An Enfield Connection to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Enfield, CT - Tuesday night at 10 p.m., many Americans will be tuning into CBS for the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, but very few will realize Enfield has a connection to one of the models working the runway.

An unusual sexy astronaut outfit will be worn by Megan Puleri, an 18-year-old from Ohio who will also interact with singer Selena Gomez on the show, taped Nov. 10 in New York.

Where does Enfield fit into this story?

Puleri’s dad, Tom, grew up in Enfield, graduating from Fermi High School in 1978. After graduating from Providence College, he moved to California, where he met his future wife, Susie.

His wife is originally from Ohio, and the couple moved there in the mid-1980s, where he established himself as a financial advisor.

Their daughter, a brunette who stands 5-foot-10, had done some local modeling for bridal shows and on runways in the Columbus area when one day, inside a suburban mall, her parents showed her photo to the chief marketing officer of Victoria Secret’s parent company, Limited Brands.

The executive was impressed with Megan, but she was just 15 and Victoria’s Secret does not allow models to walk until they are at least 18.

“He told me he had literally a thousand women show him pictures of their daughters, and the answer has always been no, but when he saw Megan, the answer was yes,” Tom Puleri said in a phone interview.

He said his daughter was given an option to begin modeling right away or to first finish high school; she opted for the latter.

Megan competed in lacrosse and soccer during her high school years.

“That’s a big component of her physical being; she’s very athletic and strong,” her dad said.

Three years after the initial meeting, she signed with IMG Models in New York, and remarkably landed a spot in the annual fashion show on her first attempt.

Tom Puleri said a reporter recently interviewed Megan and asked her, “Why are you the perfect model?”

Her response was a great illustration of the type of humble person his daughter is, according to Puleri.

“I’m the perfect model because I know that I’m imperfect, and we’re all imperfect.”

Photo courtesy of Megan Puleri/Instagram; video from YouTube