The Return of Heroin Chic
L’Officiel Monaco
The term used to define the 1990s era of high fashion has made a comeback to this season’s runway. Who would’ve thought that after years of the body positivity movement, we would cycle back to runways filled with models of the past, literally and figuratively?
History of ‘Heroin Chic’
While ‘heroin chic’ was wildly popular during what some deem as the peak of high fashion in the 1990s and early 200s, it is believed to originate from Gia Carangi. She is what the fashion world calls the world’s first supermodel. When the industry was filled with beautiful, blue-eyed blondes, she was an eccentric breath of fresh air, unafraid to take risks. This attitude quickly landed her shows with Versace and Dior. However, in a time when being a junkie was seen as glamorous, she quickly fell from fame. Her addiction led to shooting while she was on set, making it hard to capture shots without showing the track marks on her arms. Eventually, her inability to book jobs led to couch-surfing and a couple of part-time jobs before she was diagnosed with Aids in 1985. A year later, she died, disconnected from the world that brought her fame, but her name lives on through the messy models of the 1990s. (Cooper, 2018)
Gia Carangi
Rise in Popularity
After Gia, the industry became increasingly fascinated with the look of pale skin, dark circles, and extreme thinness, features that came with drug abuse. It didn’t help that film and music at the time further glamorized drugs highlighting the initial pleasure that they could bring. There was something so alluring about the risk and chaos that came with using, and the fashion industry couldn’t get enough. Designers like Alexander McQueen and Helmut Lang took the look of junkies and made them desirable in their collections (Givhan, 1996).
In 1992, the industry blew up with Kate Moss, known as an anti-supermodel with her shorter build, and unique look. Her feature in Calvin Klein highlighted her emancipated look, leading to controversy around promoting anorexia and heroin use. Still, she quickly rose to fame, being cast by Dior, Burberry, Chanel, and more (Britanica, 2024). This continued to propagate the use of deathly-looking models in runways and magazines, which had massive implications on social body standards. Everywhere one looked, whether that be on television or print media, the world was obsessed with extreme weight control.
Alexander McQueen S/S 1998
Body Positivity Movement
Whether the desire for thin bodies came from the fashion industry or not, it is undeniable that for the majority of the 2000s, weight was constantly the topic of conversation. Diet talk and larger representation being reserved for villains or comedic relief were the norm in all forms of media. However, in 2012, there seemed to be a shift. Social media started pushing for more inclusive representation, going against the unrealistic portrayals of female bodies (Gelsinger, 2021). Runways started seeing curvier bodies and consumer demand led to more inclusive sizing. From 2014 to 2020, multiple brands extended their sizing, including large retailers such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Nike, and Anthropologie (Yarde, 2024). Even Victoria's Secret took action to be more inclusive with plus size models and more inclusive representation in their 2023 return to the runway. While this runway did receive a ton of backlash from dedicated fans of the old Victoria’s Secret Angels, it seemed to indicate a new era of inclusivity in the fashion world (Ellen, 2023).
2023 Victoria Secret
Ozempic and Return to a Thin Standard
In 2017, Ozempic was approved by the USA Food and Drug Administration for type 2 diabetes. It rapidly grew in popularity throughout 2020-2022, leading to a 300% increase in prescriptions in just the last three months of 2022 (Mansour et. al, 2024) And as celebrities returned to the red carpet after Covid, it became more and more evident that Ozempic had become a common household drug in Hollywood. Sunken faces and rapid weight loss became a norm as curvy bodies became a thing of the past. From Kim Kardashian seemingly dissolving her implants to previous plus size icons turning favor to a slimmer frame, it has become evident that Ozempic may be the next heroin chic.
In the fashion industry, the Ozempic craze has had major implications on sales and the runway. In 2022, small-size sales increased by 12%, while large sizes decreased by 10.9% showing the trickle-down of fashion trends into day to day consumer behavior. Plus-size models are also having a harder time booking jobs, as their presence declined by nearly 25% in 2023, compared to the previous runway season. After years of progress in inclusivity and fighting for their spot on the runway, one drug seems to have stagnated years of progress (Boateng, 2024)
Designers have also started bringing back icons from the 1990s/2000s fashion era, such as Vlada Roslyakova for the Ralph Lauren Fall/Winter 2024 show and Adriana Lima in Schiaparelli 2024 Paris Fashion Week. This makes us wonder just how close the era of glorified eating disorders and constant body issues is to returning. Fashion trends always seem to circle back, just like low-rise jeans and Y2K in 2020, so was it just a matter of time before the use of drugs to obtain unnaturally thin figures came back into the spotlight? What makes this craze for Ozempic any different from the damage that the heroin chic era has on body image and societal expectations of what is healthy?
Schiaparelli 2024 Paris Fashion Week
Citations
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Cooper, A. (2018, September 14). The story of Gia Carangi: world’s first supermodel who died of Aids at 26. DAZED. https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/41317/1/the-story-of-gia-the-world-s-first-supermodel-who-died-of-aids-at-26
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Givhan, R. (1996, August 8). Why Dole Frowns On Fashion. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-08-08-ls-32243-story.html
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Britanica. (October 7, 2024). Kate Moss. Encyclopidia Britanica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kate-Moss#ref1205585
Gelsinger, A. (February 26, 2021). A Critical Analysis of the Body Positive Movement on Instagram: How Does it Really Impact Body Image?. Digital Scholarship @UNLV. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/spectra/vol1/iss1/4/
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Yarde, C. (February 7, 2024). A Decade in the Making: The Evolution of Inclusive Fashion. Dia https://www.dia.com/blog/know/a-decade-in-the-making-the-evolution-of-inclusive-fashion/#:~:text=Size%20Inclusivity%20in%20Retail,from%202014%20to%20early%202020.
Ellen, B. (October 22, 2023). Sorry, Victoria’s Secret, your ‘woke’ rebrand failed because it was performative pants. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/22/sorry-victorias-secret-your-woke-rebrand-failed-because-it-was-performative-pants
Mansour et. al. (2024). The rise of “Ozempic Face”: Analyzing trends and treatment challenges associated with rapid facial weight loss induced by GLP-1 agonists. JPRAS An Intentional Journal of Surgical Reconstruction. https://www.jprasurg.com/article/S1748-6815(24)00417-0/abstract#:~:text=From%20early%202020%20to%20the,three%20months%20of%202022%20alone.
Boateng, A. (August 21, 2024). With the rise of Ozempic, is this the end of the plus-size modelling industry?. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-with-the-rise-of-ozempic-is-this-the-end-of-the-plus-size-modelling/
Written By:
Jessica Pang