Strict Standards The Victoria's Secret Angels Have To Follow

The life of a Victoria's Secret Angel might look heavenly, but the reality is that some of the standards the models must meet can be hellish. Contrary to how it seems, the job is not all glitz and glam. What it's really like to work as a Victoria's Secret Angel might shock you. In fact, some famous faces have sashayed away due to the intense job requirements. This elite group is the cream of the crop, and most wanna-be Angels must audition to earn their wings, even if they currently model for the brand. That's because it is more than a prestigious modeling title. It is a lifestyle and culture that requires an unwavering commitment to the brand, and not every model is cut out for the demands. 

The surprising origin story of Victoria's Secret involves a man named Roy Raymond who, frustrated with the experience of finding sexy lingerie for his wife, decided to open his own store in 1977. His idea was solid, but his concept floundered until The Limited owner, Leslie Wexner, bought him out for $1 million and an empire was born. Like any empire, Victoria's Secret soon toppled, partly due to the lack of model diversity, which has caused some controversy in recent years. Although they've aimed to rectify that issue, at the end of the day, Victoria's Secret is selling a fantasy. "This is the serious business of beautiful women," Ed Razek, former chief marketing officer of Victoria's Secret told Forbes. "You have to want it and have to work for it."

Victoria's Secret Angels are known for their toned bodies, and the pressure to maintain that physique is intense. While there have been no official stats released, The Sun reported that the models must be 5' 9" tall, with measurements of 34-24-34, and a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18%. For context, a "normal" BMI range for women is considered between 21-24%. "There's a body type and a size type that they believe in," a stylist who has worked with brand told the New York Post. "It's big t*ts, tiny waist, tall skinny legs. If they don't have the body that Ed [Razek, Victoria's Secret's former chief of marketing officer] deems the perfect woman's body, they will not be in the show." While reps for the lingerie brand have not publicly commented, one look at a catalog or runway show would indicate that the speculation may not be a stretch.

The brand has taken a lot of heat over the years for promoting what many have said is a limited view of beauty that can be detrimental to a woman's mental and physical health. "If that's what girls are seeing as the beauty that is celebrated, to not see yourself in that is just so limiting," Becca McCharen-Tran, the designer of swim and athletic wear label Chromat, told the New York Post. "I think [the show] just shapes so much of our cultural conversation about what beauty is, and who's deemed worthy of desire, and who's beautiful and who's not." 

The may look angelic, but these models are beasts in the gym. Alessandra Ambrosio who does daily workouts and ups the cardio before the big show, admitted that it's not her favorite part of the job. "I don't love exercise, I'm normal, I hate going to the gym, but I do it because I have to," she once told Glamour, and amended, "For Victoria's Secret we have to do it." Some of the models have turned to trainer Dan Roberts for help. "I treat their bodies like athletes and prepare for shows through scientifically designed nutrition and exercise plans," he told The Sun.

One of the most famous Victoria's Secret fashion show models of all times, Angel Adriana Lima, said her trick is to stay consistent and runway-ready year-round. That might explain how she strutted down the catwalk a mere two months after giving birth to her second child. "I'm always ready," she said. That's why I've been in the business for over 20 years," she told Business Insider. "I am at the gym every day," she said, adding that she'll also work out elsewhere, including at home. However, it was reported that the model mom went on a nine-day liquid diet to prepare for her post-baby debut, and then cut out all liquids 12 hours prior to taking the stage. "You work out as an athlete," Ambrosio told The Sun. "All your mind, all your everything goes into it."

When it comes to their diets, Angels don't just "wing it." They follow very strict plans. Protein is a staple, as are fruits and veggies, but there are some other, more unusual dietary hacks these models swear by. Adriana Lima, for example, has a buckwheat shake every night. "I'll mix [buckwheat] with hemp milk and honey, and I'll eat it hot or cold depending on how I feel," she told the New York Post. "Eating buckwheat before bedtime actually helps you burn calories while you sleep," Lima claims.

