Don't be fooled by the pretty faces — Victoria's Secret models have been accused of some seriously
shady behavior.
Let's break down the ugly and not-at-all angelic side of these past and present Victoria's
Secret models.
In December 2018, model Kelly Gale was accused of fat-shaming when she filmed herself jumping
rope right outside of an In-N-Out Burger.
In one clip, she makes a show of enjoying fruits and vegetables she brought with her
to the restaurant, while another shows her setting up exercise equipment at an outdoor
table.
At best, she was acting desperate for attention — but to many viewers, she was also not-so-subtly
shaming people who enjoy fast food.
"Maybe start putting tomatoes on your In-N-Out burgers."
Gale was chastised by her followers for the stunt, with some pointing out that you don't
need to shame other people for your fitspiration posts.
Taylor Hill may have had a little bit too much fun at the Coachella Festival in April
2018.
The model was photographed in a compromising position with her boyfriend, Michael Shank,
and another friend as they exited the festival's Neon Carnival party.
Hill apparently needed some assistance getting out of there, being photographed with her
friends holding her upright as she stumbled along.
Paparazzi recorded the model shouting about her love for Beyonce before going silent,
prompting some photographers to ask if she needed an ambulance.
She eventually made her way into a waiting SUV.
In April 2018, Bella Hadid came under fire for seemingly using the N-word while rapping
along to a Lil Wayne song at Coachella.
The reported incident led Hadid's followers to dredge up old tweets in which she'd also
used the racial slur, as well as other stereotypes against people of color.
That wasn't Hadid's only headline-making scandal.
In 2014, when she was 17, she was busted for DUI, allegedly blowing almost twice the legal
limit after ignoring a stop sign and almost hitting a police car.
After the incident, Blind Gossip obtained an email allegedly sent from Yolanda Hadid
to her youngest daughter, begging her to clean up her act — as well as her car, which the
email said was strewn with prescription drugs, beer cans, vodka bottles, rolling papers,
and, perhaps worst of all, dirty underwear.
Bella Hadid later claimed that her DUI behavior was actually the result of her Lyme disease
diagnosis — a creative excuse, if nothing else.
Bella Hadid isn't the only Victoria's Secret model accused of using the N-word.
In November 2017, a group of mostly blonde beauties rapped along to a lyric in Cardi
B's "Bodak Yellow" containing the racial slur.
From the surviving video of the incident, it isn't crystal clear who exactly yelled
the word out.
The only model who was truly safe from being accused of using the word was Devon Windsor,
who faced the camera and skipped the entire line of the song, effectively keeping herself
out of trouble.
What's even sketchier is that Jezebel reported that the footage may have originated from
a behind-the-scenes Victoria's Secret Fashion Show video that Karlie Kloss posted on her
own YouTube account — and when the viral moment faced criticism, it appeared that Kloss
edited out the models reciting the line with the N-word.
You may have noticed that Gigi Hadid was absent from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in
2017.
That could be because the show was held in Shanghai, China, and, before it was filmed,
Hadid had come under fire for making fun of the way Asian people look.
Hadid announced she'd be walking in the show in August, drawing an instant backlash of
angry comments on her Instagram.
A few days later, she issued an apology on Weibo in both English and Mandarin, writing,
However, Teen Vogue reported that the apology fell flat, in part because she only issued
it on Weibo and not on Twitter or Instagram.
In the November 2015 issue of Vogue Italia, Gigi Hadid could be seen wearing a lot of
bronzer and several afro wigs.
And when we say "a lot of bronzer," we mean a lot of bronzer.
In the May 2018 issue of the same magazine, Hadid was once again photographed in uncomfortably
dark makeup, looking almost unrecognizable.
This shoot once again led to backlash about the magazine's lack of diversity, and Hadid's
perceived habit of cultural insensitivity.
She apologized on Twitter, alongside a photo of her wearing bronzer leaving the shoot.
In her apology, she noted that the styling for the shoots was completely out of her control.
She wrote,
It's important to note that Hadid still apologized for the issues the shoot raised, while making
it clear that it wasn't her idea, saying in part,
At the 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, Karlie Kloss wore a Native American-style
headdress on the runway, accompanied by leopard print underwear and a turquoise necklace.
