The universe is composed of one million millions of people with each person holding assorted features and qualities. The singularity of every person could be seen in their physical visual aspects. personalities. and the ways they interact with each other. Despite the fact that about everyone in the universe has his or her several potencies to do it celebrated in the universe. there are merely some people who managed to make that phase.

These people have the model accomplishments and traits that make others look up to them. Their influence does non simply affect the esteem of people but instead they tend to stand for a certain country of their chosen profession. The impact that they can set up could besides travel every bit far as typifying the popular civilization at big.

In this sense. those persons who are considered to fall under these descriptions are regarded as icons. The manner industry besides has personalities who created a meaningful and significant part to this peculiar field. One of the most noteworthy manner icons who greatly exemplify this thought is Twiggy.

In line with these. it is the chief aim of this paper to discourse the position of Twiggy as a manner icon. In order to make so. four images of Twiggy will be used in order to analyse her iconic position in the manner industry. The wining paragraphs will give a short life of her life and how her experiences paved the manner for her success. In relation to this. the alone accomplishments and features that make Twiggy range her present position in the manner universe will be given due consideration. Furthermore. the manner by which the media represented Twiggy will besides be elaborated on. Lastly. an analysis of the manner Twiggy produce popular civilization and the agencies popular civilization at the same time produces Twiggy will be conducted.

Biography of Twiggy

Lesley Hornby or more popularly known as “Twiggy” was born on 19 September 1949 in North London. She hailed as “The Face of ‘66” by the Daily Express. During the mid 60’s. when she was at the age of 16. Twiggy became internationally popular as the world’s foremost supermodel. Her success in photographic mold epitomizes that certain age ( Lawson ) .

Subsequently on. Twiggy became a thriving and moneymaking actress in movie. phase. and telecasting. Her calling in the movie industry took off when by starring in Ken Russell’s “The Boyfriend. ” She was able to won two Golden Globe awards for the class of most promising fledgling and best actress in a musical. Twiggy besides entered the music scene wherein she recorded many albums that include assorted genres like dad. stone. disco. state and show melodies. She was able to obtain two Ag phonograph record. two chart albums. and hit singles in the span of her music calling.

Furthermore. Twiggy besides excelled in starring with her ain assortment series for the BBC. She was critically acclaimed in her portraiture of Eliza Doolittle in the telecasting series entitled “Pygmalion. ” Afterwards. she was included in the Tony Award winning Gershwin musical “My One and Merely. ” Twiggy had an outstanding success for this production wherein she was nominated for a Tony Award ( Lawson ) .

Twiggy farther pursue her moving accomplishments by acquiring functions in movie and telecasting shows both in the United States and the United Kingdom. She was able to go a cast member of celebrated shows. some of these are: “The Doctor and the Devils” . “Club Paradise” . “The Blues Brothers” . “The Small Match Girl” . and “Young Charlie Chaplin. ” In 1988. Twiggy experienced an of import portion of her life when got married with British Actor and Director Leigh Lawson who is her co-star in “Madame Sousatzka” ( Lawson ) .

During the 1990s. Twiggy was launched in the calling of a telecasting presenter and interviewer. She had her ain ITV series entitled “Twiggy’s People. ” This gave her the chance to interview celebrated people such as: Dustin Hoffman. Lauren Bacall. Tom Jones. Joan Rivers. Eric Idle. and Tim Curry. In the twelvemonth 2001. Twiggy had her 2nd telecasting series with the name “Take Time With Twiggy” . which she interviewed celebrated personalities with the likes of Lulu. Ken Russell and Frederick Forsyth ( Lawson ) .

Twiggy besides made known her involvement in the amusement production when she co-produced and starred in the extremely praised “If Love Were All” in New York that was directed by her hubby Leigh Lawson. She besides ventured her manner into composing when she created her autobiography entitled “Twiggy in Black and White” that was included in the best seller list. Twiggy did non bury her passion for music because she released a new album the “Midnight Blues” . which received good reappraisal from the music imperativeness ( Lawson ) .

Twiggy so has a dateless beauty that goes beyond the decennaries. This is clearly discernible in the fact that she continues to pattern for celebrated trade names like Marks and Spencer wherein she has been a portion of their 2005 phenomenal advertisement run. She has besides been featured on the screen of legion magazines like “Vogue” and “Tatler” despite her age. Recently. Twiggy had besides been portion of the world show “America’s Next Top Model” as a invitee justice opposite another theoretical account and Godhead of the show. Tyra Banks ( Lawson ) .

Last. Twiggy has other protagonisms and involvements that she is really passionate about. She is an active protagonist of animate being public assistance. She actively contributes and participates in assorted societies that advocate carnal rights as she is a self-proclaimed anti pelt candidate. Another cause that she is an fervent protagonist of is the chest malignant neoplastic disease research groups. Twiggy’s involvement in manner goes a long manner as she now has her ain vesture line and scope of bed linen ( Lawson ) .

Twiggy as a Fashion Icon

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “fashion” as “the prevailing manner during a peculiar time” and a “social standing or prominence particularly as signalized by frock or conduct” ( Merriam-Webster Online ) . The term “icon” is besides defined by the same dictionary as “a normally pictural representation” and “an object of noncritical devotion” ( Merriam-Webster Online ) . In this sense. a manner icon could mention to an person that has established a certain tendency during a peculiar period of clip. which makes other people. idolized him or her.

It must be noted that an icon is non simply an object because even persons can stand for a peculiar thought or construct through inanimate objects such as a image. Bing a manner icon does non imply the mere esteem of people because they besides have to do their tendencies popular and widely-accepted by the people. Furthermore. a manner icon’s influence is non merely limited to the populace but they besides have their manner of set uping their ain inputs to the development of the manner industry.

