Barbara Palvin returns to the Victoria's Secret runway six weeks after giving birth, and the brand has turned motherhood into an ad

Barbara Palvin gave birth to her first daughter, Sylvie, in September. On Sunday, 18 October, about six weeks later, the 33-year-old Hungarian model is due to walk the runway at the Victoria's Secret show in Los Angeles. The brand announced her return with a video in which she stands next to a pram bearing the sign "Angel on Board".

As marketing, the move is flawless. In recent years the brand has been trying to show a different image of itself, and a mother with a baby in a pram is a message that's hard to criticise. But that's exactly where it's worth pausing: is six weeks after giving birth one woman's personal decision, or a new version of the old story about a body that has to "bounce back" fast?

Palvin has a long history with the brand. She first walked for Victoria's Secret in 2012, returned in 2018 after a six-year break, and also appeared in 2024 and 2025. She had her daughter Sylvie with her husband, the actor Dylan Sprouse.

Three days before the show, on Thursday, she was photographed running errands around Los Angeles: a short white babydoll-style dress with a rounded collar and rolled-up sleeves, black tights, grey ribbed socks and black leather heeled boots. Simple, youthful, no red-carpet act.

Her body is her business, and nobody has the right to tell her when she's ready. The question isn't about Palvin, but about the image that women who gave birth six weeks ago and barely find time to shower will see. When the brand turns a pram into a prop, who is that message really for?