It was an ethnic grab bag of a look which rubbed many viewers the wrong way.
Navajo Nation spokesman Erny Zah told the Associated Press at the time,
Victoria's Secret said in a statement that they'd pull Kloss' walk in the headdress from
the broadcast of the show.
Kloss apologized for the gaffe on Twitter, sort of, writing that she was, quote, "deeply
sorry if what [she] wore during the VS Show offended anyone."
Note that she didn't actually apologize for wearing it — she's just sorry you were offended.
Classy.
On an episode of E!'s Model Squad in September 2018, Shanina Shaik lamented the lack of diversity
in modeling and fashion, explaining that she'd been bullied and had previously been denied
the chance to walk in Milan Fashion Week because of her skin color.
Instead of sympathizing, Windsor spilled out her own problems with a response seen by many
as tone-deaf and ignorant.
"I literally f---ing went through hell and literally lived in different countries like
every other month, and didn't speak that language.
I didn't speak Paris, didn't speak Italian."
She also added, quote, "You know how hard it is to be blonde?
I have to get a highlight every month!
Do you know how expensive that is?"
"I don't think you can relate to the turmoils of being different."
Windsor later tweeted in her own defense, admitting that the comment reflects poorly
on her.
She wrote,
Former Victoria's Secret Angel and Leonardo DiCaprio ex Erin Heatherton just can't stay
out of court.
In September 2017, The Blast reported that Heatherton was sued for a whopping $10 million
by a stylist and alleged former business partner who accused Heatherton of suddenly abandoning
a sportswear line called RetroActive that they'd been working on together.
Heatherton clapped back with a countersuit, seeking to be reimbursed for $25,000 she'd
reportedly paid out for work on the line.
Heatherton also alleged that the collaboration's resulting sportswear was of poor quality.
In July 2018, it was reported that Heatherton's attorney begged a judge to let her drop Heatherton
as a client.
The reason why was allegedly because the model was behind on paying her legal bills in the
RetroActive case, and kept ducking the lawyer's attempts to contact her.
The attorney also claimed that Heatherton "refused" to pay, allegedly saying that she
planned to file for bankruptcy.
But as the year came to an end, bankruptcy proceedings never began, with some concluding
that the model was simply blowing off her obligations.
But wait — there's more.
In July 2016, Page Six reported that Heatherton's neighbors in her West Village apartment building
sued her for having way-too-loud parties, breaking the building's rules that no loud
music should be played during nighttime hours.
It also came out that Heatherton reportedly owed the building $16,000 in unpaid common
charges at the time.
Miranda Kerr used to be a Victoria's Secret Angel, and she's got one heck of a shady side.
Us Weekly reported that Kerr was rumored to have hooked up with Justin Bieber after the
2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show — when she was still married to actor Orlando Bloom.
Two years after the alleged incident, Bieber and Bloom nearly came to blows.
In 2014, Kerr reportedly dated Malaysian financier Jho Low, who gifted her a whopping $8.1 million
in jewelry that she was forced to return because, according to The Wall Street Journal, they
may have been given to her as part of a money laundering operation.
Former Victoria's Secret model Cara Delevingne got herself in some hot water in May 2013.
That month, the Daily Mail obtained and published photos of Delevingne trying to conceal a tiny
plastic baggie filled with white powder.
The photos went viral, reportedly leading clothing retail giant H&M — who had signed
Delevingne to be the face of its Divided line — to investigate the model for possible
cocaine use.
She came clean in a 2015 interview with The New York Times, saying,
Taylor Swift first performed at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2013, after which Australian
Victoria's Secret model Jessica Hart got real about her opinions on the performer — maybe
too real.
When WWD asked Hart if Swift could make it as a Victoria's Secret model, Hart told the
mag,
As Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer, and Calvin Harris know, Hell hath no fury like a scorned
Taylor Swift.
Hart paid for her moment of shade when Swift was signed on to perform in 2014, reportedly
under the condition that Hart not be present.
Though the brand denied the rumor, Hart still seems to be publicly bitter about something
Swift may or may not have done.
In February 2018, Hart posed for an Instagram photo in a sweater that read, "FOUR LETTER
BAD WORD TAYLOR SWIFT."
Subtle.
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