A former executive at Victoria’s Secret reportedly made a lewd comment about Bella Hadid before the brand’s 2018 fashion show.
The incident was one of several allegations of sexual harassment and bullying made against Ed Razek in a recent New York Times report.
Hadid, 23, was being measured for underwear when Razek, watching from a couch in the same room, allegedly declared, ”forget the panties.”
Razek allegedly went on to remark that the real question was whether the TV network would let Hadid walk “down the runway with those perfect” breasts, according to the Times, which also reported that at the same fitting, Razek allegedly touched another model’s crotch over her underwear.
A rep for Hadid and a spokesperson for Victoria’s Secret did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Razek denied the allegations, telling the Times in an email that “the accusations in this reporting are categorically untrue, misconstrued or taken out of context,” adding, “I’ve been fortunate to work with countless, world-class models and gifted professionals and take great pride in the mutual respect we
have for each other.”
The annual fashion show was canceled last year amid ongoing controversy about the lack of body diversity on the runway.
In November, Hadid — who has walked in three Victoria’s Secret fashion shows — said she had “never felt powerful“ modeling lingerie until she walked in Rihanna‘s Fenty show last year.
“For me, that was the first time on a runway that I felt really sexy,” Hadid said of the experience, according to Women’s Wear Daily. “Because when I first did Fenty, I was doing other lingerie shows and I never felt powerful on a runway, like, in my underwear.”
“I like being another character,” the model explained. “I think at this point I don’t necessarily love being myself sometimes. Sometimes on the runway you get either nervous or you forget how your legs move.”
Hadid made her Victoria’s Secret fashion show debut in 2016, before returning for the 2017 and 2018 shows.
