Is My Body on Trend? The Societal Cycle of The Female Form
*Article from Lexington Line’s Spring/Summer Issue, pages 30-32
Check out the full issue here
As women, we are taught to keep tabs on the shapes of our bodies. We are meant to ruminate on each lump and bump and search for different techniques to shave off and shape what society deems unpleasant in an effort to match the trending body aesthetics.
While the image of the “ideal female form” may change from decade to decade, continual pressure on women to fit into one mold feeds a vicious cycle that significantly harms our mental health. The body positivity trend still hasn’t erased the decades of harm and anguish.
Though every decade has taken its own liberties when defining the specifics of how a female body should look, there tends to be a vacillation between two general shapes, according to fashion historian Summer Anne Lee.
“There is sort of a pendulum swing—maybe it swings kind of slowly—back and forth between the idealized female figure being extremely curvaceous and thin,” she says.
Lee, who is the social media coordinator for the Underpinnings Museum as well as a professor at Wagner College, notes how this gradual, yet dramatic transition can have a tremendous impact on women’s self-image within their lifetime.
“If you look at these historical periods into the 20th century, and you think of one woman from the age of 18 to however long she lived to, what was it like living through all these different body trends?” she asks.
From the full figured look of the ‘50s, to the heroin chic look of the ‘90s, the female has long been subjected to society’s whims. With each passing decade, the expectation to conform to a certain shape forces women to become a bit more crafty in their efforts.
“Shapewear was very, very important to achieving that figure,” Lee says of its origins. “Even women who were thin would still wear pretty heavy duty [undergarments] compared to what we would think of today. Like undergarments, girdles and also bras.”
While women’s bodies were still held to a certain standard, the use of constructive undergarments in the early 1900s allowed more room for figures to vary, as the many modest layers helped create the illusion of a figure without actually having it.
This would not last long, as clothes became smaller and the expectation of perfection persisted moving into the ‘80s. As athletic, muscular yet curvaceous and feminine bodies became the new standard, women could no longer contort their bodies and were left to alter them.
“If we’re looking at the 1890s, you can fake that figure; you can fake the small waist, and you can wear bosom pads to pad out their chest, and they weren’t showing cleavage necessarily, so you wouldn't know. But it becomes impossible to fake this ideal figure, and you have to internalize it,” Lee says.
As fashions changed, women had no choice but to find ways to morph their bodies, no matter the cost. From plastic surgery—which hit its peak popularity during this transition—to crash diets and drug use, women everywhere were left suffering both mentally and physically at the hands of beauty standards.
The concerning methods that women turned to would continue into the 2000s, when the internet became saturated, women with more and more messages about the way they should look.
According to Forbes, “a study in 2016 found that even brief exposure to media messages portraying an ‘ideal physique’ was linked to increased body image concerns and increased eating disorder symptoms.”
As the internet took over and social media hit the websphere, a surplus of information and imagery became available to everyone. While this came with advantages, it also opened the doors for women to be subjected to even more harmful images and oppressive speech regarding their bodies.
“I was a teenager during some of the best times of the internet. Tumblr was basically my whole life but there was definitely a darker side to it, especially when it came to body image,” says 27-year-old grad student Leah Anderson. “There were a lot of really toxic trends going on like the #proana [pro-anorexia] and heroin chic—just a lot of really terrible messaging overall.”
With the internet exacerbating the problem, many young women, including Leah, took extreme measures to fit into the ideal body of the time.
“I always struggled with my body image and often hated the way I looked back then. Seeing all of these pro-eating disorder posts and just the way weight was talked about then, I think it was almost inevitable for me to get an eating disorder,” she shares.
After battling bulimia and binge eating for five years, Leah entered into rehab where she eventually overcame her condition.
“It was an extremely long road to recovery for me and will still be something that I struggle with for the rest of my life,” Leah says.
While Leah’s story is one that would likely resonate with millions of women all over the world, she believes that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
“Though I still see Instagram posts or TikTok trends that can be triggering, I think that there has been a huge shift towards acceptance, especially with the body positivity movement,” she says. “The internet has a lot of bad, but it also has allowed for many women to speak up and fight against societal beauty standards.”
Within the past few years, #bodypositivity has been a trending topic in any space of the internet. This movement advocates for the normalization and societal acceptance for all bodies regardless of their shapes and sizes. Body positivity has given many hope for the end of the body trend cycle.
“People aren’t afraid to call out these [fashion] brands or influencers for not being inclusive, and I think that’s what will ultimately change society,” Leah says.
While many view the movement as a step in the right direction, some are still skeptical.
“As a fat person, I still face a lot of struggles because of the way that I look,” says 20-year-old Mia Perez.
Doctors dismiss her by blaming every medical symptom that arises on her weight.
“People tell me that I would look pretty if I just ‘lost a few pounds’ or that I’m ‘unhealthy’—mind you, I’m vegan and work out five times a week,” Mia says. “While I want to believe that society is evolving towards a more tolerant future, it’s honestly hard to believe.”
While there has been a lot of progress when it comes to body image, there is still a long way to go. Lee believes that with enough effort, the eradication of the idealized female form is possible. Self acceptance is the first and most crucial step towards that change.
“History proves that body trends come and go, so we need to make peace with that; make peace with ourselves and be kind to ourselves and be accepting of the way our bodies look right now,” Lee says.