Although the fashion industry standards have long been associated with glitz and style, under its shiny surface, there is a widespread pressure to fit a limited definition of beauty—extreme thinness. Many models still face great pressure to keep dangerously low body weights to succeed in their professions, notwithstanding continuous talks about body positivity and inclusivity.
An Experience from Inside: Insider
Starting her career at twenty-one, Inès Le Gousse offers a frank view of these demands.Scouts discovered her in 2021, and she quickly immersed herself in the high-fashion scene, collaborating with brands like Moncler and Lacoste and walking in London showsShe recalls a stylist saying, “She’s too skinny for the show, but perfect for the fittings,” revealing the industry’s covert preference for extreme thinness.
Model conversations usually center on weight and dieting, reflecting a shared reality of life under continual pressure to keep a specific size. Although models follow fashion industry standards, knowing it’s a factor in securing employment, Le Gousse notes they do not actively promote a particular body. Usually corresponding to a UK size 6, this standard falls between measurements of 34-24-34 inches.
The Illusion of Inclusivity
Though public celebrations of body diversity in fashion—such as plus-size models walking runways and magazine covers—these events sometimes seem staged. The underlying skinny ideal still rules. The Vogue Business Autumn/Winter 2025 size inclusivity report analyzed 8,703 looks from key fashion events and found that designers featured just 0.3% plus-sized (US 14+), 2% mid-size (US 6-12), and 97.7% straight-size (US 0-4) models. This shows a notable drop in body diversity from past seasons. Read more on Vogue Business.
This discrepancy exists outside of the runway. Founder of an online clothes retailer, Brigitte Read, says she gets more than 100 daily nasty remarks about the weight of her models, ranging in size from 4 to 38. This reaction emphasizes society’s double standards about body size portrayal in advertising. Read The Sun’s report.
Psychological Influence
Particularly young women, the fashion business’s encouragement of a thin ideal has significant psychological impacts on consumers. Unrealistic body standards can cause body discontent and fuel eating disorders, including bulimia nervosa and anorexia. Television shows and films like “I Feel Pretty” and “Dietland” have brought attention to vanity sizing issues and how bad it is for body image.
A Call for Real Transformation
Though some progress has been made, the fashion business still has a long way to go in appreciating actual body diversity. Although some companies have shown a sincere wish to employ models with healthy body standards, these are rare rather than usual cases. The sector has to go beyond tokenism and apply structural changes encouraging diversity. Reflecting the wide customer base they serve, this includes including models of many body types, ethnicities, ages, and gender identities.
Check out how fashion trends are evolving at Luvrix.
The fashion business has to follow suit as society grows more inclusive by really portraying every person. This change is not only moral but also commercial since consumers choose companies that mirror their values and character more and more.
In essence, even if the fashion business has progressed towards inclusivity, the constant pressure for thinness among models exposes much more work still to be done. The business can create a better environment for models and customers both by appreciating real diversity and rejecting negative body standards.
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