Emily Ratajkowski, a prominent figure in the modeling world over the past ten years, finally graced the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway, marking a significant milestone in her career.

The 34-year-old model, who is also an accomplished actress and writer, made a striking debut at the 2025 edition of the fashion show on Wednesday. This event was only the second show since the brand’s much-anticipated return after a six-year break.

Emily’s entrance was met with enthusiasm and support from her fans, who eagerly celebrated her runway debut. She shared a captivating clip of her appearance on Instagram, which quickly garnered attention.

“This is huge for the community,” commented Ziwe, a comedian known for her celebrity interviews, reflecting the excitement surrounding Emily’s participation.

One fan expressed their long-standing anticipation, commenting, “😍 I’ve always wanted to see you there 🪽.”

Emily commanded attention in a breathtaking pink outfit, offering a fresh take on the traditional Victoria’s Secret aesthetic, where angel wings are a staple for many seasoned models.

In place of the wings, Emily had enormous pink flower petals decorated with sparkling sequins strapped to her back.

The leathery, undulating petals were arranged in the unmistakable shape of an orchid, and the delicate flower was a fitting match for the model.

Emily’s lingerie included a lacy bubblegum-pink bra that showcased her prominent cleavage. 

She paired the bra with a matching pink high-cut thong that put the spotlight on her flat tummy.

The Gone Girl actress elevated her 5ft7in stature with a pair of open-toe heels with long straps that wrapped around her legs up to the knee and were decorated with fuchsia-colored floral embellishments. 

Emily complemented her skimpy outfit with earrings featuring large pink gemstones, which framed her elegantly made-up face, and she rounded out her ensemble with a pair of long pink gloves.

Emily added the finishing touches to her look with her lustrous brunette tresses, which were styled pin straight with a middle part.

The show was not just her debut with Victoria’s Secret, but also her first live runway show, but Emily’s confident walk didn’t give any hint that she wasn’t already a pro. 

In a 2023 interview with Popsugar, the model and actress spoke about some of the icons who had inspired her early in her career.

‘I grew up looking at images of Gisele, Candace, Naomi, and Adriana, so it’s simply surreal to be included in a campaign next to them,’ she said.

‘Those women were larger than life to me — they still are in many ways — and that’s what it means to be iconic. Their beauty and the images they’ve produced with incredible photographers and designers and teams were and are so artful,’ she added. ‘They represent so much.’

On Instagram, her fans cheered on her big moment. 

‘FINALLYYYYY’ wrote a user in all capitals, while another fan added in Spanish, ‘That debut!’

‘Slay gurrrl 👏👏👏🪽🪽🪽💘💘💘✨️✨️✨️🔥🔥🔥,’ one fan gushed.

‘DIVAAAA!’ enthused another person, while several fans said she was ‘gorgeous.’

One poster wrote that ‘The world is healing’ now that Emrata had made her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut. 

One fan even poked fun at Emily’s ex-husband, Sebastian Bear-McClard, after her triumphant debut. 

‘How does her ex live with himself,’ they joked. 

In addition to Emily, the show featured several former Victoria’s Secret Angels, including Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Doutzen Kroes, Candice Swanepoel, Behati Prinsloo, Lily Aldridge, Taylor Hill, Stella Maxwell, Barbara Palvin and Grace Elizabeth.

Other returning models included Gigi Hadid, her sister Bella, Joan Smalls, Irina Shayk, Ashley Graham, Anok Yai, Alex Consani, Paloma Elsesser and Yasmin Wijnaldum.

There were also newcomers to the runway show, including WNBA star Angel Reese, influencer Quenlin Blackwell, nepo baby Iris Law, plus-size model Yumi Nu, model Daiane Sodre, actress Barbie Ferreira and plus-size model Precious Lee.

Past musical performers at the event included Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift and Cher, and this year’s roster included Missy Elliott, Karol G, K-Pop group TWICE and Madison Beer.

For decades, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was one of the most coveted runway events in fashion.

It kicked off in 1995 and immediately attracted immense buzz, with some of the biggest models on the globe walking in the fashion show.

By 2001 it was being broadcasted live on television, and each year, millions tuned in to watch the stunning models strut their stuff and the A-list performers dazzle on stage. 

But in 2019, after more than two decades of it reigning supreme, the annual show was canceled amidst immense criticism over the brand’s lack of diversity when it comes to body types before then-chief marketing officer Ed Razek’s eyebrow-raising comments about trans and plus-sized models.

Last year, the Angels returned to the catwalk after a six year hiatus with a more diverse roster including plus-size and transgender models.

The latest  runway show comes weeks after Victoria’s Secret’s new CEO announced plans to return to its ‘unapologetically sexy’ branding as it moves away from its woke rebrand.

The lingerie company is embracing its bombshell roots after years of struggling sales and a tepid response to its diverse catwalk last year.

CEO Hillary Super, 53, who took on the role in September 2024, admitted her predecessors had allowed the brand to become ‘watered down’.

‘At the time I took over, Victoria’s Secret was regarded as inappropriate and off-color and we had to correct those mistakes,’ former CEO Martin Waters told the Wall Street Journal. 

The company toned down its provocative branding after a a 2020 New York Times article reported that many employees and models faced a slew of misogyny and harassment.

At the time, the brand was under the leadership of Leslie Wexner and Ed Razek. 

Super, however, said many decisions were made ‘out of fear’ after the company moved away from their sexualized branding and more toward comfort following a wave of backlash. 

The brand’s seductive lingerie was replaced with products with more coverage and plain designs, as well as a heavier focus on athleisure wear and comfortable pajamas. 

The company’s move into a more diverse and inclusive brand came after Victoria’s Secret came under fire following accusations of the brand’s problematic environment.

A former public relations employee for the company, Casey Crowe Taylor, told WSJ: ‘What was most alarming to me, as someone who was always raised as an independent woman, was just how ingrained this behavior was.

‘This abuse was just laughed off and accepted as normal. It was almost like brainwashing. And anyone who tried to do anything about it wasn’t just ignored. They were punished,’ she added. 

Razek denied the allegations at the time and declared them ‘categorically untrue’ or ‘taken out of context’.

‘I’ve been fortunate to work with countless, world-class models and gifted professionals and take great pride in the mutual respect we have for each other,’ he added. 

A spokesperson for Wexner, who was reported to have close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, declined to provide comment to the outlet at the time. 

Epstein was said to have lied to many Victoria’s Secret models and aspiring models and claimed that he worked for the company.

Victoria’s Secret also faced a wave of backlash in 2019 over poor quality and a lack of diversity among its models.

That same year, the CFO of Victoria’s Secret’s parent company Stuart Burgdoerfer announced the annual VS Fashion Show would be canceled. 

The VS Fashion Show returned in 2024 with a new focus that included plus-sized models, such as Ashley Graham, as well as transgender models and different ethnicities. 

They hired Valentina Sampaio, their first transgender model, to star in their new VS Pink campaign after Razek left. 

However, the show was derided as lackluster and lacking the traditional glamor for which the brand was known.