We are NOT Welcoming Back ‘heroin chic’

It’s taken me a few weeks to process the articles I’ve been seeing — I might still be in shock that this so called ‘style’ is making headlines once again. However, this is not something I can stay quiet about as clients are already flooding me with messages about how triggering these last few weeks have been.

On November 2, 2022 — The New York Post sent the message to the world “Bye-bye booty: Heroin chic is back”

Now, before we even get into this article — Let’s just take a moment to read the definition of Heroin Chic (as seen on wikipedia posted here) The entire idea of this ‘style’ or trend is associated with the abuse of heroin. That alone is enough for me not to want to promote it or send the message that this is a ‘cool’ or desired look!

The entire article by the New York Post is essentially stating that women’s bodies are a TREND and only worthy for praise if they are THIN. This is all incredibly triggering and angers me to my core as my entire career is based around helping women REMOVE this state of mind and re-learn that we are WORTHY, we are allowed to take up space & we have so much more to offer the world than our appearance.

With that said, what gets me rattled up even more is that A WOMAN WROTE THIS ARTICLE. What happened to this movement of women supporting women and embracing ALL of our bodies?!

I could go on and on about this article — but here’s the thing.. this journalist is just relaying the message of what is going on in Hollywood & the message being spread daily in the media.

POV on this ‘return of heroin chic’ from a 90’s baby

As someone who struggled with poor self esteem, negative body issues & extreme eating obsessions for most of my life — This so called ‘trend’ REALLY worries me. I am a 90s baby — I grew up in a time where we idolized the Olsen twins, Nicole Rithie & Paris Hilton on the Simple life. We watched shows like The Biggest Loser and America’s Top Model… SKINNY was ‘in’ and it was everywhere. Brainwashing us to believe that we needed to uphold this look in order to be valued.

I spent most of my adolescence striving for skinny and when I couldn’t achieve it — I felt uncomfortable & chose to live in baggy sweatpants and boys t-shirts to hide my not so thin body.

This is my first hand experience & result of THIN IS IN messaging I grew up with

I have spent YEARS actively working to overcome this mentality and re-learning to LOVE my body. It took a lot of inner work to get past years and years of conditioning thanks to diet culture and society teaching me that I was not enough because I didn’t look like the women in fashion magazines.

HERE’s the thing though…

When I was growing up, we had to go buy a magazine or wait for a music video in the top 30 countdown on MTV. It was EASIER for us to reason with the fact that these ‘stars’ were PHOTOSHOPPED in magazines & had full teams to create their looks on video and the runway.

I can still remember conversations with friends “ya but it’s in a magazine — it’s not real”. That was something I had to remind myself of DAILY growing up.

Guess what, kids these days don’t have that luxury. Today, teens are bombarded with ‘news’ and highlight reels around them 24/7! It’s everywhere they look. Shows are produced 100x faster and are available with a quick click to binge on Netflix. There’s literally 100s of apps on your phone that can photoshop and change every aspect of your photo with a few clicks. Authenticity & REALNESS are hard to come by on the internet in todays world — therefore this ‘heroin chic’ has an even bigger reach this time around!

It is quite scary to know this younger generation with have to fight the inner demons that we fought in the 90’s & early 2000s on a much grander scale as they can’t get away from the Tik Toks, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Magazines, Reality TV, etc etc. It is EVERYWHERE and feels MUCH MUCH more real as it is harder for our brains to decipher what is real and what is photoshopped.

My heart aches for the damage this so called ‘trend’ is going to place on an already incredible unstable generation.

What about the Kardashian’s?

I truly wish the Kardashian’s were not at the front of this campaign. This family has so much reach around the world and although you or I may not love them or support their careers — seeing them embracing their curves was a much more positive influence on our generation than the message they are now sending as they show off this new ‘trend’.

The influence these celebrities have is actually quite astonishing. For example, Kim spoke out recently about how she dropped 16 lbs in three weeks to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s dress for the Met gala and how this weight loss taught her a lot about ‘health’ — When this was released, I was once again flooded with messages from past & present clients asking how this is possible and if it’s really healthy. I am truly disappointed in the Kardashian’s for jumping on this bandwagon after holding space for curvy women for the past 20 seasons of their show.

Where do we go from here?

On a positive note, Instagram has band the hashtag “thinspo” and it now redirects you to a mental health resource — this is a good start.

We need to make sure we are having open conversation with our teens, friends and family. Even those of us who’ve worked through eating extremes can have a tough time standing our ground as this ‘trend’ emerges. If you’re feeling triggered — talk it out with a trusted friend. As women, we must stick together and hold space for the progress we’ve made in body positivity.

This is disappointing & feels like a major step back – but it’s how WE THE PEOPLE respond to it that matters.

I will be here, with an open inbox ready to have conversations with you if you are struggling with your body image and self worth — I am here for you.

You deserve to LOVE your self, your body and your life.

xo

Cassidy

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If you need support, the National ED Information Centre is a great resource.