No Filter, Still Angels: The Unedited Victoria’s Secret Show Photos Everyone Is Talking About

By Nico Grey · Published Oct 21, 2026, 7:52 PM (BKK)

No Facetune. No filter. No airbrush. Just thirteen of the most famous women in fashion, photographed exactly as they looked under the runway lights. And guess what? They still look like angels.

I’m Nico Grey. I run a film studio, I run Scandal Planet, and I’ve spent more hours than I can count in edit suites watching retouchers smooth skin until it looks like plastic. So when the unedited photos from last weekend’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show started flying around the internet, I didn’t scroll past. I zoomed in. And I loved what I saw.

Why everyone is suddenly zooming in

The show took place on Sunday, October 18, at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, the brand’s first return to Los Angeles in 19 years, W Magazine reported. Two days later, BuzzFeed’s Stephanie Soteriou rounded up a set of completely unedited and unfiltered agency photos from the night, with a line that pretty much sums up the whole craze: “Because it’s nice to know that even Victoria’s Secret models have skin texture.” Croatia’s Index.hr picked up the same set on October 20, writing that in the age of filters it’s getting harder to tell what’s real, so it’s “refreshing” to see the models without retouching.

And the internet did what the internet does. On Reddit, r/Instagramreality has been posting raw agency shots next to polished Instagram versions for years. One classic thread is literally called “Skin texture! (thanks Getty Images)”. This week the same conversation exploded all over again, in comment sections, fan forums and group chats. The mood I keep seeing? Not “gotcha.” Relief. People are saying these women look better real.

Kylie Jenner: $50 million of diamonds, zero Facetune

The biggest surprise of the night was Kylie Jenner, who made her Victoria’s Secret runway debut in the $50 million Fantasy Bra, made with jeweler Jacob & Co. It was the first time the Fantasy Bra had been on the runway since 2018, Elle reported, with Timothée Chalamet watching from the audience. In the raw photo she’s glowing: real skin, real shadows from the lights, giant white wings. She looks like a movie poster before anyone has touched it.

Adriana Lima: the queen needs no edits

Adriana Lima is the definition of a Victoria’s Secret Angel, and she walked again this year, in electric green lace. Here’s what struck me in the unedited shot: the confidence. That’s not something a retoucher can paint in. Some faces have been in front of cameras for so long they don’t need help from software.

Barbara Palvin: six weeks after giving birth

This was the moment that made people’s jaws drop. Barbara Palvin walked the runway just six weeks after giving birth to her first child with husband Dylan Sprouse, BuzzFeed and Index.hr both reported. BuzzFeed’s roundup of viral moments noted that Sprouse looked just as in awe as the rest of us. In the raw photo, there’s no trick. Just a new mom in pink lace owning the catwalk. Honestly? Iconic.

The Hadid sisters, untouched

Bella Hadid opened the show, her long-awaited return to the runway, in petal-green with wings covered in flora and fauna, according to Elle. Gigi Hadid walked during Tate McRae’s live debut of “Housewife” (we covered Tate’s butterfly-bra moment here). Two sisters, two very different energies, and neither needs a filter. In the raw shots you can see the sparkle actually catching the light, the way it does when you’re standing in the room.

Real curves, real confidence

For me, this is where the unedited set really wins. Ashley Graham, Paloma Elsesser, Precious Lee and Yumi Nu all walked, and their raw photos are some of the most shared of the whole set. Graham and Elsesser were also part of the casting team, with Gigi and creative director Adam Selman, on the YouTube series “Angels Among Us,” which invited 1,200 women to compete for a spot in the show, W Magazine reported. The winner, Solange Omon, made her runway debut in black-and-white lace and gilded wings, per Elle. That’s the new Victoria’s Secret in one sentence: more kinds of beautiful, shown as they are.

The legends and the new faces

Alessandra Ambrosio was back among the Victoria’s Secret stalwarts, alongside Candice Swanepoel and Adriana, W Magazine noted, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley had her first VS moment in 16 years. The unedited set also features Devyn Garcia, Breanna Ivy, Iris Law and Yumi Nu. “This is not a heritage show,” Selman told W. Looking at these photos, I believe him.

My take: real beats retouched, every time

This section is my opinion, not reporting. Nico Grey.

I’m the AI guy. I use every new tool the day it launches, and I know exactly how easy it is to make anyone look “perfect” in two clicks. That’s the point. When perfect is free, perfect gets boring. What people are reacting to in these photos is the thing software can’t fake: a real woman, under hot lights, in heels, in front of thousands of people, nailing it. Skin that looks like skin. Bodies that move. A new mom six weeks out. Nothing to hide there. That’s the show.

As someone who runs shoots for a living, here’s my honest advice to every brand out there: stop over-editing. Your audience can tell, and this week proved they actually prefer the real thing. These women were stunning on Sunday night, and they’re stunning in the raw photos. Same women. Same angels.

FAQ

Where did the unedited Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2026 photos come from?

They are unretouched agency photos taken at the show on October 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. BuzzFeed and Croatia’s Index.hr published roundups of them on October 20, 2026.

Which models are in the unedited photo set?

Ashley Graham, Gigi Hadid, Paloma Elsesser, Barbara Palvin, Devyn Garcia, Adriana Lima, Breanna Ivy, Iris Law, Alessandra Ambrosio, Bella Hadid, Precious Lee, Yumi Nu and Kylie Jenner.

How soon after giving birth did Barbara Palvin walk the show?

Six weeks after the birth of her first child with Dylan Sprouse, according to BuzzFeed and Index.hr.

Who wore the Fantasy Bra in 2026?

Kylie Jenner, in her Victoria’s Secret runway debut. The $50 million bra was made with Jacob & Co. and marked the Fantasy Bra’s first runway return since 2018, Elle reported.

What do you think? Do you like celebrity photos better with or without the edits? Tell us on X @celeb124.

Sources

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