When Is Skinny, Too Skinny?

This is in… Until it isn’t.

Skinny has always been fashion’s favorite secret weapon. It slips through the catwalk like liquid silk, photographs like a dream under paparazzi flashbulbs, and whispers exclusivity in a world where everyone is desperate to be invited inside.

But here’s the million-dollar question: when does skinny stop being chic and start being dangerous?

The ’90s and early 2000s gave us the answer. From “heroin chic” to size-zero tabloid culture, thinness wasn’t just a trend—it was a mandate. Bodies were praised, scrutinized, and broken under an impossible standard. The consequences were devastating, from fainting models backstage to the tragic death of Ana Carolina Reston in 2006.

Fashion, of course, reinvented itself. The mid-2010s saw curves, inclusivity, and body diversity take center stage—driven not by Vogue, but by Instagram. For a moment, it felt like the monopoly on skinny had finally shattered.

But today, whispers of a “heroin chic revival” are circling again. Low-rise jeans are back, Ozempic rumors dominate headlines, and the ultra-thin silhouette is re-emerging. Which begs the question: have we learned nothing?

Because skinny itself isn’t the problem—it’s when admiration becomes obsession, when skipping meals becomes normalized, when health is sacrificed for aesthetics. That’s when skinny becomes too skinny.

Want to keep reading? Dive into the full story in Issue No. 1 of Violet & Blair. Purchase your copy below.