Victoria’s Secret has canceled its iconic fashion show for 2019. The company has recently announced its discontinuation of the lingerie runway show due to declining sales and interest in the once highly-anticipated annual event. 

   The lingerie company’s parent company, L Brands, announced the cancellation in its quarterly earnings call on Nov. 21. The company’s CEO, Les Wexner claims that they decided to cancel the show in order to explore new marketing strategies to reach their target audience.

   “Going forward, we don’t believe network television is the right fit,” Wexner said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. (VOX)

   The cancellation comes after a tough sales season for Victoria’s Secret, as its sales and ratings for the fashion show have decreased in recent years. 

  CFO Stuart Burgdoerfer told analysts that the company hasn’t seen a significant response in short term sales after the release of more recent fashion shows.

   The brand has faced recent backlash due to its lack of empowering and inclusive messages. Some may feel that the company promotes an outdated standard of beauty. 

  The brand’s hypersexualization of women does not seem to resonate as strongly as it did when the fashion show and company were at the forefront of the lingerie industry. 

   Employees of Victoria’s Secret told Vox that internally, company executives fail to believe in an inclusive and empowering message, asking workers to feature less diverse models.

   This may sound familiar to you if you have paid attention to controversies surrounding the company. Last year, the CMO of L Brands made a statement along with the stance that transgender models should not be cast in the fashion show, claiming that the show is a “fantasy” (TIME). 

   Demand for Victoria’s Secret’s products and shows over the years has plummeted. The New York Times reports that viewership for the show has dropped from 9.7 million to only 3.3 million.  

   It seems that the iconic lingerie company’s television reign has come to an end.