When most people think of Victoria’s Secret, there are three distinct things that come to mind: the pink-and-white-striped walls of the stores, larger-than-life angel wings made for the runway and tall, thin, gorgeous supermodels. The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows of years past have confirmed the notion that everyone who walks at the show fits into a certain stereotype. 

Following the 2025 show, the documentary “Lights, Camera, Angels,” dove deeper into the behind-the-scenes aspect of the show and offered a newer, more diverse outlook on the brand as a whole. 

Adam Selman, Victoria Secret’s new executive creative director, coordinated the second fashion show since the hiatus the brand took in 2019. Selman started his career in 2011 designing for Rihanna, and later joined Savage x Fenty as its chief design officer.

Selman solidified his place in the fashion industry over a decade ago, but only began working for Victoria’s Secret and PINK last year.

The majority of the documentary itself focused on the models and Selman’s personal vision for each angel that walked the runway. The model who opened the fashion show was Jasmine Tookes, who was nine months pregnant at the time. Given the history between the two, Tookes’ presence in this show was incredibly important to Selman.

“I have a personal connection with Jasmine. She walked my first fashion show back when I was nobody on the radar,” Selman said in an interview with 10 Magazine. “I showed her the look, the clam shell, which was representative of Venus, and made sure she was comfortable with it. Then I told her the big news: she was opening the show. It was such a real, raw moment.”

When the Victoria’s Secret fashion shows became a mainstream pop culture event in the early 2000s, a pregnant supermodel opening one of the shows wouldn’t have even been considered. It wasn’t until 2019, following the resignation of chief marketing officer Ed Razek, that Victoria’s Secret executives realized that inclusivity did in fact sell.

Razek’s resignation was due to transphobic remarks he made regarding PINK’s first transgender model, Valentina Sampaio. In an interview with Vogue, Razek said that “transsexual” models should not be cast as Victoria’s Secret models to uphold the fantasy the show created. 

In the same interview, Razek also said that plus-size models had no place in Victoria’s Secret’s brand as audiences had “no interest” in seeing them.

Unfortunately for the former CMO, Victoria’s Secret has since made an effort to include diverse models in both their typical marketing campaigns as well as their fashion shows since his departure.

For plus-size model and body activist Ashley Graham, the 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was her second time on the runway for the retailer, having also modeled for them in 2024. 

Graham was originally very nervous to model for a brand she had previously called out due to their lack of diversity in body types, but after speaking with brand leaders, she decided to join the team.

“I’m not nervous, and everything’s very secure, we’re not going to have anything pop out, which makes me feel good so I can strut it,” Graham said in an interview with People Magazine. “I’m honestly more excited just for the full representation that’s going to happen during the show.”

2024 Model of The Year Winner Alex Consani, a well-known transgender model, also became an angel for the 2025 show. Consani has been outspoken during her career about how important it is to represent all members of the trans community, especially those who are underrepresented.

“Seeing more of us, not just white versions of our community, not just thin versions of our community, not just able-bodied versions of our community, but all of the facets of being trans,” Consani said in an interview for Them. “I think that’s so fashionable: the expression that comes from having an identity, especially now, that’s so unappreciated and unsupported.”

Selman’s creative vision for this show also included two out of the ordinary choices for models. WNBA player Angel Reese and Olympic gymnast Sunisa Lee both walked the runway in 2025, making them the first athletes to ever participate in a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Reese and Lee were both unconventional picks, given that neither of them are professional models. Lee stands only at 5 feet tall, making her one of the shortest women to ever model for Victoria’s Secret.

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show has come a long way since the very first one in 1995, an intimate affair lacking angel wings, musical guests and most importantly, diversity. 30 years later, Selman has found a way to honor the legacy of the brand, while also making room for a new generation of beauty standards that reflects every form women come in.

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Hi! I’m Kayla Friedman, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.