In the 1960s, skinny was a new beauty ideal; cultural changes meant fashion started catering to teenagers instead of older women, a slim almost childlike body symbolised the new obsession with youth. It later re-emerged as the fashion fantasy of the 1990s, with young beautiful girls taking over catwalks and billboards. They embodied the ultimate cool—independent, rebellious, and effortlessly glamorous, living on cigarettes and champagne and we all wanted to be them. As the decade progressed, curvier models began to appear. Sophie Dahl taking to the runway in 1997 was a countercurrent against the rise of “heroin chic”, and she later became the face of Tom’s Ford’s Opium in 2000. The body positivity movement exploded in the 2010s, amplified by social media, challenging conventional beauty standards. The movement highlighted intersectionality with curve, queer and disabled bodies at the forefront, a long overdue presence in an industry still dominated by a single silhouette.
So why in 2025 are we falling back to exclusivity? Why is skinny popular again? I sat down with award-winning director Julia Parnell (The Chills, SIX60, Till the Lights Go Out, Choir Games), and curve models Isabella Moore and Hannah Janes to get the inside story on the new fascination.
