Model Falls at Victoria's Secret Show, Instantly Goes Viral

By Bridget O'Donnell

Chinese social media blew up last night after a model at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai fell on the catwalk in the middle of the event.

In various videos circulating on Weibo and WeChat, Chinese model Ming Xi (full name: Xi Mengyao) could be seen slipping forwards after taking a wrong step in her high-heel shoes before tumbling down onto her hands and knees. Just prior to the fall, the 28-year-old Shanghai native was pumping up the crowd as she strutted down the runway. Some audience members screamed as she slipped.

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Despite the nasty fall though, Ming was all smiles and appeared to take the mishap in stride. Dressed in flowy piece with an intricate headpiece, Ming at first struggled to stand back up. Luckily the next model after her, Gizele Oliveira of Brazil, walked up from behind and helped the Fallen Angel get back on her feet.

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The footage quickly shot up to the top of Weibo's trending topics board, becoming the number two most talked about news item within a few hours. As of writing time, the topic for "Victoria's Secret Ming Xi" had picked up nearly 600 million views, while the hashtag "Ming Xi Fall" had 330,000 pageviews.

One ceramics brand was quick to respond, making the incident its central focus in a mock advertisement:

"Don't hate the sky, just be afraid of slipping. Guanzhu Ceramics: Never fear slippery floors."

Ming later addressed the fall on her personal Weibo account, writing:

"I'm so sorry to let everyone down, thank you everyone for your concern. As a model for seven years, I've fallen down on the road countless times along the way... but I know no matter how painful it is, I have to stand up again and finish walking... The future road is very long and I will continue to follow it... Thank you."

Ming also addressed the fall after the show, telling reporters at a post-show press event: "I feel very disappointed in myself but I'm very thankful to everyone. Thank you all. Thank you for clapping for me just now."

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Ming shouldn't have to worry about it too much though, because her tumble will likely be edited out of the pre-taped show (which airs internationally next week).

Bye, haters!

Meanwhile, a 2016 interview of Ming discussing falling on stage has resurfaced since last night's incident. During the video, Ming said if she ever fell, she'd "probably retire."

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