Victoria's Secret's annual fashion show, set to take place this Sunday in Los Angeles, is known for its glittering extravagance of lingerie, elaborate performances, revealing outfits and, of course, models showing plenty of skin on the runway. One familiar face who won't be taking part this year is Dutch model Romee Strijd, who took to TikTok to express her disappointment after being rejected by the brand.
Strijd, 31, began modeling at 15 and walked the runways for prestigious fashion houses including Louis Vuitton, Prada, Alexander McQueen, Balmain, Burberry and Céline. In 2014, she was selected to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and a year later she officially became one of the brand's coveted "Angels."
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Romee Strijd at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, 2014
(Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)
She continued modeling for Victoria's Secret until 2018, when the annual shows were discontinued amid public criticism of the objectification of women during the #MeToo era. In the years that followed, Strijd focused on creating social media content and her personal life, becoming a mother to two daughters, born in 2020 and 2022.
With Victoria's Secret reviving its runway shows over the past two years, Strijd assumed the brand would welcome her back. Reality, however, proved different.
Romee Strijd on the red carpet, 2025
(Photo: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal/Carbone)
In an emotional TikTok video, her eyes filling with tears, Strijd told followers that after spending the summer training to prepare for the show and attending auditions in September, she learned this week that she was "not the right fit for this year's show."
"I wanted to do the show again this year, even after having my babies. I felt like the timing was right," she said in the video. "I already knew the casting director, and I thought I would hear pretty quickly after the audition whether I was in the show or not, but I didn't hear anything for weeks. I think I was on some kind of 'maybe' list.
"At some point, I assumed it was going to be a no, but I kept training because you never know. In fashion and modeling, everything happens very last minute," she added.
Romee Strijd at the Canne Flim Festival, 2026
(Photo: Aurore Marechal/Getty Images)
Strijd ended the video by declaring that she would no longer be interested in participating in future Victoria's Secret shows. However, she added that she believed this year's show would be a success and acknowledged that "rejection is part of modeling."
Her fans, meanwhile, were considerably less forgiving. Many argued that the brand's decision reflected a preference for social media influencers and "nepo babies," the children of celebrities, over professional models.
Romee Strijd as an angel at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, 2015
(Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)
At the 2016 show
(Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)
Wearing the iconic black angel wings in the 2017 show
(Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)
The TikTok video has attracted more than 3,000 comments, with the debate spreading to other social media platforms.
"Not the right fit for the show?! You ARE the show," one TikTok follower wrote.
Another added: "This industry is messed up! I'm so sorry!!! You're stunning, and no one can take away all the shows you've walked."
At the 2017 show
(Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)
At the 2016 show
(Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)
Others joined in, calling Strijd a "true Angel." "Victoria's Secret rejected Romee Strijd from the show after she spent months preparing for her comeback as a mother of two. It's unbelievable," one user wrote on X.
"Rejecting the original Victoria's Secret Angels and choosing mediocre influencers makes absolutely no sense," another wrote. A third agreed: "They've lost their minds choosing social media stars over models."
Romee Strijd models in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, 2018
(Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret)
Strijd is not the only former Victoria's Secret Angel who will be absent from this year's show. Veteran models Frida Aasen and Lais Ribeiro have also revealed that they were not selected to participate.
Meanwhile, several supermodels closely associated with the brand will return to the lingerie runway, including Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Gigi Hadid and Ashley Graham.