Let’s be honest: We already know Victoria’s Secret edits the hell out of its ads. But it turns out there’sa whole lot more than airbrushing going on behind the scenes. Refinery29 recently talked to an anonymous retoucher who used to work for the brand and revealed the crazy things they do for the perfect shot.


Alterations begin before the cameras come out.
The models always have hair extensions, and pads get sewn into the swimsuits to create the illusion of curves. But get this: They also wear push-up bras underneath, which then get removed in the editing room.

Everything is edited.
Including body hair. Most models don’t shave their armpits or bikini lines because they know the computer will do it for them.

You might be looking at a combination of different women.
Like Frankenstein’s monster, body parts are often swapped in and out to eliminate things that can’t easily be edited.

They don’t make the models skinnier.
Instead photo editors have to add curves and soften certain body parts.