You must smile like you’re genuinely happy to be there, even when your feet are bleeding into the carpet. The “Victoria’s Secret Smile” is a specific muscle twitch—lips parted, teeth slightly showing, eyes half-closed as if you’re smelling a really good cappuccino.
But here’s the trick: You also need to look like you’re secretly judging everyone in the room. It’s a delicate balance between “friendly goddess” and “I will steal your boyfriend.” The training for this expression takes months. Some models practice in the mirror until they look genuinely unhinged.
The Backstage Culture
Backstage is a war zone. There are sixty women in various states of undress, a thousand hair products, and one bathroom. The atmosphere is 80% protein shakes and 20% silent competition. You’ll hear whispers like, “Did she get the pink robe?” (The pink robe means you’re the favorite. It’s basically the Hunger Games of bras.)
How To Become A Victoria's Secret Model | TAFT Independent
Oh, and you’re expected to do 100 squats right before walking. This is called “pumping out” to make your butt look rounder. You’ll do them in your underwear while a makeup artist applies glitter to your eyeballs. It’s chaos. Beautiful, terrifying chaos.
