Dutch model Keira Strijd recently revealed she was excluded from the 2026 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. In a social media video, the mother of two expressed her confusion after being told she fit the aesthetic but was ultimately "released" from the lineup.
The Steiner Center Cut: Keira Strijd's 2026 Rejection
Keira Strijd shared a candid video on Monday, October 12, detailing a phone call from her agency that ended her hopes of walking in the upcoming Victoria's Secret event.. According to the report, the show is scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 18, at Brooklyn's Steiner Center. Strijd noted that the rejection was particularly jarring because the casting team had previously described her look as "great" and a fit for the show's aesthetic.
The Dutch model had spent the summer training rigorously to prepare for the event, attending a casting call in September. Strijd expressed a deep desire to return to the runway after becoming a mother of two, making the sudden "no" a distressing experience. As the report says, Strijd wept during her video, noting that she was left without a clear explanation for why she was eliminated from the roster.
From Gigi Hadid's 2025 Return to Strijd's 'May-List'
The emotional nature of Strijd's exit stands in stark contrast to the glamour of the brand's 2025 return. That event featured a powerhouse lineup of supermodels, including Gigi Hadid, Adriana Lima, Bella Hadid, Candice Swanepoel, and Barbara Palvin. These "Angels" celebrated the brand's legacy by wearing iconic waxed black dresses and walking under illuminated wings, reinforcing the high-status image of the Victoria's Secret runway.
While the 2025 show focused on the return of legacy stars, Keira Strijd found herself in a precarious position for the 2026 cycle.. She mentioned in her video that she felt she had been placed on "some sort of may-list," a term suggesting a secondary tier of candidates who are kept as backups rather than confirmed stars. This shift in status highlights the volatility of the modeling industry, where even established faces can be sidelined without warning.
The Clash Between Traditional Agencies and Social Media Influencers
The public nature of Keira Strijd's rejection underscores a broader transition in the fashion industry, where traditional agency representation is being challenged by the rise of social media influencers. the report suggests that Victoria's Secret is increasingly relying on "social media evangelists" and influencers who bring their own massive, built-in audiences to the brand, regardless of their traditional runway experience.
This evolution has created a palpable tension between the classic "Angels" and a new wave of digital-first personalities. By prioritizing reach and engagement metrics over the curated selection process of traditional agencies, the brand is redefining what it means to be a "face" of the company. Strijd's experience serves as a real-world example of how legacy models may find themselves displaced by the algorithmic demands of modern marketing.
Why the Casting Team Left Strijd in the Dark
Despite the public fallout, several critical details regarding the 2026 casting process remain unverified. Specifically, the source does not clarify the exact criteria the casting team used to "release" Strijd after previously praising her aesthetic, nor does it provide a response from Victoria's Secret regarding the "may-list" mentioned by the model.
Furthermore, it remains unclear if Strijd's exclusion is part of a wider purge of agency-led models in favor of influencers , or if it was an isolated deciison based on the specific creative direction of the Steiner Center show. Because the report relies primarily on Strijd's social media account, the internal perspective of the Victoria's Secret casting directors remains missing from the narrative.
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