Modelling: The Revival
Photo Courtesy of Getty Images
In 2024, modelling had a resurgence. The Victoria Secret Fashion Show came back and one of the biggest trends of the year was the Slavic Doll aesthetic. Edits of Ukrainian model Snejana Onopka explaining her diet of “basically nothing” to dark background music were inescapable if you searched “model” on Tiktok. The consequences of this revival was a romanticisation of the model lifestyle and the comeback of a tumblr-esque ED culture.
The Slavic Doll:
Still of ‘Girl Model’ Documentary Courtesy of American Documentary
Famous, rich, and beautiful, it is no wonder the model lifestyle became a popular aesthetic. The biggest models of the 2000s could be found walking the streets of New York with a Chanel bag in hand living the dream life. The backstage of fashion shows had girls all together getting their hair and makeup done and hanging out with their friends. As these photos and videos went viral on TikTok so did a specific type of model; the thin, blonde, tall and Eastern European model. The Slavic Bimbo aesthetic had already made the rounds on social media of typically American girls wearing lingerie and a ushanka in the snow. The Slavic Doll aesthetic was a more “classy” version of this aesthetic which is why it got more popular than the “bimbo”. The girls wore skinny jeans, knee high boots, a black turtleneck (usually carrying a fashion magazine) and always carrying a luxury bag. Not to mention, to be a Slavic Doll meant you were beautiful, why else would you be a model?
Harmful Ideals:
Photo of Snejana Onopka courtesy of Getty Images
The problem lies in the ideation of this body type and lifestyle. Models in the 2000s and 2010s were overworked and only a select few actually made a lot of money. They were under constant pressure to be skinny and as Onopka said to eat “basically nothing, my stomach is still working,”. However instead of the internet viewing this as a sad and terrible thing it became a trend and something to work to. Videos like “Eating like a Slavic Doll” (which suspiciously had no actual slavic food) and “Model-skinny workout” became popular. The long lean and extremely underweight look became packaged as a health conscious and attainable goal for everyone. Yet barely anyone stated the obvious these girls likely had disordered eating habits and the promotion of the “Slavic Doll” brought the internet back 10 years to the 2014 tumblr ED-aesthetic. The fashion industry is an extremely harsh place and what models have to experience whilst in it should not be romanticised but changed. As young models can fall into the trap of believing the only way to get booked is to look a certain way and listen to whatever their agency or what photographers tell them that do not actually have their best interests. This is not to take the fun out of the good parts of the modelling and fashion industry but to make sure to recognise that there is a darker and sadder side to it that shouldn’t be romanticised.