deliver genuine empowerment without tipping into performativity? Can they truly redefine beauty to embrace all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and gender identities while resisting commercial dilution?
The answers will determine the industry’s future: brands that authentically integrate diversity will earn trust, loyalty, and cultural relevance, while those that turn inclusion into spectacle risk alienating the very audiences they claim to celebrate.
In a world craving authentic representation, lingerie shows can no longer rely solely on glamour; they must embody deeper values, inspire meaningful dialogue, and confront the urgent question: who truly defines today’s beauty?
Caterina Gazzola
B.A. (Hons) Fashion Communication and Image, 1st Year, Paris