Hollywood’s obsession with being thin is back

For several years, it appeared that Hollywood was finally moving away from its obsession with extremely thin women. Body positivity became mainstream, plus-size models appeared on magazine covers and actresses increasingly spoke about accepting their natural bodies.

Yet that progress now appears to be reversing. Across red carpets, films, fashion shows and social media, extreme thinness is becoming increasingly visible again, raising an uncomfortable question: are we returning to an era where women are expected to make themselves as small as.

What Happened

Weight loss can happen for many reasons, including illness, stress, grief or medically supervised treatment. But the broader cultural change is difficult to ignore.

• Pew Research Center found in 2025 that 90 per cent of Americans believed healthy food had become more expensive, while 69 per cent said those higher prices made eating healthily more difficult.

• And why has society become comfortable treating dramatic weight loss as entertainment?

• Why is size diversity disappearing from fashion just years after it was supposedly embraced?

Key Details

Actress Jameela Jamil recently described a “scarily thin” beauty standard taking hold, while fashion industry figures have similarly reported that models are becoming noticeably smaller. Vogue reported this year that mid-size and plus-size representation on runways had fallen to its lowest level.

• Why are actresses still subjected to such intense pressure over their weight?

• The conversation should focus less on individual women's bodies and more on the industry surrounding them.

• That is precisely why Hollywood has a responsibility to think carefully about the images it promotes.

Why It Matters

One major factor is the rapid growth of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. These medications have legitimate medical purposes and can significantly improve the health of patients with diabetes or obesity.

• Fashion insiders interviewed by Vogue explicitly described a return to extreme thinness, with some models reporting that losing weight resulted in more work.

• Now the pendulum seems to be swinging backwards.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by Oman Observer as more details emerge