“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”, the infamous quote that former supermodel Kate Moss declared. The phrase, which the model claimed to be her motto, became a mantra for millions of young women across the world. In fact, these words further cemented Kate Moss as the cover girl for “heroin chic”. The “heroin chic” aesthetic is described and associated with abuse of drugs – pale skin, dark undereye circles, stringy hair and extreme thinness – an aesthetic that was heavily idolized in the early 2000s. But it’s 2023, we’ve moved past this mindset, haven’t we?
Well, it doesn’t seem so. You would think that the wave of body positivity that struck the media in the past decade would change things. Countless conversations about “my body, my choice”, the acceptance of plus-size models in fashion, body positive campaigns, and cultural icons like the Kardashians, who are embodiments of the current Zeitgeist, promoting and celebrating curves. But did this body positivity movement even have any impact? I'm not sure.
On TikTok, the most popular platform for young impressionable teens, keywords such as “heroin chic body” and “thinspo” (thin inspiration) are amongst top searches. Not only that, but the current fashion and beauty trends also lean into the same direction. Low-rise jeans, tiny mini-skirts, baby tees, not covering up your undereye circles, messy hair – all of these are heavily reminiscent of the early 2000s “heroin chic” look. It’s no coincidence that being skinny is back “in trend”. Or when you go on to Bella Hadid’s or Emily Ratajkowski’s TikTok pages, the supermodels’ comments are flooded with remarks about their weight and praises of their thin figures. Social media gives us access to view, judge and compare women’s bodies in an instant. Do we really still feel the need to use weight and body image as a tool to pit women against each other? That's so early 2000s. Or not.
In 2022, when Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress to the MET Gala, the Internet exploded. Not because of the dress, but because of Kim Kardashian’s body. Women, especially young women, flooded social media with comments of how ''being skinny is back'' and questions of how to lose weight as quickly as Kardashian. When the socialite admitted that her weight loss was credited to an extreme diet of only cleanest veggies and proteins, and multiple workouts daily, the Internet, once again, split into two camps: people praising her and people criticizing her for promoting unhealthy body standards. It seemed that the poster woman of body positivity and curves had transformed into the poster woman of dieting and thinness. But why does it matter if a woman decides to change her body and how she does it? Weight says little, if anything, about an individual's health. It certainly doesn't indicate a person's worth or happiness. Sure, Kim Kardashian has mass influence on humans around the world, but does that mean she should not be allowed to do what she wants with her body? Why do we hold women to this standard? Why do we blame women for "encouraging" weight loss or unattainable body types. If all of this was done by a man, trying to fit into, say, a famous suit, would there be the same amount of outrage and judgement? I can confidently say no.
It is evident, that no matter how much progress has been made in the past decade in regards to body positivity, the entitlement to judge and comment on others’ bodies is still very present. In addition to that, “body trends” seem to follow fashion trends. The truth is, unfortunately, feminine beauty and body standards are ever-changing. Maybe instead of questioning whether being skinny or curvy is trendy again, we should question if it even matters. Fashion trends always come and go, but the concept of body trends should stay in the past. Women's bodies are nobody's business but their own. Rock your Y2K inspired low-rise jeans in the body you feel comfortable, healthy and happy in. Self-confidence chic is the new "heroin chic".
Nothing tastes as expired as the ever-changing body standards for women.
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