Twiggy

5 Pages 1149 Words

“At 17, Leslie Hornby took hold of the world. At 21, she let it go. She was the original waif, a 60’s phenomenon—a superstar. She was Twiggy, (Cheever Page 74). Leslie Hornby was the revolutionary woman who changed the idea of beauty in the eyes of the fashion industry and the entire world. She exemplified the androgynous mod look that swept America as it had Britain and much of Europe in the 1960’s. Standing at 5 feet 6 ½ inches and weighing in at 90 pounds, the nickname “Twiggy” was derived. Twiggy’s popularity not only influenced many people to try and imitate her look, but also drastically influenced the rise in power of models in the fashion industry. She was a role model and revolutionary for today’s top models, but her popularity also brought along with it the irrational image of the ideal woman.
Twiggy was a major trendsetter in America during the sixties, even though she hailed from England. While working as a shampoo girl in a salon, she was discovered by Nigel Davies, who saw her potential and immediately took her to a trendy salon in London to get a haircut. The owner put her picture in his shop window, and a short time later that picture was featured in the London Daily Express with a caption that read, “This is the face of 1966” (“Twiggy: Click! Click!”). After discovering the fifteen year-old with the 31-22-32 figure, Davies—who preferred to be called Justin De Villeneuve—became Twiggy’s agent and boyfriend at age 25. He took her to Paris and a short while after her popularity grew, she was put on the cover of Elle magazine, as well as Paris Match, and the British edition of Vogue.
During Twiggy’s peak success in Europe, De Villeneuve set up Twiggy Enterprises, Ltd., where he gathered a line of clothes, false eyelashes, cosmetics, dolls, and posters all endorsed by Twiggy (“The Twig”). The enterprising aspect of being a top model began with Twiggy and her influence i...