As a Millennial who lived through ‘heroin chic', the Age of Ozempic terrifies me
There are a few rules that those in polite society should always follow. One is avoiding double-dipping when faced with a crudite plate and a bowl of hummus at an event. Another is never – ever! – assume that a woman is pregnant.
Yet, for some reason, this rule has never seemed to apply when discussing celebrities. Most recently, the target was Taylor Swift, who managed to fuel pregnancy rumours after she was spotted wearing a loose fitting mini-dress. Seeing a woman yet again become the target for pregnancy speculation based on something as flimsy as a billowing bit of fabric or a post-dinner burrito belly, this online rhetoric goes a long way in explaining why three in four Australian high school-aged teenagers feel they need to be thinner.
According to the Butterfly Foundation's annual BodyKind Youth Survey released in late May, 90 per cent of Australian teenagers now have some level of concern about their body image. Nearly half said they have never or rarely felt comfortable with their body (up from 40 per cent in 2022), while 75.5 per cent said that they wished they were thinner (up from 62 per cent in 2022). Nearly eight in 10 teenagers said they have been on the receiving end of negative comments about their body or had been teased about their appearance (up from seven in 10 in 2022).
As an older Millennial who came of age in the Heroin Chic era – a time that was punctuated by Kate Moss declaring that 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels', jutting collarbones, pro-anorexia Tumblr accounts and diet tips like 'drink a glass of water every time you feel hungry' – it is haunting seeing this regression.
If the same survey had existed when I was in high school, it's entirely possible that the results would have been scarily similar. That's not to say that nothing has changed in 20 years – because for a while there, things were getting better.
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Though it was far from perfect, the body positivity and body acceptance movement of the past decade actually felt revolutionary in many ways. Seeing pop icon Lizzo declare herself to be 'the baddest bitch alive' in a lycra onesie onstage, felt profound because it was. As did seeing Ashley Graham, a 'plus-sized' model, grace the cover of Vogue in 2017 – the first time in the magazine's 135-year history. We nodded along as Meghan Trainor declared she was All About That Bass and danced along to Nicki Minaj's reinvigorated version of Baby Got Back.
Even Moss herself, the queen of heroin chic, acknowledged the need for change, telling commentator Megyn Kelly in 2018 that she regretted her famous quip and that, 'there's so much more diversity now, I think it's right … it's better'.
But all of this progress wasn't to last. Over the past year, the fashion set – the canary in the coalmine for all things trendy – has profoundly rejected its experiment with broadening its size appeal on the runway. Across the 2024 Spring/Summer runways, just 0.8 per cent of the models walking were 'plus-sized', compared to 2.8 per cent in 2020.
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Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
As a Millennial who lived through ‘heroin chic', the Age of Ozempic terrifies me
There are a few rules that those in polite society should always follow. One is avoiding double-dipping when faced with a crudite plate and a bowl of hummus at an event. Another is never – ever! – assume that a woman is pregnant. Yet, for some reason, this rule has never seemed to apply when discussing celebrities. Most recently, the target was Taylor Swift, who managed to fuel pregnancy rumours after she was spotted wearing a loose fitting mini-dress. Seeing a woman yet again become the target for pregnancy speculation based on something as flimsy as a billowing bit of fabric or a post-dinner burrito belly, this online rhetoric goes a long way in explaining why three in four Australian high school-aged teenagers feel they need to be thinner. According to the Butterfly Foundation's annual BodyKind Youth Survey released in late May, 90 per cent of Australian teenagers now have some level of concern about their body image. Nearly half said they have never or rarely felt comfortable with their body (up from 40 per cent in 2022), while 75.5 per cent said that they wished they were thinner (up from 62 per cent in 2022). Nearly eight in 10 teenagers said they have been on the receiving end of negative comments about their body or had been teased about their appearance (up from seven in 10 in 2022). As an older Millennial who came of age in the Heroin Chic era – a time that was punctuated by Kate Moss declaring that 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels', jutting collarbones, pro-anorexia Tumblr accounts and diet tips like 'drink a glass of water every time you feel hungry' – it is haunting seeing this regression. If the same survey had existed when I was in high school, it's entirely possible that the results would have been scarily similar. That's not to say that nothing has changed in 20 years – because for a while there, things were getting better. Loading Though it was far from perfect, the body positivity and body acceptance movement of the past decade actually felt revolutionary in many ways. Seeing pop icon Lizzo declare herself to be 'the baddest bitch alive' in a lycra onesie onstage, felt profound because it was. As did seeing Ashley Graham, a 'plus-sized' model, grace the cover of Vogue in 2017 – the first time in the magazine's 135-year history. We nodded along as Meghan Trainor declared she was All About That Bass and danced along to Nicki Minaj's reinvigorated version of Baby Got Back. Even Moss herself, the queen of heroin chic, acknowledged the need for change, telling commentator Megyn Kelly in 2018 that she regretted her famous quip and that, 'there's so much more diversity now, I think it's right … it's better'. But all of this progress wasn't to last. Over the past year, the fashion set – the canary in the coalmine for all things trendy – has profoundly rejected its experiment with broadening its size appeal on the runway. Across the 2024 Spring/Summer runways, just 0.8 per cent of the models walking were 'plus-sized', compared to 2.8 per cent in 2020.
