Beauty ideals remain largely unchanged in 25 years

A new study published in the journal PNAS finds that despite years of discussion about diversity and body positivity, the dominant beauty ideal in media remains thin and white.

Researchers analyzed 793,199 examples from US advertisements, magazine covers, fashion shows, and editorials between 2000 and 2024. The data shows that while there has been some increase in diversity, the typical model body has changed little over the past 25 years.

August Lohse, a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University and one of the study’s authors, expressed surprise at the lack of progress. “There is a bit of symbolic diversity, but not much has really changed in the models being hired. The diversity boom we think exists isn’t really there in reality,” he said.

Chris Pedersen, a cultural journalist, fashion expert, and radio host, was less surprised by the findings. “It’s probably a feeling many have had. There’s been a lot of talk about body positivity and diversity, but fundamentally, not much has changed. The beauty ideal is almost the same,” he said, describing it as a return to “ground zero” — the tall, thin, and white standard.

The study notes that legal measures, such as Milan Fashion Week’s 2006 ban on models with a BMI below 18.5, have had an impact in the past, leading to a rise in the average body weight of models.

While there has been some increase in diversity, the research shows it is often driven by a few high-profile models who meet multiple diversity criteria at once. “Broadly speaking, representation has increased, but it’s driven by individual, very well-known models who create the impression of great diversity,” Lohse explained.

He added that many plus-size models also represent other minority groups, which may reflect a superficial form of inclusion rather than systemic change. “This way, you can check all the diversity boxes with one model and then maximize the number of thin, white models,” Lohse said, though he emphasized that the study does not confirm intent, only the pattern observed in the data.

The fashion industry defines plus-size models as those wearing EU size 42 or larger.