Former VIctoria’s Secret Angels have revealed the hours of intense work that went into creating their glamorous catwalk image – with one admitting her own mother struggled to recognize her.
Jasmine Tookes, 32, from California, and Josephine Skriver, 30, originally from Denmark, spoke candidly about their experiences when they were interviewed on the Real Pod podcast with 26-year-old host Victoria Garrick.
Victoria asked the models if they processed or comprehended the impact on people who watched the fashion shows and how they felt about it now.
Josephine said: ‘It was a weird time because you realise you were getting a massive amount of eyes looking at you.
‘We got signed right when social media exploded too so it was this combination of everyone’s gonna know you for this glamourous side, takes two and a hour hours in hair and makeup, personal trainers, this whole situation.
American model Jasmine Tookes, 32, (left) and Danish model Josephine Skriver, 30, (right) spoke candidly about their experiences when they were interviewed on the Real Pod podcast
‘Yet you now have the ability of taking them behind the scenes and showing them the more real you.
‘I felt like it was overnight you just let people in and I don’t think I understood, especially in the beginning, how obsessed people could be by the little details.
‘Like they wanted to know what kind of toothpaste I used and I was like, “Really? That just seems boring.”
Josephine added that it was in that moment they both realised how much responsibility they had and attempted their fans how much work they put into maintaining their physique.
Jasmine revealed that she sees comments ‘every day’ on her Instagram which say, ‘you’re always so put together,’ and ‘you’re always so perfect’.
She said: ‘I’m like, no I’m not! Not even the slightest bit.
American model Jasmine Tookes, 32, said that she her real life is different to the life that people see on her Instagram
‘If you saw me waking up in the morning in my house, the middle of the day, walking around with spit up all over me from the baby, no makeup on, that’s my real life.’
Josephine chimed in and said that the glamorous side to her onstage was a version of who she was and compared it to a work uniform.
‘Some people are told they need to wear a suit to an office – it’s just part of our image.
‘Nobody wants to be in their work suit twenty-four seven, none of us want to be glammed up twenty-four seven,’ she said.
Victoria said that for the audience who would watch the shows or look at pictures of the Angels, it wasn’t immediately obvious that they were Photoshopped or used body makeup.
She added that because there weren’t as many filters and apps to edit photos available at the time, people were unaware.
The host said: ‘I think for us it was given as this effortless thing and then I put on my bathing suit to go to the pool with my friends and the standard is to look the way the magazine photo looks.’
Jasmine then said: ‘It’s just so crazy because I think to me it’s like so obvious, when you look back at our old VS campaigns.’
Josephine added: ‘I would stand next to the big billboards on the street and I could stand there for 30 minutes and not a single person could put the two people together.
Josephine Skriver said that her own mother would not even recognise her when looking at her modelling photos
‘I’m like I don’t even look like my pictures. Sometimes my mom would be like, “Is that you? I didn’t even know you could look like this.”
‘Even though you were shooting underwear constantly, I never really felt naked because we had two layers of body makeup and sparkle and glitter and oil.’
The Angels would show up in their sweats before undergoing three hours of hair and makeup to make them look glamorous.
Commenting on Victoria’s Secret being ‘more inclusive,’ Josephine said that she found the old era of the company more inclusive in her opinion as an insider.
She said: ‘I was getting a little bit bigger than I was with a 22 inch waist and now I was 24, 25, and they were the first people to always [say], “Please do not lose weight”.
‘So for us, that was extremely inclusive from the inside perspective [compared to] when I worked with high fashion who was opposite.
‘But [we were] obviously in this very small box that was the industry at the time, that was now looking back, not at all inclusive.’
Jasmine said that ‘for years’ it was just her and Lais Ribeiro (pictured) who were seen as ‘the black girls’ for the brand
Jasmine praised the brand for seeing the need to change their ways, but said it ‘definitely took them longer’ than necessary.
‘I think for me, with Victoria’s Secret, It was me and Lais (Ribeiro) who were considered “the black girls.” Lais is Brazilian.
‘And that is all there was for years and years,’ Jasmine said candidly.
When asked how that made her feel, the ex-Angel said: ‘To be honest, I didn’t really notice like that much at the time, but now looking back I’m like okay, that’s a little odd that they only wanted me, basically as their only black girl.
‘It didn’t affect me then, but I think looking back I’m like , “That sucks”.’
MailOnline have contacted Victoria’s Secret for a comment.
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