Gigi Hadid says the world is "so hard on girls"

She spoke in a new video shared by the lingerie brand on Friday (10.10.25), while announcing she would rejoin the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show this year.

In the clip, Gigi looks back on landing her debut in 2015 after several failed auditions.

She said: "I think I tried out two or three times before I got it, so you can imagine how I felt when I got my first show."

Becoming emotional, she added about looking back on her younger self: "I'm just so happy for her. She just wanted it so bad... I look back at pictures of that time and the world was so hard on her, and not just me, it's hard on girls."

She continued: "And then you look back at pictures and you're like, 'I was the s***'.

"That was an awesome time. I deserved to be there. I continue to come back to this show just so happy for that girl that got the first show and then also my teenage self who just watched the show."

She said the Victoria's Secret runway "still makes my heart beat really fast", adding: "I feel the responsibility of doing the best I can for the huge team that's behind this show."

Gigi's first Victoria's Secret appearance in 2015 marked a turning point in her career.

At the time, she had spoken publicly about the scrutiny she faced over her body during fashion week and her debut with the lingerie brand.

In a 2015 Instagram post, she wrote: "No, I don't have the same body type as other models in shows. No, I don't think I'm the best at any given shows. Yes, I want to have a unique walk but I also know I have to improve. No, I'm not the first or the last model of my type in this industry."

She continued: "You can make up all the reasons you think I am where I am, but really, I'm a hard worker that's confident in myself, one that came at a time where the fashion industry was ready for a change."

Gigi added while her body type "wasn't accepted in high fashion before" the industry could "never stay the same".

She said online: "Yes, I have boobs, I have abs, I have a butt, I have thighs, but I'm not asking for special treatment.

"Your mean comments don't make me want to change my body, they don't make me want to say no to designers that ask me to be in their shows, and they definitely don't change the designers' opinions of me."

Gigi also urged critics to "at least be open if not part of the change", which she said was "undeniably happening."

Since her debut, Gigi has appeared in multiple editions of the Secrets show - walking again in 2016 and 2018, the latter alongside her sister Bella Hadid.

The model also took part in the brand's revived 2024 show, opening the event in a pink belted silk one-piece, matching wings and diamond hoop earrings.