Gigi Hadid Backs Elsa Hosk Amid Victoria’s Secret Show Backlash

WHO:

Yahoo - Gigi Hadid defended Victoria’s Secret model Elsa Hosk after Hosk’s runway walk drew criticism.

Yahoo - Hosk is a veteran model who walked in eight consecutive Victoria’s Secret shows, from 2011 to 2018.

Yahoo - Hadid is the mother of Khai, age 4, with ex Zayn Malik.

Yahoo - Gisele Bündchen appeared in a prerecorded video for the show; she has not walked in a Victoria’s Secret show since 2006.

Yahoo - The article lists runway participants including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Barbara Palvin, Megan Thee Stallion, Alessandra Ambrosio, Behati Prinsloo, Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Kylie Jenner, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tate McRae, KATSEYE, Irina Shayk, Joan Smalls, Ashley Graham, Elsa Hosk, Megan Moroney, Alex Consani, Anok Yai, Vittoria Ceretti, Doutzen Kroes, Natalia Bryant, Jasmine Tookes, and Solange Omon.

Us Magazine - Hadid, 31, publicly supported Hosk and described herself as a fan of the original Victoria’s Secret Angels.

WHAT:

Yahoo - Hadid responded on Threads to criticism of Hosk’s runway walk, writing, “This really PMO” and “Elsa slayed this.”

Yahoo - Hadid said the current runway’s “scale & size” was not comparable to the original shows.

Yahoo - Hadid said Hosk was “stunning, strong, & carried these like a boss,” adding, “Y’all have no clue.”

Yahoo - Hosk’s walk was compared with Bündchen’s; Hadid argued that today’s wings make runway walking more demanding.

Yahoo - Hadid said the wings can weigh “75+lbs,” stand “10+ ft tall,” and sometimes be animatronic. She said they are not aerodynamic, runway fans create gusts, and “It takes 3 men to take these wings off of us.”

Yahoo - Bündchen told Elle that designers ask her to return to the runway “every year,” but she prefers editorial shoots and has “zero desire” to return to traditional fashion shows.

Yahoo - Bündchen said creating a character for a shoot “fuels me” and inspires her to create beautiful things in other ways.

Us Magazine - Reported that Hadid wrote, “Elsa [Hosk] slayed this,” while responding to criticism of Hosk’s appearance in the runway show.

WHERE:

Yahoo - Hadid posted her defense on Threads; the criticized event was a Victoria’s Secret runway show.

WHY:

Yahoo - Hadid said larger, heavier wings and runway fans affect models’ walks, making comparisons with earlier shows unfair.

HOW:

Yahoo - Hadid replied to a since-deleted Threads post to defend Hosk.

Yahoo - Hadid said it takes three men to remove the wings from models.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 17:17 UTC)

Gigi Hadid defended fellow model Elsa Hosk after viewers criticized Hosk’s walk at a Victoria’s Secret runway show. On Threads, Hadid wrote, “Elsa slayed this,” calling Hosk stunning and strong, and saying critics had no idea what the walk involved. Hadid argued that today’s show is not comparable in scale to the original runway events. She said the wings can weigh more than 75 pounds, stand over 10 feet tall and sometimes move mechanically. They are also difficult to maneuver, she added, with runway fans creating gusts and three men needed to remove them. Hosk is a veteran of eight consecutive Victoria’s Secret shows, from 2011 to 2018. Hadid also said she is a fan of the original Angels. Gisele Bündchen appeared in a prerecorded video; she has not walked in the show since 2006 and says she prefers editorial shoots to returning to traditional runway shows.