Fallen Angels? Model Shanina Shaik Says the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Is Canceled

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is such an iconic annual event that it warrants a TV special, star musical guests, and a ton of interviews with the models who walk in it. 

However, the show has grown more and more controversial over the past few years, with people questioning if the show glorifies a certain body type, and if some of the looks have bordered on cultural appropriation. 

Shanina Shaik, a veteran model for the brand, made headlines when she claimed that the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show would be canceled this year. Her latest interview has many wondering if she knows information that hasn't been released to the public yet. 

The 28-year-old hails from Australia and has been working with Victoria's Secret for eight years. She was the runner-up in the only season of the Australian reality series, Make Me a Supermodel in 2008. 

She spent time modeling for catalogues for famous department stores before she got noticed by the lingerie brand in 2011 after switching management to NEXT Model Management. She has walked in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show five times since then and now works with IMG Models.

The model was featured on the 2018 E! docu-series Model Squad that also starred Olivia Culpo, Daniela Braga, and multiple other Victoria's Secret models. The beauty was also married to DJ Ruckus for less than a year. The pair filed for divorce in July. 

So what exactly did Shanina say about the status of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show? 

In addition to the widespread criticism of the point of the show, there has been a sharp decline in viewership for the filmed special over the last few years. Because the show is known for getting popular musical guests (past ones have included Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, and Taylor Swift,) it's clear that the production isn't cheap. Plus, one of the most famous parts of the show is the Million Dollar Bra, which is exactly what it sounds like. 

The New York Times reported in May that the show wouldn't be broadcast on TV anymore because of this drop in viewership. Last year's show only had 3.3 million viewers, which was the lowest number in the last five years (the year before had 5 million viewers). Shanina is the first model or Victoria's Secret affiliate to confirm that there would be no more fashion show.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph (Australia's version of The Daily Mail) Shanina said, "Unfortunately the Victoria's Secret Show won't be happening this year." 

She said that the cancellation meant a change in her routine of the last few years. "It's something I'm not used to because every year around this time I'm training like an angel," Shanina said. "But I'm sure in the future something will happen which I'm pretty sure about."

Shanina seemed to confirm that the cancellation was more of a rebranding strategy than a permanent change, which goes along with what the brand's chief executive, Leslie Wexner, said when confirming that the show wouldn't be televised anymore.

"I'm sure they're trying to work on branding and new ways to do the show because it's the best show in the world," Shanina explained. 

As of right now, there has been no other confirmation about the show's cancellation officially. If Shanina is right about the rebrand, then we likely haven't seen the last of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.