Victoria’s Secret Sued After Model Says Ad Showed 95% of Her Face Despite Agreement to Keep Her Unrecognizable

Victoria’s Secret is facing a right of publicity lawsuit from a model who claims the company showed roughly 95% of her face in an Instagram perfume advertisement after agreeing to show less than 30% and keep her unrecognizable.

The model filed the lawsuit Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, accusing Victoria’s Secret Stores Brand Management of violating California’s right of publicity law, misappropriating her likeness and breaching the agreement governing its 2026 Joyride fragrance campaign.

According to the complaint, Victoria’s Secret hired her specifically as an “Unrecognizable/Parts Model,” a role that limited how much of her identity could appear in the campaign. Her agency agreed to a four-hour shoot on April 3 for $1,000 plus a 20% agency fee.

The deal memo approved the use of areas including her hands, legs, lips, and torso, while the boxes for “Face” and “Eyes” were left unchecked, according to the complaint. She also cites an email from a Victoria’s Secret representative saying the models would “remain unrecognizable” and that any partial facial use would show less than 30% of her face.

She claims the company later posted a perfume video to Instagram showing about 95% of her face. Although part of her face was in shadow, the complaint says her eye, nose, lips and other features were still visible enough to identify her.

The model says Victoria’s Secret used far more of her face than she had agreed to license. California’s right of publicity law protects against unauthorized commercial use of a person’s name, photograph or likeness.

The model says she discovered the video only after it appeared online and then alerted her agency, Closeup Models.

On September 4, an agency representative contacted Victoria’s Secret and said the model was “fully recognizable,” according to an email cited in the complaint. The agency requested an additional $2,500 recognizable-talent fee plus a 20% commission, for a total of $3,000.

Victoria’s Secret later removed the Instagram advertisement, according to the complaint, but the model alleges the additional fee was never paid.

She argues that the commercial rights Victoria’s Secret purchased were more limited than the use that ultimately appeared in the ad. The complaint says she has worked for about six years as a model for Peter Millar’s G/FORE golf apparel brand.

The model is seeking unspecified damages, attorneys’ fees, and profits she alleges were tied to the unauthorized use of her likeness.

The campaign paperwork also includes an arbitration provision that could shape where the dispute proceeds. The model alleges she never personally signed the deal memo or an accompanying inducement and disputes whether her agency had authority to bind her to those terms.

Victoria’s Secret had not responded to the complaint as of October 1, 2026. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.