Perfection

By Tiernán B. Ó Ruairc

The nineties were the pinnacle of modelling and high fashion. The period in the fashion world was defined by its supermodels or  the‘big five.’ These women were seen as the ideal, Naomi Cambell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Tatjana Patitz. They were meant to embody perfection and did so for the majority of the nineties. Their curvaceous and tall aesthetic was seen as the ‘sexy’ model, however the discovery of a young Kate Moss at the beginning of the nineties brought into focus a new aesthetic–heroin chic

Characterised by its origins in the grunge subculture, the pale skinned, worn and tired look became the look of the 1993 Calvin Klein perfume launch Obsession. The artistic meaning behind the look was meant to represent a disenfranchised youth who turned to heroin as a depressant. The look was demonised and vilified for its promotion of a dangerous narcotic which a decade earlier contributed to the AID’s epidemic. However, the power of recognition and popular culture continued to promote the aesthetic despite high profile deaths.

The 1997 death of Davide Sorrenti, a twenty year old photographer from Naples, was the beginning of the end of the glorification of heroin and the heroin chic aesthetic in fashion. Ms Sorrenti, the mother of the dead photographer, led a campaign against the use of drugs within the industry and slowly by the turn of the millennium heroin chic had died.The new millennium introduced the Brazilian model,as the latest standard, into the global stage.

Though the noughties and early twenty-tens remained an uncontroversial time, tabloids and magazines continued to make note of women’s body image within the fashion industry, but nothing compared to the unhealthy aesthetic of heroin chic. The late twenty-tens brought about diversity and inclusivity into the fashion industry by bringing in plus size and middle size models, while more people of colour were also included.  This allowed the fashion industry to be more flexible and helped expand its audience.

Like the rest of popular culture, the late twenty-tens into the twenty-twenties are characterised by evolving standards and newfound inclusivity. Although, the mid twenty twenties have seen a wave of nostalgia, possibly kickstarter by the almost twenty four months in lockdown. For many sports enthusiasts it meant relieving World Cups from the past, for others it was binge watching shows from their childhood. For some fashion enthusiasts it meant rewatching 90’s runways. With a new audience watching the likes of Kate Moss, Jodie Kidd and Jaime King a new wave of interest in the heroin chic starts to bubble up. 

Outlets like the Guardian and German broadcaster DW have noted the sudden change in interest amongst the fashion industry with interest in the Hollywood favourite diabetic drug Ozempic has created the same aesthetic as heroin chic had in the nineties. The 2025 spring/summer Namilia and Ed Hardy fashion show at the 2024 Berlin Fashion Week had one model wear an ‘I (Heart) Ozempic’ singlet. Berlin Fashion Week was not exclusively a call back to the nineties with plus size models still making an appearance, but can this newfound love with the super skinny model be healthy? 

A 2022 article by the Guardian criticised The New York Times after they proclaimed skinny was back. The Guardian’s argument against this revival was that it hides its roots from the nineties and instead claims itself to be something new i.e. the clean girl aesthetic. With several cases of fake Ozempic entering the market and resulting in comas this era of the skinny girl appears to be just as dangerous as the original heroin chic. Ultimately the question remains is beauty worth the risk? Is the possibility of death worth the selfie or the modelling contract? Unlike the nineties society, now people are more chronically online meaning more people would be at risk if heroin chic became the fashion standard once again.