Casting is grueling — in part because Victoria's Secret models are anomalies. "What people don’t realize is that they’re rarer by far than superstar athletes," Edward Razek, chief marketing officer of L Brands, who helps cast the famed show, told The New York Times in 2010. Maybe 100 women in the world could fit this mold — and only 30 are cast for the big show.
Source: New York Times
Models must fit the notoriously strict limitations of 5-foot-9 — at minimum — with the desired measurements of 34-24-34.
Source: YouTube
The audition is incredibly brief. "With the smile, the hello, the walk, they get maybe two minutes," Razek told The Times. "Maybe it’s not even that much." But either you have it or you don't — casting directors don't need much more time than that to recognize who's a star and who isn't.
Source: New York Times
Then it's time to start training. The models have about twelve weeks to get into tip-top shape. "We’ve been killing ourselves for this show," Justin Gelband, a trainer for these top models, said to The New York Times
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Source: New York Times
Angel Lily Aldridge works out for six days a week in the month before the show — mixing it up with cardio and strength training. Adriana Lima works out up to two times a day!
Source: Business Insider; Vogue; Women's Health
Victoria's Secret Angels are obsessed with Gotham Gym, a gym in New York City.
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Source: Fashionista
They also love ModelFit, a no-sweat workout. Karlie Kloss frequently works out there, as do other Victoria's Secret models.
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Source: The Coveteur
They eat very healthy. Look no further than Karlie Kloss's Instagram, where she posts healthy meals like egg-white omelets and grapefruit.
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Get ready to ditch the donuts. "You have to make weight," Angela Lindvall, an on-again, off-again Angel, told The New York Times. To lose weight post-pregnancy, she ate only chard, kale, and spinach, The Times notes.
Source: New York Times
Adriana Lima's diet is intense. A special nutritionist instructs her to eat protein shakes and take many vitamins — while drinking a gallon of water each day, according to The Telegraph. She eschews solid food nine days before the big show, and two days before the show, she cuts down on the water.
Source: The Telegraph
Adriana Lima stops drinking water twelve hours before the show. "No liquids at all so you dry out, sometimes you can lose up to eight pounds just from that," she said to Telegraph.
Source: The Telegraph
For "emergencies," models often consult Dr. Charles Passler, a nutritional guru who subscribes protein shakes and detox diets to help the women shrink their body fat percentages and get ripped abs.
Source: Elle
And that means make up goes everywhere. "It varies from year to year, whether they want us to have body makeup or not. I think last year, they didn't want us to have too much, because [the look] was more natural ... But they used to have a whole set-up backstage of bronzers, getting it all in your a** and in the right spots," Candice Swanepoel said to the Huffington Post.
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Source: Huffington Post
"It's all about creating the illusion of this amazing body on the runway. People don't realize that there are about 20 layers of makeup on my butt alone," Selita Ebanks said to The Huffington Post.
Source: Huffington Post
And prepare to go bare. "You know, for years I'd been waxing, which is part of the torture of being a model — I'm blonde, thank God! But I actually did laser, which was the best thing I ever did for myself, I wish I'd done it 10 years ago," Candice Swanepoel said to the Huffington Post.
Source: Huffington Post
"The night before we have a dress rehearsal and the day of, it’s all day, hair and makeup and interviews. By the time the show actually rolls around I’m kind of exhausted and it hasn’t even started. It’s a really special day when it finally all comes together in that moment when the show actually happens," Karlie Kloss said to InStyle.
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Source: In Style
And then after the big show, they eat pizza. Well...that's what Karlie Kloss told InStyle she does. (Candice Swanepoel has been photographed eating pizza...so perhaps they do, in fact, chow down on junk food.)
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Source: In Style
Then it's back to getting ready — because walking the runway show doesn't guarantee you one of the coveted Angel's slots.
There are rare athletes and rare models who have very long careers because they do the work, prepare and don’t take it for granted," Edward Razek said to Forbes. "Every night I see a picture of you on Instagram from a club, night after night, and every night [while] you were doing that Adriana Lima was jumping rope for 3 hours.
Source: Forbes
Once you make it to Angel status — beyond just walking the runway and posing in catalogs — it takes up your life. "This is for sure like a full-time job; it feels like I was just hired by a company and I’m literally like going to the office," Monika Jagaciak said to Fashionista.
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Source: Fashionista