Puting these significances in head. being a manner icon is so applicable to Twiggy. Twiggy was able to act upon the manner of the sixtiess. During this clip. manner editors were looking for a new face or something different that will stress a certain or permeant image of girlishness. Twiggy was referred as the “elfin’ with her 5 ft. 6 Immigration and Naturalization Services. tallness. and measured ’31. 22. ’32 at the clip of her frame.

She was regarded as one of the members of the “youthquake” that revolutionized the old position of manner and mold. Twiggy was recognized as the new manner icon of the sixties because her expression began disputing the reign of studio imperialism with respects to star manner successes.

This youth civilization that has emerged. which includes Twiggy. has been a formidable manner force that gives a new attack to the face of popular gustatory sensation by agencies of stressing all right and performing humanistic disciplines. Twiggy besides contributes to the greater complexness of the manner universe as a stick-thin teenage English theoretical account. Furthermore. Twiggy was among the manner icons that were able to make such position without the assistance of Hollywood ( Craats 24-25 ) .

Twiggy was recognized as the world’s foremost supermodel because of her alone manner that epitomizes an epoch. She introduced a new manner that veers off from the traditional expressions of adult females that aided her in act uponing the new images of female fashionability. Twiggy’s waif like figure. boylike hair cut and striking oculus ciliums created a new image the embodies the sixtiess.

Her eldritch manner sense of appealing to be boylike with her thin figure and short hair but at the same clip still looking girly with the apparels she wears resonated. She instantly became popular non merely in the United Kingdom but besides in America ( Craats 24-25 ) . She took New York by storm. which includes the esteem of the may people. Million of adolescent misss from the 1960ss idolized her as she became one of the most celebrated faces on the planet.

Twiggy’s image was everyplace. in manner magazines like Vogue. Tatler. and even at her ain American publication “Her Mod. Mod Teen World” . The popularity of Twiggy even reached a point where her exposure was even encased in a clip capsule and sent into infinite ( Lawson ) .

The physical visual aspect and manner manner of Twiggy typify the epoch of the sixties but more than that she besides stands for the thought of artlessness and young person. She was merely a 17 old ages old adolescent when she captured the attending of the manner industry. She possesses a organic structure of a scraggy child with the face of an angel that makes her look really naive.

Her expression and manner manner are both similar and different. It is similar because of the fact that she fashioned colourful tops and skirts that clearly exemplifies the pop-culture of her clip. On the other manus. it is different because of her boylike physical characteristics and girly manner sense that tends to belie with each other. As a consequence. the sarcasm of her physical visual aspect as a theoretical account and the manner sense that she popularized merely contributed more to her popularity that can even be compared for the blare of the people for the British male child set “The Beatles” ( Craats 24-25 ) .

The qualities and part that Twiggy made during her calling in the manner industry every bit good as in the other Fieldss of prowess like music and moving made Twiggy stand out from the other popular figures during her clip. She is considered as different from the others because she was able to typify an epoch. which other celebrated personalities can non make.

When people think or remember the sixties. Twiggy is ever one of the people they identified with when it comes to the manner scene. Her parts were truly substantial because she was able to help in altering the position of the people during her clip. She was able to farther advance the “youthquake” that give the female manner a different genius. More than that. Twiggy has this exceeding personal appeal to the populace that make her immediately popular to 1000000s of people.

Her popularity does non simply halt in mere mold but it besides extended in other countries of prowess like planing. music. and moving. These lone prove that Twiggy became portion of the lives of the people because she really much accepted and recognized in all her countries of enterprise ( Desser and Jowett 184-185 ) .

The Social Historical Context

Twiggy rose to prominence during the 1960s decennary. This period is frequently characterized by the inter-related cultural and political tendencies in the West particularly in the United States of America and Britain. It is besides known in popular civilization as “The Sixties” to depict the counter-culture and societal revolution that takes topographic point at the terminal of the decennary. In relation to this. the epoch is referred to as one of irresponsible surplus and floridness. The decennary is besides regarded as the “Swinging Sixties” because of the liberalist attitude that people have during that clip which gives importance to single freedom ( Craats 24-25 ) .

The manner manner that Twiggy popularized during the 1960s shows the really thought of liberalism that was really broad spread at that clip. The apparels that she wears are normally composed of short skirts or mini skirts that shows more tegument. Bing the instance. the female individuality of going more liberated is seen in the apparels that they wear ( Moseley 38-19 ) . During this clip dressing less truly was more. Twiggy was able to stand for the alteration that mirrors for the sentiment of the most females during that epoch. As Twiggy said so herself “The 1960ss were a clip when ordinary people could make extraordinary thing. . . ” ( Lawson ) .

Twiggy and Popular Culture

The iconic position that Twiggy has in the manner industry can be regarded as transitory instead than lasting. This is due to the fact that her influence in the manner universe every bit good as in other countries of the humanistic disciplines still exists up to this present clip. Contrary to the common fright of most theoretical accounts of the manner industry that are regarded as “has-been” when they no longer grok with the certain manner or expression of the clip. Twiggy transcends this restriction to a theoretical account ( Craik 282-285 ) .

She was able to revolutionise the manner industry one time once more when she paved the manner for theoretical accounts in their mid-fortiess to still be profitable in the industry during her commercial run when Marks and Spencer. Most significantly. she is the incarnation of the thought that theoretical accounts are non all beauty because they besides have the encephalons due to the assorted protagonisms that she has.