The Future of Accessories? Think Body.
- Chinon Norteman
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
With the rise of Ozempic and “stress-free” plastic surgery, a new kind of fashion status symbol has been unlocked: a perfect body.
“The look of actual human bodies obviously changes very little through history. But the look of ideal bodies changes a great deal all the time,” a 1977 New York Times piece observed. “In ordinary life, a common vehicle of expression for this changing physical ideal is the changing fashion in clothes.”
Fashion and bodies have always been in conversation. An hourglass shape reigned in the 1950s, led by Christian Dior’s seminal “New Look” collection. In the ‘80s, “shoulders were the body part of choice, most often inflated to mega proportions.” (Think Claude Montana silhouettes and Giorgio Armani suits.) Heroin chic defined the mid-’90s, characterized by waif-like figures appearing in Calvin Klein ads and Davide Sorrenti photographs.
In recent years, designers have begun to highlight various body types (simultaneously, no less) in a wider embrace of diversity. The inaugural 2018 Savage X Fenty runway show featured models with various body types. Industry titan Victoria’s Secret followed suit with their divisive 2024 show, deviating from a long-standing practice of casting exclusively size-zero bodies.
As much as fashion is inspired by bodies, bodies have equally been fashion in and of themselves. Take female breasts, which have oscillated in and out of focus from the cone-bra of FW94 Gaultier, to Shalom Harlow’s topless look in Dior’s FW97 show, to Duran Lantink’s FW25 breast plates. On the Mugler bodysuit and its current significance in pop culture, creative director Casey Cadwallader shares, “[Bodysuits] have this duality in which they cover the entire body, from toe to fingertip and yet show all. Ultimately, the body is what makes the look.”
Even direct modifications of the body like tattoos and piercings — both of which have their own legacies in cultural identities — were a huge part of punk and other alternative aesthetics. Tracey Cannon, a London-based piercer, commented, “It also helps people belong and form identity. [When] I pierce people for the first time, they often say they feel part of the club now.”
What is new, then, is the body’s distinct role as an accessory. Historically, bodies avoided acting as accessories in the traditional sense. For cultural communities, the body symbolizes standing and belonging. In mainstream media, it was measured for its compliance with conventional beauty standards. Today, body alterations blur the line between permanent procedures and personal style. The body is the trend and evolves as such. Look only to Kylie Jenner’s popularization of lip filler (and its subsequent dissolving), the rise and fall of the BBL, or even the demand for Ozempic.
Modern body modifications allow for a specificity — and frequency — that more closely mirrors buying a popular accessory than an investment piece. Colored contact lenses have become widespread, popularized by Korean idols and the continued domination of K-Beauty. Freckle tattoos have gained traction as a subtle and semi-permanent touch. Body botox is on the rise, with one of its most popular injections simulating the “90-degree shoulders” seen on Blackpink’s Jennie. In China, the “elf ear” trend involves pushing the ears forward from the face, through surgery or non-surgical alternatives like clips.
The body’s crossover into the realm of accessory is attributable to both accessibility and desire. Consumers have a newfound ability to shape their bodies more precisely, quickly, and affordably than ever before. Nonsurgical tweaks like fillers have attracted people previously deterred by the steep health and aesthetic risks. Combination procedures like “mommy makeovers” reduce time in operating rooms and recovery. Out of 16 of the most popular American cosmetic procedures, only four increased in price between 1998 and 2021. Four of the most popular nonsurgical procedures have actually decreased in price over the last 22 years.
For many, this accessibility has brought newfound freedom, pushing modifications beyond a tool of conformity and into innovations that involve the body in personal style. The body is no longer a limitation to work around; it’s a controllable part of self-expression. “Having the privilege to revisit and recreate my childhood grin brings me a lot of joy,” writes Jonti Ridley, who received tattooed freckles. “It kind of goes through waves, even with the seasons,” says tattoo artist Shaughnessy Otsuji. When asked if anyone has requested tattooed-freckle removal, Brooklyn-based artists Keila and Krystal say, “No. In fact, people almost always want more.”
The shift towards body-based accessories is perhaps most noticeable in East Asia, where a combination of rigid beauty standards and widespread acceptance of cosmetic surgery has paved the way for more exploration of how bodies can be used for short-term enhancements. “It’s like wearing makeup not just around the eyes, but also on the eyes,” one Korean woman says. “Contact lenses worn by the hottest stars are the most popular.”
“It is magic! I haven’t changed anything on my face and yet all my friends said I [looked] different the day I got it done,” one Xiaohongshu user wrote about the “elf ear” procedure.
In places with such strict expectations of beauty, accessories are an opportunity for personalization within an accepted norm. It’s here that bodies find themselves: in a balancing act between individuality and conformity. Trends emerging from East Asia do not necessarily reflect a struggle unique to the region (or, as many might argue, a struggle at all). Instead, they are a microcosm of how bodies in the current cultural moment have the ability to meet a genuine appetite for customization.
“With so many combinations of monograms, birthstones, zodiac signs, and trinkets, it’s nearly impossible to look exactly like everyone else. The only question left: Is there any frontier left uncharmed?” questions ELLE.
Previous interactions between fashion and bodies still showed traces of clothing’s incipient role in the service of bodies. Bodies were judged against beauty standards (and modified accordingly), but fashion regulated such norms through constraints on which bodies clothing would service — which bodies clothing trends look good on, feature, or, quite literally, fit.
As body modifications, permanent or not, become de-stigmatized, cheaper, and more readily available, the body’s role in fashion is based less on such binaries. Today, all bodies have the potential to fit in, to be customized, and to be accessorized.
The changing role of the body in fashion is not a good or bad thing. Fashion, bodies, and accessories will continue evolving, and the expanding intersection between all three simply indicates another turning point — one that sees bodies increasingly in the service of fashion.
Whether bodies are used to follow trends or create new ones will be up to the trendsetters and fashionistas of the not-too-distant future. Either way, it’s a frontier worth watching — hopefully through matching contacts. 🌀
Chinon Norteman is a writer, researcher, and strawberry shortcake enthusiast based in Hong Kong. Her interests include femininity, feminism, geopolitics, and their intersection.
