A model is suing Victoria’s Secret, claiming the brand aired a perfume ad on Instagram that showed almost her entire face, despite an agreement to keep her unrecognizable. This lawsuit was filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
Sydney Roper, the model, states that she was hired as an “Unrecognizable/Parts Model” for a 2026 campaign, with the specific understanding that any glimpse of her face would reveal less than 30%. However, the ad reportedly displayed around 95% of her face, including her eye, nose, and lips, which made her identifiable.
The complaint asserts that this use breached both the agreed numerical limit on facial visibility and the broader agreement concerning her unrecognizability.
Roper’s modeling agency, Closeup Models Agency, arranged for her to be paid $1,000 for four hours of work, plus a 20% fee for the agency, as outlined in documentation attached to the lawsuit.
According to the booking memo, specific body parts such as hands, legs, and abs were covered, but the boxes for “Face” and “Eyes” were left unchecked.
An email from Kyle Kinnare, a Victoria’s Secret representative, confirmed that everything would remain unrecognizable and noted that Roper’s partial face visibility was to be limited to less than 30%. Roper argues that these conditions were violated when her face was prominently featured in the Instagram ad.
After Roper discovered the post, her agency reached out to Victoria’s Secret on September 4. An agency representative mentioned the issue directly, stating that Roper was fully recognizable in the post and requested an additional fee of $2,500 plus a 20% agency commission. They cautioned that such situations need to be flagged before being posted in the future.
This additional fee included $2,500 for Roper’s recognizability and an extra $500 for the agency. Allegedly, Victoria’s Secret did not respond to this request and simply removed the Instagram video, with Roper claiming she received no extra payment.
Having worked with brands like Peter Millar’s G/FORE for about six years, Roper contends that her recognizable face holds separate commercial value compared to the body parts modeling she agreed to for Victoria’s Secret.
She is seeking damages for what she describes as a violation of California’s right-of-publicity law, misappropriation of her likeness under common-law standards, and breach of contract.
The case may face preliminary discussions regarding where it should be adjudicated, as Victoria’s Secret’s contract includes an arbitration clause requiring disputes to be settled in New York.
However, Roper argues that she never personally signed the deal memo or any related documents, challenging the agency’s authority to bind her to every term.
Perry Wander, Roper’s attorney, expressed that Victoria’s Secret could have settled this matter before the lawsuit for a fraction of what it could now be worth—around $3,000, which includes the additional compensation sought plus the agency fee.
Instead of settling, the company chose to remove the ad without providing the extra payment.
Wander stated, “I currently estimate this to be a six-figure case, though we won’t have a complete understanding of the damages until the discovery process is underway.”
The Post reached out to Victoria’s Secret for a comment.
