Recently a teacher commented to me that she felt terrible when she saw girls in her class who had saggy breasts. She didn’t want to comment on ill-fitting underwear; Rather, as she herself put it, she was dissatisfied with “a generation of shapeless women with large and sagging breasts and an overall unpleasant figure.” This sentiment, expressed by an educator, shows how the developing body is constantly monitored. The female body becomes a project to be managed, with any deviation from a narrow ideal met with social disapproval.
There is a rigid template for what the female form must look like. This rigid ideal often leads to years of trying to fit into society’s narrow idea of beauty for girls and young women – leading to body dysmorphia, guilt and self-hatred. This struggle is not just personal; It is systemic and driven by a social environment that views natural physical changes from the perspective of morality and aesthetics rather than health.
As global fashion trends increasingly romanticize a unique body, the pressure to conform becomes a burden for girls who don’t see their proportions reflected in stores or media reports.
By pathologizing the body, society and social institutions participate in a culture of surveillance that values visual stimuli over physical comfort or psychological well-being. This conditioning creates a lifelong gap between the individual and their own skin, making dressing an exercise in concealment rather than expression. As global fashion trends increasingly romanticize a unique body, the pressure to conform becomes a burden for girls who don’t see their proportions reflected in stores or media reports.
The illusion of global standards
Clothing sizing remains a major problem. Even among luxury brands, the same size can vary drastically, making it frustrating to find well-fitting clothing. Another problematic practice is using EU or US size charts that do not take this into account non-white body typesresulting in most people being classified as “tall” according to this size system. Current data shows this 97.6 percent of luxury runway looks remain “hetero-sized” and range from US 0 to 4. The proportion of plus-sizes, however, has fallen to just 0.3 percent. This exclusion creates the impression that bodies outside of a narrow range do not deserve visibility in haute couture.
A notable comment from the above teacher about my body type was that it was “suitable for European clothing.” As the skinny fit trend returns, the Eurocentric ideal of an athletic body is being romanticized across social media platforms. At the same time, the sexualization of curvy bodies and the East Asian “porcelain doll” aesthetic of extreme thinness are presented as alternatives that are, however, equally restrictive.
In the Victorian era, corsets were introduced that reduced waist circumference to just 10 inches. Marilyn Monroe’s hourglass figure represented the ideal of the 1950s. The 1990s saw the “heroin chic” aesthetic, where thinness became the norm.
While fashion trends seem to be evolving, they are still rooted in pandering to the male gaze and demonizing what is normal. Every era leaves a silhouette that tells women how they should look. The Victorian era was introduced Corsets This reduced the waist measurement to just 10 inches. Marilyn Monroe’s hourglass figure represented the ideal of the 1950s. The 1990s saw the “heroin chic” aesthetic, where thinness became the norm.
Y2K fashion glorified flat stomachs and exposed midriffs through low-slung jeans and cropped tops. Later, celebrities’ obsession with figures like the Kardashian sisters increased the pursuit of exaggerated curves and sculpted waists. The absurdity of these standards became apparent when the Hungarian model was Barbara Palvin with the inscription “Plus Size” in 2019, despite being conventionally thin.
Weight Loss and the India Storyj
Today, weight loss medications make this problem even more complex. On March 20, 2026, Novo Nordisk filed its patent for semaglutide expired in India. This is semaglutide active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus; Medications used to treat diabetes and obesity (Ozempic and Rybelsus are not FDA-approved for weight loss). The combined sales of these drugs have been achieved $26 billion in 2024 and continues to grow at almost 40 percent annually. The patent expiration has opened the door for Indian pharmaceutical companies to launch affordable generic versions.
The previous price for Semaglutide was around INR 11,000 per month, it is expected that Semaglutide will be 50 to 70 percent cheaper compared to the competition. However, lower prices also run the risk of semaglutide becoming a quick-fix cosmetic solution.
The Indian case is different as generic semaglutide entered the market within a year of the launch of Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. While this is being hailed as a breakthrough in accessibility, it also represents a complex reality. The debate is ongoing on two fronts. One concerns the dispute between Indian generic drug makers and multinational corporations over “always valid” patents, and the other concerns the ethics of marketing a lifestyle drug in a country that is struggling with it widespread metabolic disorders. The previous price for Semaglutide was around INR 11,000 per month, it is expected that Semaglutide will be 50 to 70 percent cheaper compared to the competition. However, lower prices also run the risk of semaglutide becoming a quick-fix cosmetic solution.
As a therapeutic necessity, weight loss medications are critical in the treatment of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and clinical obesity. Almost a quarter of Indians are overweight or obesewhile One in ten adults lives with diabetes, one in three suffers from high blood pressureand a third of adults and children live with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Childhood obesity is also increasing rapidly. Additionally, South Asians are particularly susceptible to the “skinny fat” phenotype, in which individuals appear slim but have disproportionate amounts of visceral fat and low muscle mass. However, the pressure to meet beauty standards can now be addressed with chemical solutions that may ignore underlying health concerns in favor of aesthetics. The pursuit of aesthetic weight loss goals, reinforced by social media trends and influencers, can encourage dangerous abuse through self-medication and unhealthy addiction.
When tirzepatide entered the Indian market last year, there were disturbing marketing trends. Since prescription drugs cannot be promoted directly, these metabolic drugs have been promoted through surrogate campaigns as part of “awareness initiatives.” Influencer marketing and sponsored content further blurred the line between medical advice and lifestyle branding, presenting GLP-1 agonists like Wegovy and Zepbound as shortcuts to the needs of the fashion industry.
Reclaiming the Indian silhouette
The youngest Vogue Business Spring/Summer 2026 Size Inclusivity Report found that runway diversity has shown little improvement over the years. Of 9,038 catwalk looks at 198 shows in major fashion capitals, only 0.9 percent featured “plus-size” models and 2 percent featured “mid-size” models, with 97 percent of models still being “normal sizes.” Constant comparison to these standards fuels body dissatisfaction worldwide. Luxury labels are also criticized for charging a surcharge of 10 to 15 percent on sizes over large or XL by justifying this as a personalization fee. Boutiques often only stock sample sizes from XS to S, forcing customers outside of these standards to place special orders with long wait times.
However, not all developments are bleak. The INDIA Size Project Launched by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), the project aims to create standardized body charts for Indian body types and address the ‘fat tax’ imposed by luxury brands. A new generation of designer labels, such as Half-full curve And Kalaehave started offering modern models up to 5XL and 10XL at no additional cost.
True body inclusivity is achieved not through pills or expander sizes alone, but by challenging the belief that bodies need constant correction and monitoring.
Ultimately, the convergence of generic weight loss medications and restrictive fashion standards sets a dangerous precedent. We are forced to choose a medical solution to achieve unrealistic beauty standards and are shamed for not fitting into imported sizes that were never created for us. True body inclusivity is achieved not through pills or expander sizes alone, but by challenging the belief that bodies need constant correction and monitoring.
For the teacher in the classroom and the teenager on the playground, the goal should be a future in which the body is treated not as a site of display but as an expression of self. The process of reclaiming the Indian silhouette from both the patriarchal gaze and dependence on pharmaceuticals consumed for cosmetic purposes can become an act of radical self-discovery.
Second year student of Media Studies at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), BRC, Bangalore. A trained Kathak dancer, theater artist and political nerd.
