Victoria's Secret Sends Model With Natural Hair Down Runway for First Time

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Maria Borges has walked in the Victoria's Secret fashion show since 2013, but this year was a big moment for both her and the lingerie brand. Borges tells Essence that she made the decision to wear her natural hair earlier this year. "I told my agent I wanted to walk in the Victoria's Secret show with my natural hair," says Borges. "I was nervous, but I had to do it. When they said ‘yes' I didn't expect it, but I was so happy!"

Borges was probably right to expect a no, considering that VS has never before sent a model down the runway with her natural hair. The brand told Cosmopolitan, "This is the first year a model wore completely natural hair on the runway​." Only a bit of hairspray was added to Borges's 'do.

It can't be ignored that there's a side of this news that is a bit depressing; that it took until 2015 for a women to walk in the VS show with her natural hair. But Borges's breakthrough cannot be denied, regardless. "If you say you're beautiful without hair and makeup, then they will believe you," she tells Essence. "It's about being confident and always being yourself."

Below are photos of Borges walking in the show in 2014 and 2013.

2014 Photo: Samir Hussein/Getty Images

Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images