Thin Is Back With a Vengeance

"The idea that "Thin is in" arose with the Twiggy era in the 1960s. It was about this time that the saying, "You can never be too rich or too thin," became popular and was repeated by celebrities such as the Duchess of Windsor, Joan Rivers, and Truman Capote. Author Stephen King added on a few words, "You can never be too thin or too rich. And if you don't believe it, you were never really fat or really poor.""

"In the 1990s, the idealization of the thin body resurfaced with the "heroin chic" look and waifish body image. Crop tops and low-rise jeans designed for skinny bodies were in vogue in the early 2000s. In 2010, Lindo Bacon wrote the book Healthy at Every Size, a book that focused on promoting healthy behaviors, improving self-esteem, and challenging the idea that everyone can lose weight and keep it off."

Thinness became a dominant ideal during the Twiggy era of the 1960s and was reinforced by celebrity remarks endorsing thinness. Organized fat-acceptance activism emerged with NAAFA in 1969 and the 1972 Fat Manifesto advocating body acceptance. The 1990s revived thin ideals through "heroin chic" and early-2000s fashion favored very slim bodies. The Healthy at Every Size idea and the body-positivity movement grew around 2010, amplified by social media and plus-size visibility. The arrival of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic has renewed focus on weight loss, celebrity endorsements, and mass marketing. The aesthetic preference has shifted toward a long, lean "ballet body."

Read at Psychology Today