Bella Hadid felt 'imposter syndrome' while opening her 1st VS Fashion Show

Bella Hadid is still pinching herself after opening for the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show last week. 

Although the model, 30, has walked the Victoria’s Secret Runway four times in the past, this year’s show was the first time she opened. It took Hadid over a week to finally express her true feelings, admitting in an Instagram post on Tuesday, October 27, that she felt “imposter syndrome.”

“Still dreaming of this– and the honor of opening the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show…. It’s all just beyond what words can express,” she wrote alongside pictures of her stunning floral-themed ensemble.

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“My teenage self, watching the show on the couch with my sister and girlfriends; would never have believed that 15 years later, I’d be opening that very show,” Hadid continued, referring to her sister Gigi Hadid, who also walked the runway.

Describing the moment as “unreal,” Hadid continued, “Felt like the realest combination of imposter syndrome met with a fever dream but here we are!!! Filled with gratitude. Knowing that God has a plan and this was his timing for me. I’m just still in shock!”

Hadid first walked the VS Fashion Show runway in 2016, and walked each subsequent show until the show went on a hiatus for six years in 2019.

Reflecting on her VS journey, Hadid continued, “Ten years since my first VS show, I still look around at all the beautiful, kind, talented, smart, hardworking women beside me, so many of whom are equally deserving of this moment. It’s an honor I don’t take lightly. This year, I felt stronger than ever, mentally and physically.”

She went on to thank the VS team, the behind-the-scenes crew, her stylists and dressers, and her agent, Joseph Thornton-Allan.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all forever - and will never forget this moment for this lifetime or the next. Thank you thank you thank you,” she concluded. 

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