The world has always told women that they must be beautiful to be valuable. Since social media’s inception, this sentiment has only been amplified.

The “ideal body” is a confusing, and rather unsettling topic because of the way it is simultaneously so clearly portrayed in the media, yet so elusive in constant fluctuation. The internet is littered with altered body imagery, ranging from photoshop to cosmetic surgeries and medications all for the sake of appearing effortlessly “ideal”. With a generation so heavily influenced by what is fed to them, there is a narrative that the algorithm favors and feeds— that our bodies are something beyond unconditional appreciation, but something that should be alterable to appease the beauty standards trends glamorize. 

So why is it so hard to unsubscribe to this idea— isn’t a body just a unique vessel for each person?

Since the 1900s one can follow a clear boomeranging path that swings in favor of thin and curvy. Undergarments such as bustles, hoop skirts and corsets first set the standard for how a woman should appear, cinched waist and conservatively appealing. As the glamor of the 1920’s intersected with the women’s suffrage movement, society was seeing thin, boyish bodies, which fashion mirrored through the popularity of boxy flapper dresses and chic bob cuts. 

As we approach the 1950’s, standards shift as Hollywood glamor starts to embrace the curves of women like Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe. It is coupled with the challenging truth however, that curvier bodies are often over-sexualized, from a male voyeur perspective, meaning that plumpness was only celebrated when it was in “the right places”.
As the 60’s rolls (and rocks) on in, mod fashion is all the rage, spearheaded by flashy editorials through British model, Twiggy. Named after her thin frame, Twiggy rose to international prestige— and a shift towards thin bodies came soon to follow.

The women’s liberation movement of the 70’s brought a wave of women going for a more muscular and “fit” body type, still thin but with more emphasis on strength. These changing paradigms continued into the 80’s, with women like Jane Fonda promoting at-home fitness, with an ever resilient emphasis on thinness. It wasn’t until 1983, when Close to You singer and half of the revered music duo Karen Carpenter’s heartbreaking death due to anorexia opened the general public’s eyes to the dangers of diet culture.

Nevertheless, unattainable standards persisted. Things took a turn in the 90’s when glorified ultra-thinness was really introduced to mass media and deaths due to anorexia nervosa were at the highest they had ever been. The term “heroin chic” rose to popularity, describing the frame of some of the most sought after celebrities of the time. Models like Kate Moss, television shows such as Skins, and diet culture endorsed these behaviors through the mass media. Since then, eating disorders have become extremely common and even romanticized. Ironically, while this “waif” body was being idolized, there was a simultaneous rise in obesity in the United States. The narrative had become that thinness equated to health and big bodies were the result of the opposite. Obviously, this is a false distinction and disregards muscle mass, genetics, diseases and all personal lifestyle aspects. Thinking about bodies in this binary becomes extremely dangerous fueling unhealthy methods of weight loss and low self-esteem.

In the 2000’s there was a slight swing, not as drastic as previous decades, but more influential celebrities are going for a toned, fit, look. People like Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and members of Destiny’s Child are showing off their abs and “fresh out of the gym” physiques. Unfortunately, runways are still only featuring extremely thin individuals and even these slim and ever so slightly muscular celebrities are receiving unwarranted commentary from the media on their bodies.
As the early 2010’s began to roll around the “slim thick” physique became all the rage in fashion and media. Women were now expected to have big butts, big breasts and tiny waists. The hourglass look of the 1950’s was “in” again, but this time, alteration was all the more accessible through wealth and demand. This, compounded by social media’s influence on the chronically online led to an unfair perception of what could be achieved naturally, once again cementing the notion that attainable or not, body types are and have been a landmark in trend.

Many people have been predicting that 2024 will be the year that the BBL will retire. Between celebrities reversing Brazilian Butt Lifts that enhanced their curvy shapes, the craze of buccal fat removal and Ozempic, there seems to be a shift from the popularity of pronounced curves and bigger butts to the “heroin chic” aesthetic that tortured the 1990’s and early 2000’s.

Moreover, 2024 thus far has proven nothing but exempt from the tiresome fluctuation in beauty and body standard. With the reintroduction of low-rise jeans, Bella Hadid’s explosive popularity, and public discourse on Kim Kardashian’s weight loss on the family’s show along with her speculated BBL removal. We are seeing celebrities who previously praised body positivity turning to Ozempic and losing significant amounts of weight almost overnight, with a rare acknowledgement. Social media, particularly TikTok, has also amplified the romanticism wrongfully associated with eating disorders and is reaching the masses at alarming numbers. Although the internet has always been a breeding ground for pro-eating disorder content, early tumblr comes to mind, the fact that algorithms are so advanced now has only created larger problems. Young people who make up a majority of the users on these platforms are being told that their body’s worth comes solely from its appearance rather than its health.

As we move toward a brighter future, one can only hope that the excessive fixations over body type and alteration can come to a close, to set a more neutral baseline for genuine appreciation— a society fueled by a more sustainable notion that nurtures feeling safe, sound, and secure in our beautifully cherishable bodies. 

The fact that a woman’s body is a constantly changing trend has a massive part to play in dysmorphic and unhealthy views on one’s body. Bodies are meant to serve, to take us from place to place, to hold one another, to dance and to be loved and none of these actions “require” a shape other than our own.

Reach column writer Ada Capecchi at musemediauw@gmail.com
Instagram @capecchiii