Following a diet free of processed foods, low in sugar, and high in both protein and fiber-rich options is typically a safe way to maintain a healthy weight, as long as you are eating enough. However, the pressure for the Angels to maintain their physiques can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food, as Bridget Malcolm discovered. She confessed that she nearly destroyed her body in her quest to be "skinny enough," per her essay for Harper's Bazaar. "Unknowingly, I was battling an eating disorder and chronic anxiety that would soon lead to a ruined digestive system, all because I thought I was doing what I had to do to succeed in the industry that I love," she wrote. Malcolm, who still models, added, "If we create a safe place for models to be honest about this—free from the fear of being alienated—it will have a positive effect on body dysmorphia and women's self-esteem."

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

There is a huge difference between a Victoria's Secret model and an Angel, and not all V.S. models make the cut. In fact, it doesn't matter if you are a working model or a famous celebrity, all wanna-be Angels start with an audition. For years, this grueling process that even Gigi Hadid (who was passed over in 2014) described as "scary," per Vogue, involved walking around half-naked in front of the former chief marketing officer Ed Razek and a board of executives. It was "You don't get a free pass to this show," Razek once told Vogue. "You don't get in because you are somebody, you get in because you earned it."

Not making it can do a number on a model's self esteem. Sara Sampaio learned that when she struck out not once but twice before finally making the Angel team. "The second time I didn't make it, it was like a knife," she told Vogue in 2014. Cameron Russell, 25, who walked the runway in 2011 and 2012, said of her fellow models in a 2013 TED Talk: "They have the thinnest thighs and the shiniest hair and the coolest clothes and they are the most physically insecure women, probably, on the planet." Who can blame them? In an industry defined by looks and sex appeal, to be told "no" could make anyone second guess themselves, even a supermodel.

As any Biblical historian will tell you, angels can fall from grace. That applies to the world of Victoria's Secret Angels too, where just because you're in, doesn't mean you'll stay forever. Most of the models must re-audition each year, and there are many former Angels who have been turned away from the gates. Famous fallen Angels include Kendall Jenner, who was reportedly dropped from a London catwalk due to bloating. Then there was Kate Upton, who was iced out after casting agent Sophia Neophitou told the New York Times that Upton looked like "like a footballer's wife, with the too-blonde hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money could go out and buy." Ouch! 

In one of the more famous denouncements, model Jessica Hart took what appeared to be a jab at Taylor Swift, who had performed at the show. In the snub heard around the world, she told WWD, "God bless her heart. I think she's great, but ... she didn't fit." She then added, "I don't know if I should say that." Her concern was indeed warranted, so she apologized in Vogue Australia. "It was taken out of context, but I have certainly learnt my lesson," she said (per E!News). Unfortunately, the damage was done and Hart appeared to have been banished from Victoria's Secret heaven. Although former chief marketing officer Ed Razek claimed she wasn't fired, Hart hasn't walked for the brand since the incident.  

How did Leslie Wexner turn the struggling lingerie company he purchased from Roy Raymond for $1 million into a multi-billion dollar industry? Simple! He flipped the script. Rather than market to men, Wexner started marketing to women, and it worked! "We're interested in appealing to women because women do 99% of the shopping in Victoria's Secret," former chief marketing officer Ed Razek told Forbes. "All of these women would be the best looking girl any guy had ever seen — guys are easy," he chuckled. "Women have to say, 'I want to look like that, I want to have that spirit or that confidence and strength.'"

Today's Angels still need to be relatable to women, but those women have changed. No longer content to fit into someone else's mold of "sexy," women began demanding more inclusivity and diversity among the models. The brand took a hit and had to go through a serious redefining of what being relatable means in today's climate. Razek and Wexner stepped down amid scandal controversy, the fashion show took a long hiatus and then reemerged with some notable changes, including sending Victoria's Secret first plus-sized model down the runway. "When the world was changing, we were too slow to respond," Martin Waters, Victoria's Secret's former chief executive, told The New York Times. "I've known that we needed to change this brand for a long time, we just haven't had the control of the company to be able to do it."

Being an Angel is a hell of a commitment that extends far beyond the runways and photo shoots. Angels are brand ambassadors of the highest order and, as such, they are required to commit to 50 days per year to brand support. That can include promotional events, store openings and talk shows all over the world. While 50 out of 350 days per year may sound like a pretty sweet gig, for a busy working model, that can mean being forced to turn down another job that might offer more exposure or pay. That demanding and sometimes unpredictable schedule has caused some models like Karlie Kloss and Doutzen Kroes to hang up their wings. In a now deleted Instagram post, former chief marketing officer Ed Razek addressed Kroes' departure. "Doutzen had a lucrative opportunity in Europe and it would have conflicted with her VS obligations," he wrote (via Business Insider). "So, at her agency's request, we released her from contract. There was no conflict. No animosity."

