Victoria’s Secret allegedly showed nearly all of a model’s face in an Instagram perfume ad after agreeing to keep her unrecognizable — then pulled the post without paying her extra, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court.
Sydney Roper claims the lingerie giant hired her as an “Unrecognizable/Parts Model” for a 2026 campaign and expressly agreed that any partial view of her face would show less than 30%, according to the complaint filed on Tuesday.
Instead, Victoria’s Secret published an Instagram video that showed roughly 95% of Roper’s face, including one eye, her nose and lips, making her recognizable, she alleges.
The suit claims the ad exceeded both a numerical limit on facial exposure and a broader agreement that Roper would remain unrecognizable.
Roper’s agency, Closeup Models Agency, booked her for the April 3 shoot at a rate of $1,000 for four hours plus a 20% agency fee, according to paperwork attached to the complaint.
The agency’s deal memo checked off hands, legs, lips and abs/torso among the body parts covered by the booking, while leaving the “Face” and “Eyes” boxes unchecked.
In a separate email attached to the filing, Victoria’s Secret representative Kyle Kinnare told the agency that “all will remain unrecognizable” and listed “Partial face (less than 30%)” along with Roper’s nose, lips and “hands/arm.”
Roper claims those restrictions were violated when Victoria’s Secret later featured her prominently in a perfume video on its Instagram account.
Her agency contacted the company on Sept. 4 after Roper discovered the post, according to an email included as an exhibit.
“We have a problem – Sydney just found this post on Victoria Secret’s instagram (linked below) where she is fully recognizable,” agency representative Claire Applewood wrote.
The agency demanded “an additional recognizable talent fee of $2500 +20%” and warned that “In the future, this needs to be flagged before posting.”
That amounted to a $2,500 additional fee plus a $500 agency commission.
Victoria’s Secret did not respond to the demand and removed the linked Instagram video, the complaint alleges. Roper claims she received no extra moolah.
Roper, who says she has modeled for Peter Millar’s G/FORE brand for roughly six years, argues that use of her recognizable face carries a separate commercial value from the body parts work she agreed to perform for Victoria’s Secret.
She is suing the company for alleged violation of California’s right-of-publicity statute, common-law misappropriation of her likeness and breach of contract.
The case could also face an early fight over where the dispute should be heard.
Victoria’s Secret’s campaign deal memo contains an arbitration provision requiring certain disputes to be handled in New York.
But Roper alleges she did not personally sign the deal memo or an accompanying inducement and does not concede that her agency had authority to bind her to every provision.
Roper’s Beverly Hills, Calif.-based lawyer, Perry Wander, told The Post on Thursday that Victoria’s Secret had an opportunity to settle the dispute before the lawsuit was filed for a fraction of what he now believes the case could be worth.
“Victoria’s Secret could have resolved the dispute for approximately $3,000,” Wander said, referring to the $2,500 in additional compensation sought by Roper’s agency plus a $500 agency fee.
Instead, Wander said the company removed the advertisement and did not pay the requested additional compensation.
“I presently view this as a six-figure case, although we will not know the full measure of damages until discovery,” he said.
The Post has sought comment from Victoria’s Secret.
