Victoria’s Secret has always understood the power of an OG. Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Heidi Klum—these women became synonymous with the brand, their faces as recognizable as the wings and bombshell bras themselves. For years, keeping a beloved Angel around past the fashion industry’s notoriously short shelf life was less an act of rebellion as it was a smart business decision. They were bankable, iconic, and capable of making a glittery bra and costumey wings into a cultural event. But at the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, the OGs, now all women of a certain age, were the absolute pinnacle of the viewing experience.
It’s one thing to bring back a familiar face for a nostalgia hit; it’s another to embrace the idea that sexiness doesn’t expire. It was absolutely refreshing to see the mix of seasoned faces amid the younger ones.
And VS isn’t the only one hitting this mark recently. Mature models are increasingly appearing on major runways. Designers are revisiting familiar faces, casting cultural icons, and recognizing that a compelling woman doesn’t suddenly become less interesting after 30 or after her kids grow out of the toddler phase. (For what it’s worth, motherhood was a huge theme of the show last year, and this year we did also see a six-week postpartum Barbara Palvin.)
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was built on an almost comically narrow fantasy of femininity: young, thin, and largely white. The Angels who broke through that mold did so largely because they became exceptions—famous enough to outlive the rules. Now, the more exciting possibility is that maybe there don’t have to be exceptions.
There’s something undeniably sexy about confidence that’s experienced a little more life. Especially when so many corners of the internet are focused on femininity through the tight constraints of girlish figures and faces, something as simple as a sprinkle of 40+-year-old women on the runway is a flex. If Victoria’s Secret is still in the business of selling fantasy, the fact that hot has no expiration date is the first one I’ve been interested in in a while.
Aiyana Ishmael is the style editor at Cosmopolitan magazine. In her work, Aiyana focuses on the culture of fashion and how it intertwines and shapes the zeitgeist. She is an award-winning journalist from Miami, Florida, and a graduate of the historically Black university, Florida A&M. She is a 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30: Media honoree, and her debut romance novella PASSING GAME is set to release March of 2027 (831 Stories/Simon & Schuster).
