The Victoria’s Secret catwalk show casting is exactly as terrifying as you’d expect.

By MAMAMIA TEAM

There’s a whole lot more to starring in a Victoria’s Secret catwalk show than wearing novelty wings and offensive native costumes; you also have to strut your stuff under harsh lighting while a panel of people decide whether you are worthy of walking or not.

In a process akin to the average person’s changing room hell, the show’s creative director for the past three years, Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou, has revealed what goes down during Angels casting.

“They are provisionally cast by John Pfeiffer but the final decision is made by the whole team, sitting at this long table in a room with really harsh lighting and they have to walk towards us and away from us,” says Neophitou-Apostolou.

It’s a fate even modelling powerhouses like Gisele Bundchen or Miranda Kerr didn’t escape.

“They all have to do it – even the contracted girls – and it’s incredibly nerve-wracking for them.”

But it’s not about being thin; the models have to be “show-ready,” a state Neophitou-Apostolou compares to the peak condition of professional athletes.

“It’s really like being an Olympian – they have to be in peak condition. It’s not about being thin or anything like that – it’s about being ready to perform and be the best you can be in that moment.”

Considering Adriana Lima has previously spoken about her liquid diet and twice-daily workouts to get in shape for the show, saying the process has less to do with thinness than with being in peak physical condition is flawed. If it wasn’t about thinness, then where are all the plus-size models?