News feed
Scheduled performer Katy Perry was denied a visa by Chinese officials, as was model Gigi Hadid, but the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show must go on.
The models who have been approved by the Chinese government arrived in Shanghai overnight, posing for a group shot where, obviously, an air kiss pose was required.
Bella Hadid Taylor Hill, Martha Hunt, Romee Strijd, Sara Sampaio, Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge, Alessandra Ambrosio, Josephine Skiriver and a few others can count themselves as the lucky ones, being granted a visa by the notoriously selective Chinese government.
Katy Perry was banned indefinitely for wearing a sunflower dress (yes, really), while Gigi Hadid was denied entry over a social media video in which she appeared to mock Asian facial features.
Perry has been replaced by Harry Styles, and we’re sure someone will fit into Hadid’s catwalk outfits. But the challenges continue for Victoria’s Secret.
According to Page Six, VS staff have been plagued by government red-tape issues: they’ve struggled to get press passes for journalists, and those on the ground in China believe government officials are monitoring their emails.
“[Victoria’s Secret staff] want to discuss what’s going on as far as replacements for those denied visas and alternative arrangements, but they have to be tight-lipped because it seems that the government is watching their e-mails,” said a source.
On top of that, TV producers filming the parade have discovered they need different permits to film outside of Mercedes-Benz Arena where the show is being held.
That’s a major problem because, as one source put it to Page Six, “If you’re going to China you want to show that you’re in China!”
Here’s hoping the angels can pull off a miracle.
