Romee Strijd, the Dutch model who lit up Victoria's Secret runways from 2014 to 2018, has confirmed she won't be strutting her stuff in the 2026 show. At 31, she was hoping to make a triumphant return after having kids, but the fashion gods—or at least the casting team—had other plans.
In a candid series of posts on X, Strijd opened up about the emotional whiplash of being left in the dark for weeks after her casting in New York. "I wanted to do the show again even after kids, it felt like the right timing," she wrote. "I went to New York to do the casting because there's a whole new team. I knew the casting director already. I knew a couple of people already from the shoot that I did with them, but, I don't know, I still had to come in."
What followed was a nail-biting stretch of silence. "I thought I was gonna know soon after if I was gonna do the show or not, but I didn't hear anything for weeks. And I think I was on some sort of 'maybe' list. It's Monday now, the show is on Sunday, and I still haven't heard anything," she revealed. "So, I kept asking my agency for updates, but apparently I'm still on that 'maybe' list. It's already five weeks after the casting. So it's been a little bit of a roller coaster mentally for me since I have to continue training but I'm not sure if I'm gonna do it."
Balancing mom life with the grueling prep only added to the stress. "With kids around and my life now, it's a bit harder to find the time. I've put a lot of time and energy towards it," Strijd admitted, noting she kept training "cause you never know, like in fashion and in modeling, it's all very last minute."
Ultimately, the answer came back as a no. "It's a no, which is fine, because rejection is part of modeling, and that's totally fine," she said, but the reasoning left her more frustrated than the rejection itself. She was reportedly told "they thought you wouldn't fit in the show this year," and there was confusion over the timeline. "The whole story doesn't sum up, which makes me feel even horrible than not getting the show," Strijd vented. "I don't feel supported by my agency. I don't feel like I have the straight story. Just be honest, just tell me, and I can go on with my life and let it go, because it's fine. If it's a closed chapter, I just would love to know. And now they kept me in the dark, like, not knowing for so long that I got a lot of mental stress from it."
She's not alone in this disappointment. Fellow longtime model Frida Aasen chimed in with a supportive message, revealing she also got the cut. "I'm so sad you didn't get it! I also went to the casting and it was a no ♥️ it sucks but sending you lots of love ♥️"
This year's casting drama comes amid a wave of buzz around the brand, from a 54-year-old model's viral photos to the ongoing debate about age and representation in fashion. Strijd's experience highlights the brutal reality that even established names aren't guaranteed a spot, especially as the industry shifts toward newer faces and younger energy.
For Strijd, the silver lining is her resilience. "Rejection is part of modeling," she reiterated, turning her frustration into a lesson in grace under pressure. Whether this marks a permanent goodbye to the Victoria's Secret stage or just a pause, one thing's clear: she's ready to move on, even if the process left a bitter taste.
