Meaning

Fashion victim

The meaning of the phrase

Someone who slavishly follows fashion trends.

Fashion victim

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Fashion victim’?

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Fashion victims have been around for longer than you might think.
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This term came into prominence in the 1970s and 80s. It is an older phrase than that though and was in common use in the 1930s; for example, this piece from the Utah newspaper The Ogden Standard-Examiner, July 1932:

“Hips must still be hide their humps beneath elastic metal stays, but the fashion victim will be permitted sufficient expansion of the diaphragm to draw a reasonable number of good breaths per hour.”

See other phrases that were coined in the USA.

Historical trend

“Fashion victim” in printed material over time

Source: Google Books Ngrams (1980–2020).

198020002020
  • Fashion victim