The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
As a Millennial who lived through ‘heroin chic', the Age of Ozempic terrifies me
There are a few rules that those in polite society should always follow. One is avoiding double-dipping when faced with a crudite plate and a bowl of hummus at an event. Another is never – ever! – assume that a woman is pregnant. Yet, for some reason, this rule has never seemed to apply when discussing celebrities. Most recently, the target was Taylor Swift, who managed to fuel pregnancy rumours after she was spotted wearing a loose fitting mini-dress. Seeing a woman yet again become the target for pregnancy speculation based on something as flimsy as a billowing bit of fabric or a post-dinner burrito belly, this online rhetoric goes a long way in explaining why three in four Australian high school-aged teenagers feel they need to be thinner. According to the Butterfly Foundation's annual BodyKind Youth Survey released in late May, 90 per cent of Australian teenagers now have some level of concern about their body image. Nearly half said they have never or rarely felt comfortable with their body (up from 40 per cent in 2022), while 75.5 per cent said that they wished they were thinner (up from 62 per cent in 2022). Nearly eight in 10 teenagers said they have been on the receiving end of negative comments about their body or had been teased about their appearance (up from seven in 10 in 2022). As an older Millennial who came of age in the Heroin Chic era – a time that was punctuated by Kate Moss declaring that 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels', jutting collarbones, pro-anorexia Tumblr accounts and diet tips like 'drink a glass of water every time you feel hungry' – it is haunting seeing this regression. If the same survey had existed when I was in high school, it's entirely possible that the results would have been scarily similar. That's not to say that nothing has changed in 20 years – because for a while there, things were getting better. Loading Though it was far from perfect, the body positivity and body acceptance movement of the past decade actually felt revolutionary in many ways. Seeing pop icon Lizzo declare herself to be 'the baddest bitch alive' in a lycra onesie onstage, felt profound because it was. As did seeing Ashley Graham, a 'plus-sized' model, grace the cover of Vogue in 2017 – the first time in the magazine's 135-year history. We nodded along as Meghan Trainor declared she was All About That Bass and danced along to Nicki Minaj's reinvigorated version of Baby Got Back. Even Moss herself, the queen of heroin chic, acknowledged the need for change, telling commentator Megyn Kelly in 2018 that she regretted her famous quip and that, 'there's so much more diversity now, I think it's right … it's better'. But all of this progress wasn't to last. Over the past year, the fashion set – the canary in the coalmine for all things trendy – has profoundly rejected its experiment with broadening its size appeal on the runway. Across the 2024 Spring/Summer runways, just 0.8 per cent of the models walking were 'plus-sized', compared to 2.8 per cent in 2020.
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Perth Now
Unbearably cute! Perth Zoo's newest and cutest arrival
Animal lovers might just be lucky enough to spot Perth Zoo's newest and cutest arrival — a seven-month-old koala joey. The adorable joey has finally decided to venture outside its mother Mindjil's pouch and forage for some tasty eucalyptus leaves. The baby — born about the size of a jellybean — has been monitored closely over the past months as it began to poke a little pink arm or foot out of the pouch until it was ready to climb out and see the world. Now, as the joey grows in size and confidence, lucky visitors might see it hitching a ride on mum's back, providing the perfect opportunity to witness some koala-ty content. Perth Zoo Australian fauna keeper Bronte Winterbottom said the birth of the unbearably sweet addition to the zoo family was a big achievement. 'This joey is pretty special for all of us as it's one of the first we've had in a few years,' she said. 'Last week was the first time we saw the joey eating eucalyptus leaves, being a proper koala instead of just nursing off mum. The joey was born about the size of a jellybean late last year to first-time mum Mindjil and dad Laurie. Credit: Perth Zoo / Perth Zoo 'The whole milestone process is pretty slow because a lot of Australian marsupials take a long time to grow and develop, so that's why we aren't expecting (it) to be independent until at least another whole year.' Perth Zoo visitors should be on the lookout for the joey, with their best chance to see the furry face during a free koala keeper talk, which runs at 3pm four times a week. It's hoped keepers will be able to successfully record the gender of the joey in the coming weeks. The joey's parents arrived just last year as part of Perth Zoo's role in the regionally coordinated koala breeding program. Despite being a Perth Zoo favourite, koalas — who sleep up to 20 hours a day — are not native to WA. In the wild, they're found in South Australia and throughout bushland in the eastern states.
