25-year study reveals diversity gains in fashion media but unchanged aspirational body standards
By
Karolina Śliwa
An everything bagel for the brain. Substantive, layered, well-seasoned.
Summary
This article examines 25 years of data from runway shows, advertisements, and magazine covers to analyze the evolution of beauty standards in media and fashion. It reveals a contradiction: while headline measures of diversity have improved, the aspirational body standard remains essentially unchanged. Broader casting has emerged but remains confined to outliers that do not shift the norm. The research highlights how media and fashion industry standards impact body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, and despite calls for greater diversity, the core aspirational body type persists.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledHeadline measures of diversity have improved, yet the aspirational body is essentially unchanged.
Broader casting has emerged, but remains confined to outliers that do not shift the norm.
Who gets to be beautiful, and who decides?
The media and fashion industry set aspirational body standards with measurable consequences for body dissatisfaction and eating disorders.
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