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Director and screenwriter Chloe Wallace recently sparked social media conversations following the Oscars by criticizing the resurgence of extreme thinness as a beauty standard, according to El Pais.

“Every red carpet, every event, every time I open Instagram—they’re thinner than last week… it’s like an invisible contest everyone is competing in,” Wallace wrote.

Previously, the pursuit of thinness was overt: calorie counting, strict diets, and fasting. Today, it hides behind the guise of health. “Now it’s weekly injections that suppress hunger. Thinness has become capital again. This isn’t aesthetics—it’s politics. And the most insidious part is it’s presented as health and well-being,” she warned.

The post went viral, garnering tens of thousands of likes, comments, and shares. Experts have long raised alarms: the “heroin chic” aesthetic of the 1990s is returning, now amplified by social media and cloaked in the language of health and wellness.

“Heroin Chic” in the 21st Century

According to nutritionist Azahara Nieto, there were periods of “neutral body” aesthetics when societal pressure to meet beauty standards was lower. Today, thinness is back—and it “hides behind health.”

Dietitian Violeta Moise notes that “heroin chic used to be provocative and aesthetic.” “Now it’s more sophisticated: wellness, discipline, and body optimization.”

Social media intensifies this pressure, increasing mental health risks and contributing to eating disorders. “Recovery in a society that glorifies extreme thinness is extremely challenging,” Nieto emphasizes.

The Role of Medications and the “Ozempic Effect”

Experts also point to the growing popularity of appetite-suppressing drugs like Ozempic, which can help users lose 15–25% of body weight. Despite their medical purpose, they are often used for aesthetic thinness. Celebrity campaigns, such as those featuring Serena Williams, highlight beauty over health.

Endocrinologist Andrea Chiudin warns of risks: high doses and unsupervised use can lead to malnutrition and complications. With falling prices and expiring patents, uncontrolled use—and the potential rise in eating disorders—could increase.

Thinness as Status and Control

Moise stresses that “body ideals reflect social values: control, discipline, productivity, conformity.” Philosopher Magdalena Pineiro adds that the return of extreme thinness is a reaction to the body-positive movement. Thinness is now framed as a symbol of status, success, and moral superiority.

Nieto notes, “In the past, people told you you were fat; now they say you have inflammation.” Under the guise of health and fitness, a strict system of body control emerges: what you can eat, what you can’t, what’s good, what’s bad.

Extreme thinness disguised as health leads to frustration, health problems, and rising eating disorders among young people. Pineiro urges critical thinking about the idea of “health through hunger and pharmaceuticals”: “Equating thinness with health is a mistake, especially when many people become sick trying to reach imposed beauty ideals.”

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