Could the Rise of Minimalism Revive the Heroin-Chic Aesthetic, Pushing Women Toward Unrealistic Body Standards Once Again?

In the 1990s, Calvin Klein and Jil Sander emerged as the titans of minimalism, creating a compelling push-pull dynamic in fashion. This era was aswell heavily intertwined with the chic-cocaine aesthetic. While the issues surrounding substance abuse continue today, minimalism took a backseat in the trend hierarchy, with streetwear brands like Off-White and Supreme dominating the scene. This shift coincideded with the rise of androgynous fashion, which, let’s be honest, had already been there a decade before minimalism took center stage.

As a 25-year-old woman, the notion of navigating a world that glorifies trends promoting anorexia and heroin-chic aesthetics is disheartening. It keeps me awake at night, writing about it. The push for sustainability and circularity in fashion fails to compensate the promotion of unrealistic body standards—standards that often fall on the impossible. In a world where social media fuels comparison, the struggle for personal development amid these unattainable ideals threatens to solidify harmful trends within my generation, a generation striving for liberation.

Particularly troubling is the fact that minimalism is often lauded as synonymous with mental tranquility and health. Could this trend, which has the potential to be a force for good, instead morph into a subtle villain? Can trends really be both diabolical and chic? The answer may not come with a question mark; perhaps it’s simply a definitive “yes.”

In the end, punctuation matters, both in writing and in the narratives we weave around trends.

This is not just a matter of style; it’s a matter of consequence—“PERIOD.”