Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the mainstream idea of the “perfect body shape” for women has shifted almost as often as fashion trends. The contrast in who's considered the “perfect woman” between decades is shocking and speaks volumes on public attitudes at the time. Current beauty standards always depend on whether or not people think it's acceptable for women to have curves.
Countless fad diets, pills, and celebrity icons later, we’re still headed in the wrong direction in 2025 by encouraging women and girls to compare themselves to others and strive for the “perfect body," rather than loving each body in their own right. At the very least, however, we’ve progressed past relying on questionable beauty trends like cigarettes and Wonder Bread to slim down.
The changing body trends over the years
Take a walk back in time with us and marvel at the various ridiculous expectations for female bodies over the years. Scroll down, and see for yourself just how arbitrary beauty standards are.
1910s: Gibson girl
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Camille Clifford
Image credits: Draycott Galleries
1920s: The flapper girl
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Alice Joyce
Image credits: Bain News Service
1930s: The siren
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Jean Harlow
Image credits: ECO DEL CINEMA
1940s: The screen queen
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Katherine Hepburn
Image credits: Getty Images
1950s: The curves
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Elizabeth Taylor
Image credits: George Stevens Productions
1960s: The petite
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Twiggy
Image credits: flickr.com
1970s: The 70's pin up
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Farrah Fawcett
Image credits: Los Angeles magazine
1980s: The supermodel
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Elle MacPherson
Image credits: Victoria's Secret
1990s: The waif
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Kate Moss
Image credits: W magazine / Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott
2000s: The tone
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Christina Aguilera
Image credits: Getty Images
2010s: The bootylicious
Image credits: Leo Delauncey
Kim Kardashian
Image credits: Getty Images
2020s: The Ozempic body
Finally, we’ve made it to the 2020s. The current obsession seems to be the “Ozempic body,” or extreme thinness yet again. Since 2021, Ozempic, or semaglutide, has become increasingly popular amongst those in the spotlight. Though it was originally created to help people manage or prevent type 2 diabetes, it didn’t take long for users to notice that it often leads to weight loss. And suddenly, it seemed like everyone in Hollywood was using it, whether they wanted to admit it or not.
This revival of glamorizing skinniness comes on the heels of the body positivity movement, which hit its peak during the 2010s. During this time, society appeared to finally start accepting all sorts of body shapes and sizes, and the pressure on women to be thin was slowly easing up. Of course, this movement has not completely fizzled out, as plenty of people are still advocating for the celebration of all bodies.
But as Ozempic and other similar medications have become more accessible, the media has gone right back to promoting extremely small bodies. And unfortunately, women are under almost just as much pressure as they were 20 to 30 years ago to be as thin as possible.
Christina Aguilera
Image credits: Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images
Meghan Trainor
Image credits: meghantrainor
Is there really a perfect body shape?
As you can see, trends over the years have changed according to society’s perception of the perfect body. It makes you realize that there’s no such thing as the so-called perfect female body type. Every body is unique and should be cherished just as it is. There's no need to try to force your body to fit arbitrary societal norms. Wouldn’t you agree? Let us know in the comments!