Cover Kelsey Merritt is a Filipino American model based in New York (Photo: Kelsey Merritt)
Kelsey Merritt is a Filipino American model based in New York (Photo: Kelsey Merritt)
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Here is everything you need to know about Filipino American model Kelsey Merritt who’s walked the runway of the Victoria’s Secret fashion show
Filipino-American model Kelsey Merritt got her big break in 2018 when, at 22 years old, she was selected to walk in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show—the first person of Filipino descent to ever be selected. She was also the first Filipino to model for Sports Illustrated.
Growing up in the Philippines, Merritt graduated from Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City in 2017, and was scouted by a model agency director, Roman Young. She’s since moved to the United States and signed with agencies all around the world, including Supreme, Women Management Milan, Wilhelmina, and Nomad. Currently, she’s making headlines for rumours that she is dating Gossip Girl and The Boys star Chace Crawford.
Here are eight things you need to know about the model and Gen.T honouree.
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1. She was the first person of Filipino descent to walk in a Victoria’s Secret show
“We did it, Philippines,” Merritt wrote in an Instagram post she shared in September 2018. “What an honor it is to be the first Filipino to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2018! I can’t believe this!”
She later told Teen Vogue that it felt like a dream. “Getting the show is the dream come true but being the first Filipino woman to walk in the show means I’m making history. The show is broadcast in more than 190 countries with models from 20 countries and I got chosen to represent my region. Blessed!”
2. She attended the 82nd Golden Globes
Merritt attended the 2025 Golden Globes as one of the guests of French wine company Moët & Chandon, the official champagne of the evening. She walked the carpet in a luxurious golden-nude satin dress with a deep neckline and a dropped sash. Vietnamese fashion designer Cong Tri was responsible for the design. Adding sparkle to the understated look, Merritt styled the dress with a Tiffany & Co. yellow diamond necklace and bangles.
It was her first time going to the Globes, although she's been to a few Oscars afterparties and the Venice Film Festival in 2022.
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3. She’s very body-positive
During her contract signing with a Philippine-based talent agency, Merritt confessed that she finds editing her social media photos seems “crazy.”
“I feel like as a model and as a public figure that people look up to, I sort of have the responsibility to show people that I’m real. I’m also human. I have the same things that they have...Like the stretch marks that they have, they are naturally occurring in a human body. It’s not something to look down upon or something that you should try to get rid of because everyone has it,” she said, adding that she doesn't want to perpetuate the stereotype that models are perfect.
More than once, Merritt has proudly broadcast her stretchmarks on Instagram.
4. She is a big believer in getting a college education
Merritt started modelling at around the age of 15 and was still at university when her career in the United States started to take off. In an Instagram post Merritt shared that she had considered stopping her degree halfway through to focus on modelling, but looking back after graduating, she says she’s glad she didn’t.
“The choice was not easy, but no one ever said it was going to be. It was not easy always flying more than 15 hours and then fighting jet lag, going to work the next day, and having to go home after work to finish papers or study for a test. It wasn’t easy trying to fight back sleep on the plane because I had so many readings to catch up on,” she wrote. “Other people also think that I’ve missed a few semesters and I’m behind my batch, but that’s not the case. I’m graduating with the same batch I entered Ateneo with. Now that I’m done with school, I can finally do what I want to do and live in the city I love most.”
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5. She uses her platform to raise awareness about the dangers of single-use plastic
Merritt shared in an interview with Phillippine media that her dad had suggested she use her growing social media popularity to also advocate for something she believed in. “I wanted something that really touched me,” she said. “So I was waiting, I wasn’t in a rush. I was waiting until I actually felt something, [and] felt passionate about something.”
She eventually found her cause in advocating for a plastic-free world. She’s since cut down on her own plastic usage and regularly discusses the issue on Instagram to her 2 million followers. “I don’t wanna preach,” she said. “If you wanna copy what I’m doing then that’s amazing, but you don’t have to.” Instead she focuses on sharing small ways she and her followers can reduce plastic usage in their daily lives, from using reusable water bottles to carrying around reusable cutlery and shopping using glass jars rather than plastic.
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6. She advocates for a sustainable and natural beauty routine
Much like her approach to a plastic-free lifestyle, Merritt’s beauty routine is natural, minimal and fresh. Sharing her skincare routine with Vogue, Merrit advocated for the use of coconut oil as a natural moisturiser for both face and body. “I love everything coconut,” she says.
She shared that she even grows her own aloe vera plant in her bathroom so that she can trim the plant and use the gel. “I rub [aloe vera gel] all over my scalp and the dry parts of my hair,” she says.
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7. She’s an avid skier and surfer
Merritt loves sports since it aligns with her go-getter attitude. She told one magazine, “Once something piques my interest, I don’t stop until I’ve mastered it.”
She admitted that she felt frustrated when she didn’t get the hang of skiing right away, however, she kept at it and has now become a skiing enthusiast, hitting the slopes every chance she gets.
On top of that, she loves surfing, with Siargao in the Philippines being her favourite surf spot. Her other hobbies include scuba diving—she earned her open-water scuba diving certification in the Maldives—and flying. In 2023, she started taking aviation lessons in the Hamptons.
8. She loves Filipino street food
Merritt’s work takes her all over the world, and she even bought a house in Los Angeles in 2023. However, whenever she does end up in the Philippines, she often dives into Filipino street fare. Her favourite food? Local green mangoes.
Merritt has said in interviews that she’s struggled with labels in the past. In the Philippines, she's known as the “White Girl,” while in the US, she’s called the “Asian Girl.” Regardless, she’s proud of her Filipino roots and identifies as a Filipina all the way.
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