The Victoria’s Secret fashion show may not air until December 8, but between our fashion fangirl moments over photos of looks from the show and our increasing excitement about seeing performances from our fave artists like The Weeknd and Selena Gomez, we think it’s pretty safe to say that the anticipation is already in full swing.
Another major part of our excitement? Finding out which of our favorite models made the cut for the show. In case you couldn’t have guessed, it turns out that casting for the show is INSANELY competitive—after all, walking in this show can make a model’s career. According to Business Insider, 10 of the 11 models on Forbes’s list of highest earning models have either walked the show or modeled for Victoria’s Secret at some point.
So how exactly are the VS models picked each year? Victoria’s Secret recently released a video to give fans the inside scoop on the process—and it’s about as nerve-wracking as we had imagined. (According to the judges in the video, there are unfortunately often tears involved.)
When every one of the hundreds of models who try out are flawless, how do the judges even make a decision? While being drop-dead gorgeous and having legs for days are part of it, Richard Habberly of DNA Model Management told Women’s Wear Daily that there’s a lot more for the judges to consider than you might expect. The models have to seem likeable to VS shoppers, too.
“They’re women that appeal to other women,” Habberly says. “And they’re special because they never appear in men’s magazines. Once you start to do that, they become threatening.”
The bottom line? While getting cast as a VS Angel is #goals for every model, the road to stardom is a tough one—it did, after all, even take Gigi Hadid three tries before she finally scored a spot.
Will you be tuning into the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show this year, collegiettes?