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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 27 noveMber 2017
Victoria’s Secret China show struts on despite controversy

By EMILY WANG
Associated Press
SHANGHAI (AP) — Gigi
Hadid and Katy Perry didn’t
make it but the Victoria’s
Secret show in Shanghai
managed to strut last week
without them, surviving a
controversy over visa issues
and a model who slipped
and fell during the show.
Fifty-five models walked
the catwalk inside the Mer-
cedes-Benz Arena, sere-
naded by Harry Styles, R&B
star Miguel, Tony Award-
winner Leslie Odom Jr. and
Chinese singer Jane Zhang.
Styles sang “Only Angel”
and later “Kiwi.”
Chinese media reported
that Hadid and Perry were
denied visas.
Bella Hadid, Gigi’s sister,
appeared in the second
act of the show, donning
blue feather wings, a black
high-neck, push-up bra
and topped off with hand
painted leather gloves. Models Romee Strijd, from right, Candice Swanepoel, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Lily Aldridge, Elsa Hosk, wear creations
In a show segment titled with other models during the Victoria’s Secret fashion show at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China, Monday, Nov. 20,
“Goddess,” Victoria’s Se- 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
cret models donned mas- ued at $2 million took near- felt “so disappointed with Aldridge, Elsa Hosk, Jas- Observers said Perry
sive floor-sweeping silk ly 350 hours to create. It myself.” A nearby model mine Tookes, Taylor Hill and caused some controversy
wings with gold and silver features diamonds, yellow helped her up and she said Martha Hunt. in China in 2015 for wearing
sequined lingerie — and sapphires and blue topaz. many of the others asked if Hadid and Perry were a sunflower-adorned dress
plenty of bling. The show ended with a she was OK. “That’s what scheduled to take part but while performing in Taiwan.
Model Lais Ribeiro was tribute to lingerie designs Victoria’s Secret is — every- bowed out just days before The flower is an emblem
charged with the task of based on various ethnic one loves each other and the show. of the island’s anti-China
carrying 300 carats down and native origins — with we have the most beautiful Hadid’s no-show came a movement.
the catwalk while sporting models donning rainbow family in the world.” few months after Chinese It is not uncommon for en-
the Champagne Nights colored feathers and In addition to Hadid, Xi internet users accused her tertainers to be denied vi-
Fantasy Bra studded with beaded jewelry. and Ribeiro, the models in- of racist behavior. She had sas by Chinese authorities
6,000 gemstones. Shanghai-native Ming cluded Adriana Lima, Ales- been seen squinting her for political reasons.
Designed by Mouawad, Xi slipped and fell to her sandra Ambrosio, Candice eyes on an Instagram vid- The Global Times, an official
organizers said the bra val- knees, saying afterward she Swanepoel, Karlie Kloss, Lily eo. newspaper of the ruling
Chinese Communist Party,
published a commentary
on Monday titled “Victo-
ria’s Secret models’ visa
denial is of their own mak-
ing.”
The story named Hadid
and Perry and said celeb-
rities who want a piece of
the booming Chinese mar-
ket need to respect what it
said were Chinese values.
“They are lifting a stone
only to drop on their own
feet due to their ignorance
of these issues. Payback
was unavoidable. Those
who are serious about de-
veloping careers in the
Chinese market can draw
lessons from this case and
learn to abide by the rules
in China,” the newspaper
said.q
Model Lily Aldridge wears a creation during the Victoria’s Secret fashion show at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China,
Monday, Nov. 20, 2017.
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)