When viewers questioned Elsa Hosk’s runway walk at the most recent Victoria’s Secret show, fellow model Gigi Hadid stepped in online to push back, sparking renewed conversation about the physical demands of modern fashion spectacles and the shifting meanings of strength and motherhood in the public eye.
Public defence on social media
Hadid replied to a now-deleted comment on Threads, writing that Hosk had “slayed” the look and pointing out that the scale of today’s runways and wings is markedly different from earlier, smaller productions. In her defence, Hadid emphasised the sheer weight and size of the wings and the complicating factor of gusts from runway fans.
“The wings are getting bigger bc the viewers love it & they’re MAJOR but NOT aero dynamic… It takes 3 men to take these wings off of us. Elsa is stunning, strong, & carried these like a boss.”
Hosk, a veteran of the brand, returned to the runway months after giving birth. She marked the evening on Instagram with a reflection that mixed gratitude and pride, noting that the experience reminded her that “motherhood adds to who we are, and that age has never been the limit.”
What the numbers say
Commentary surrounding the show repeatedly noted the engineering of modern runway pieces. Reports cited wings that can be exceptionally large and heavy, sometimes described as:
- Weights: 75+ pounds in some cases
- Heights: 10+ feet tall
- Features: occasionally animatronic elements
Those figures illustrate why a walk that might look effortless to viewers can demand substantial strength and coordination from the models wearing the pieces.
| Characteristic | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Typical extreme wing weight | 75+ lbs |
| Height of larger wings | 10+ ft |
| Additional features | Sometimes animatronic |
Local relevance and cultural consequences
Although the story centres on a global fashion event, it resonates for readers here in Victoria in several ways. First, the name Victoria in the brand is frequently associated with the city, and such high-profile moments can shape how people locally think and talk about fashion, spectacle and public performance. Second, the exchange highlights how social platforms like Threads amplify quick judgements—and how fellow public figures can shape the conversation by challenging those judgements.
For communities that follow fashion as an industry and cultural practice, the debate underscores two linked threads: the physical realities behind curated images, and how motherhood and age intersect with public expectations of bodies in performance roles. Hosk’s Instagram remarks about returning to the runway after childbirth were read by many as a direct rebuttal to narrow ideas about who can occupy these spaces.
What observers are saying
Fans and critics alike used comment threads to contest what they saw. Supporters of Hosk praised her strength and the spectacle, while critics focused on perceived awkwardness in a single moment of the walk. Hadid’s intervention redirected attention to the technical demands of the work and the audience’s appetite for ever-larger theatrical elements.
Whether one considers the show a triumph of production or a display that risks prioritising novelty over grace, the episode is a reminder that behind every carefully lit runway moment are practical challenges and human decisions—things that local cultural observers and fashion communities in Victoria and beyond will continue to debate.
This account is drawn from public posts and commentary from the event and the social platforms where the discussion took place.
