Tonight the annual Victoria Secret Angels fashion show will air on CBS, and while this may be of interest to some queer women, others are not interested in the lingerie model parade. What’s different this year, though, is one of the Angels is openly queer. Although Stella Maxwell has never spoken publicly about how she identifies, the model was involved with Miley Cyrus in a highly publicized relationship earlier this year.
“We met through Grindr,” Stella joked in an interview with V magazine, clarifying that she met Miley on Instagram. “It’s been a trip to hang out and see a little of their world. Felt very organic and right.”
Stella and was born and raised in Belgium before eventually moving to Australia and then New Zealand. As is typical of some models, she was discovered while shopping with a friend. And while the five-foot-nine-inch tall 24-year-old was in last year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, this is her first year as an angel.
Tonight’s special was shot a month ago in New York City, around the time it was being reported that Stella and Miley had split up and that Miley was noticeably absent from the taping.
Stella is also friends with Johnny Depp‘s sexually fluid daughter Lily-Rose Depp and loves to pose with other beautiful women, both professionally and personally on her Instagram.
A photo posted by rosietupper (@rosietupper) on Dec 3, 2015 at 9:06pm PST
In interviews, Stella says she “likes to live her life in a very real way,” and she thinks that people can see that and appreciate that in her. She also says she’s attracted to “someone’s personality rather than how someone looks.”
“I think just being comfortable in your own skin,” Stella told i-D. “Because if you’re comfortable then you’re confident, which is a really amazing trait to have. I love to see that in my friends.”
And we love to see queer women with confidence on stage alongside their heterosexual peers. We see you, Stella!
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show airs tonight at 10/9c on CBS.
