Slim, but a little shady

Has the era of body-positivity come and gone? Thin is back in. Almond moms dominate the chat. Here's why we're headed for disaster

- By Sneha Krishnan [e-mail]

The algorithm has spoken. Body positivity is no longer cool. The movement that once had the internet embracing fat rolls, hip-dips, arm jiggles and off-the-runway bodies has been quietly demoted. We're back to '90s-era skin and bones, back to obsessing over our weight. We knew a backlash was coming, but no one was prepared for it to be this reedy.

Fashion didn't even pretend to fight it. Sure, some lingerie brands put chubby mannequins in the shop display, and put their precious wings on curvy women. But on the whole, sexy-chonky models have vanished from Spring-Summer 2026 shows. Zara ads have been banned in the UK for promoting thinness, even as their website models and sample mannequins remain skinny, flat on the front and back. Remember the proudly curvy women we put on a pedestal? Mindy Kaling, Adele and Meghan Trainor are all in their slim eras now. We used to parody the Almond Mom – the parent who polices her child's meals – in Reels. Now, she has reentered the chat as a hero, not a villain.