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Updated: May 23, 2026
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Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
Cultural evolution of beauty standards
Louis Boucherie1,2, Sagar Kumar3,4, Katharina Ledebur5,6
1Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
Summary
Media and fashion diversity increased, but the ideal body type remains thin. Inclusion gains are uneven, concentrating on size and ethnicity, not structural change.
Area of Science:
- Sociology of beauty standards
- Media studies
- Body image research
Background:
- Beauty standards significantly influence self-perception and health.
- Media and fashion industries are key in shaping these ideals.
- Limited quantitative, long-term studies exist on representation changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively analyze changes in anthropometric and demographic representation in media and fashion over 25 years.
- To investigate the intersectional impact of size and ethnicity on model representation.
- To assess the effectiveness of regulatory interventions on body type representation.
Main Methods:
- Assembled a large dataset (793,199 records) from advertising, magazines, and runway shows over 25 years.
- Quantified changes in model physiques (anthropometrics) and demographics.
- Analyzed representation across industry prestige tiers and intersectional factors.
Main Results:
- Increased representational diversity, but the median model physique remained stable.
- Plus-size inclusion was concentrated at the upper end, diverging from the general population.
- Non-White models were disproportionately represented as plus-size.
- Thinness remained overrepresented in the top industry tier.
- Numeric regulatory thresholds appeared more effective than flexible guidelines.
Conclusions:
- While media and fashion have become more inclusive, gains are uneven and intersectionally concentrated.
- The prevailing thin ideal persists despite increased diversity.
- Structural inclusion has not broadly broadened; diversity markers are consolidated.
- Regulatory approaches may need specific numeric targets to effectively reduce underweight representation.
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