Barbara Palvin is sharing details on how she made her way back to the Victoria’s Secret runway only six weeks after giving birth and asking for better support of working mothers.
The Hungarian model participated in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on Oct. 18 in Los Angeles, less than two months after the birth of her firstborn, daughter Sylvie, with her husband Dylan Sprouse. In an Instagram post, Barbara shared her gratitude to everyone who supported her in that moment.
“It really does take a village,” Palvin wrote. “Feeling incredibly blessed to have the love and support of my family and friends through this new chapter of my life. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
She thanked Victoria’s Secret for accepting her as a new mother.
“A huge thank you to Victoria’s Secret for embracing me exactly where I am in my postpartum journey and making me feel so beautiful and confident,” Palvin added. “I mean, we were literally sewing nursing pads into my bras backstage! A little reminder of the reality behind all the glam.”
Palvin revealed that she returned to work by her own choice and used this opportunity to draw attention to the issue of returning to work too soon for many American women.
“Going back to work was a choice I was lucky enough to make,” Palvin wrote. “And while I’m so grateful for this opportunity, I can’t help but think about all the mothers who don’t have that choice. In the U.S., so many women are expected to return to work just six to eight weeks after giving birth, often without paid maternity leave. Mothers deserve more time, more support and more choices.”
“I’m so proud of this moment and what I accomplished, and I’m happy to be back in our little bubble with Sylvie,” she added.
Palvin encouraged other mothers not to compare themselves to what they see on the runway.
“One thing I really want to say is that every postpartum journey looks different, and none of us should ever feel the need to compare,” Palvin wrote. “What you saw on that runway was me all dolled up, but my everyday postpartum reality looks very different. Some days, just finding time to take a shower or sit down and eat a meal in peace feels like a huge accomplishment. And that deserves to be celebrated too.”
“Because whether you’re walking a runway, going back to work or simply making it through another sleepless night, we all have one incredible thing in common: we created a miracle,” she continued. “And that alone deserves to be celebrated.”
“Motherhood is hard, beautiful, messy, emotional and so, so worth it,” Palvin wrote. “Thank you for all the love. My heart is full. Let’s go, mamas! We’re all doing amazing.”
Speaking backstage at the show, Palvin said that the support from Victoria’s Secret felt empowering, as many mothers return to work after six weeks in the U.S.
Palvin and Sprouse, who married in 2023, shared the news about Sylvie’s birth in a joint Instagram post on Sept. 28. It’s the sixth Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for Palvin, who became a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2019.