Miranda Kerr is another Angel who decided to rejoin the ranks of mere models. She still works for the brand, but not under the strict Angel demands. Kerr quickly dispelled rumors that she was let go. "I'm now entering a new phase in my life," she told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I have felt this coming since my son was born and, after I became a mother, I realized I needed to prioritize my time."

They might look ready to raise a little hell, but the truth is that the Angels don't wear tarnished halos. They are, by all accounts, tame. Like many of the woman who shop at Victoria's Secret, these models have busy lives. They juggle careers with carpool duty, and the vibe is professional, not party girl. Any paparazzi shots often show the models doing normal-ish, everyday things with children in tow – just like the consumers the brand caters to. What you won't see are candids of Victoria's Secret models crawling out of clubs at the crack of dawn or scandalous snaps of their sexcapades. "There's definitely a morality clause," Jan Planit, owner of Planit Model Management, told the New York Post. "They come with any big contract." Photographer Nigel Barker, who worked on "America's Next Top Model," agreed that such a clause would make sense. "It's tough if you're in your early 20s and making a fortune," he mused. "It's not always easy to be focused."

Focus, however, is what the job demands, especially if you intend to keep it. "The notion of girls partying at night and showing up late and throwing cellphones at chauffeurs, you won't see it, period," former chief marketing officer Ed Razek told Forbes. "Nobody gets drunk. Nobody stays out late at night. Nobody comes to work with a hangover. I can't remember the last time I had to lecture somebody," Razek told Business Insider, which is perhaps hypocritical considering he reportedly faced bullying and sexual harassment allegations.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

There was a time not so long ago when being a Victoria's Secret Angel could take a model from just another pretty face to an icon with worldwide exposure, fame, notoriety, and a sizeable paycheck for her efforts. But things have changed, including the pay. "It was [once] every girl's dream when they got into the modeling industry," model agent Victor Del Toro told The Post (via Page Six). "They wanted to be a Victoria's Secret Angel. Over my 14 years, when I ask [new models] what they want to do in their career, that's what they say. I've heard it over 1,000 times. And just to get to the show casting was a huge deal."

Angel contracts are kept hush-hush, but an insider told Page Six that things have changed from the days when the richest Victoria's Secret models made big money. "In the heyday, Gisele made $5 million," said the insider. "[Later], the girls made $1 million plus bonuses." A source told the New York post that the rate is even lower: "Older contracts such as Alessandra Ambrosio were in the millions, now they're like $100,000" (via The Sun). To the average person, $100,000 isn't anything to whine about, but the drop in pay could be a deterrent to the Angels who often have to turn down other jobs to meet their contractual obligations. Still, even if the money isn't what it once was, the coveted Angel title serves as a springboard for many models who parlay it into other, more lucrative contracts down the road. 

The rise of the '90s supermodel gave rise to the super diva who, as Linda Evangelista once famously said that she "won't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day." That diva behavior doesn't fly in today's world, and especially not if you want to be a Victoria's Secret Angel where teamwork and support is not only valued but expected. If a girl comes off as unapproachable or aloof, chances are she won't make the cut."There are a lot of women who have a strong modeling career, but you want a team who can interact with each other, who are supportive of each other," former chief marketing officer Ed Razek told Business Insider. In translation, that means no pettiness, jealousy, or catfighting. No arguing over who gets the bigger wings, or who gets to open the show. "I'm not interested in divas," he added.

A look at their social media accounts reveal that many of the Angels are indeed team players who know how to play the game. They workout together, spend time together, and genuinely seem to like one another. These savvy young women understand the value of using social media and their exposure as Angels to leverage their own personal brands that will carry them forward after the modeling days are done. Creating that brand starts with being seen as likeable and authentic. As Razek told Business Insider, "It's important that women look to the models as people they would like to be friends with, have lunch with, hang out with."