Twiggy Lawson is a former model that helped define the look of the 1960s,
though the star wasn’t too confident about her appearance during the height of her career.
Though Twiggy’s modeling career only lasted for a handful of years,
her influence on the world of fashion can still be felt today. Twiggy’s entrance into the world
of modeling actually came by accident, and she was never quite sure what the world saw in her. Join
Facts Verse as we explore how Twiggy’s entire modeling career was an accident – see her now.
Twiggy Wanted to Model but Hated Her Looks Twiggy Lawson was born in a London
suburb by the name of Neasden on September 19, 1949. World War II had caused a shortage
of food in England, forcing the government to ration food to its people until the mid-1950s.
Many credit this phenomenon with the fact that Twiggy would grow up to be so skinny
in appearance. However, it also seems that this thinness was in the future star’s genes.
When Twiggy was born, she was given the name Lesley Hornby, and she wouldn’t be given the
cutesy, and slightly disparaging, nickname of “Twiggy” until after starting out as a model.
Though Twiggy wouldn’t get her more famous stage name until
after the start of her modeling career, she wasn’t without a disparaging nickname
during her childhood years. As a child, Twiggy was often referred to by her friends and loved
ones as “Sticks” due to how skinny she was. Little did she know that her extremely skinny
appearance would go on to change the world of fashion forever by her coming of age.
As a result of being so skinny, young Twiggy wasn’t all that confident about
her appearance. She had a hard time feeling comfortable in her own body growing up,
and these feelings didn’t abate much by the time she was a world-famous model.
Twiggy never got why the public was so fascinated with her skinny appearance, though she expressed
interest in becoming a model at an early age. When teenaged Twiggy first tried to become a model, she
was told that she was too short on account of her height only being 5’6”. While this may seem like
an above-average female height, it’s certainly not above average in the world of modeling!
Twiggy Accidentally Found Success as a Teen Despite not feeling entirely comfortable in
her own skin and being told that she wasn’t tall enough to become a famous model, Twiggy kept at
it. It would be at the age of 16 that Twiggy would find her unprecedented success in the world of
modeling, and seemingly overnight! Though Twiggy had yearned for success in the modeling world, it
ended up being a complete accident that rocketed her to stardom. In 1966, Twiggy went to a notable
hairdresser to get a pixie cut, which had become incredibly popular at the time. When Twiggy was
done, the hairdresser took a picture of her new do and hung it up on the wall of his salon.
This snapshot of Twiggy was just one of many, many pictures hanging on the wall of this hairdresser’s
salon, but it ended up catching the attention of an editor by the name of Deirdre McSharry.
When Deirdre McSharry saw Twiggy’s snapshot hanging up on the wall of that hairdresser,
the editor saw instant potential in the burgeoning star. All of the things that Twiggy hated about
her appearance were things that Deirdre felt would be selling points to the ever-changing public.
Deirdre felt that Twiggy represented the future of fashion, and his intuition would prove correct.
In these earliest years, Twiggy was aided in her endeavors by her
boyfriend, who was a man by the name of Justin de Villeneuve. Justin acted as Twiggy’s manager
when she started her modeling career, and it was he who came up with the stage name of “Twiggy”.
Deirdre McSharry was the editor of The Daily Express, and Twiggy went on to appear in the
publication as “The Face of ‘66”. Following this notable appearance, Twiggy became an overnight
sensation. Calling her “The Face of ‘66” proved prophetic, as Twiggy’s appearance went on to
not only define the year but the entire decade. Given that Twiggy never really understood what the
public saw in her appearance, she didn’t always see this influence as a great thing. However,
it’s undeniable that there was a part of Twiggy that was glad about becoming a successful model.
Twiggy Has Never Understood Her Own Appeal The Daily Express was far from being the
only publication that Twiggy appeared in during her relatively short modeling career,
which only lasted for around four years before she essentially retired from the industry for good.
The star also appeared in over a dozen different photoshoots for the magazine Vogue within the
span of just the same year. However, the more popular Twiggy got, the more dissatisfied the
generation-defining model seemed to become with her appearance. If you’re enjoying this video
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Twiggy’s Signature Look Was Decidedly Boyish
Twiggy Lawson came onto the modeling scene with a signature look that didn’t change
much over the course of her career. This look was revolutionary for its time in many different ways.
Three predominant aspects defined Twiggy’s look, with those being her short hair, her large eyes,
and her incredibly slim figure. The model’s short hair and slim body made her appear as
somewhat of an androgynous figure, which proved a perfect fit for the changing times of the 1960s.
Whereas models had previously ridden to success most often on the size of their bust,
it was Twiggy’s long and slender legs that helped her find success in the industry.
Not only was Twiggy’s androgynous look revolutionary in the world of fashion,
but so were her legs! One of the reasons that there had been such an emphasis on
busts in the fashion industry previously was because models weren’t allowed to show
very much skin, particularly below the waist. Twiggy rose to prominence at a time when models
were first beginning to be granted the freedom to show off their lower limbs, and this proved
perfect for the leggy model. Twiggy was seen as being edgy and revolutionary in these regards,
but her large and welcoming eyes also made her seem safe.
Twiggy Lawson was not only the most successful model of her time, but she was also arguably
the most successful model up until that time. The young star found unprecedented success in
the fashion industry and was soon being treated by the public more as if she were a pop star
than as a simple fashion model. This accomplishment was made all the more
staggering by the fact that Twiggy’s modeling career only lasted for around four years!
Twiggy Found Unprecedented Success with Modeling
During the four years that Twiggy graced the world of modeling with her presence,
the young woman became the most photographed person on the entire planet! At the peak of
the star’s fame, her visage could be seen on just about any kind of merchandise that a consumer
could ask for. Twiggy even took advantage of her consumer appeal by creating her own
fashion line. The line consisted of a full range of clothing items and became hugely successful.
Twiggy Was Her Own Greatest Critic While the world, in general,
seemed to think that Twiggy was the greatest thing since sliced bread, she wasn’t without her
critics. Twiggy was arguably her own greatest critic, and her oftentimes tongue-in-cheek
disparaging comments about herself and her figure in the press only made the public
more sympathetic and loving towards the star. Twiggy has always had a great sense of humor
about her unique appearance in the world of modeling, and this endeared her to the public.
Though Twiggy Lawson was arguably her own greatest critic, she had other ones. There were
popular bumper stickers that read “Forget Oxfam, Feed Twiggy”. For those that don’t know, Oxfam
is a conglomerate of British charitable organizations meant to feed the needy.
More criticism for Twiggy came via notable British fashion luminary Mark Cohen,
who said her legs were like two painted worms. Mark also called Twiggy a stick
insect and a beanstalk in the press, though the young model probably agreed.
Twiggy Lawson’s look also caused some controversy as a result of some people feeling as if the
model’s overly skinny appearance was encouraging young women to develop eating disorders. Twiggy
herself was fairly accepting of these concerns, with the young star believing that the public’s
fascination with her waif-like appearance might not be entirely healthy or sensible. According
to Twiggy, her shockingly skinny appearance during her teenage years was completely natural,
and she didn’t do anything unhealthy to maintain it. However, she could see how other young women
might fall into the trap of an eating disorder when trying to emulate it. Twiggy would go on to
say that the look she became famous for during her teen years couldn’t be replicated by someone over
the age of 20, and she felt that this was pretty significant criticism of the fashion industry.
Twiggy Became the First Pop-Star Model 1969 saw Twiggy make a publicity tour
across America, and it was upon this tour that the star realized just how big of a global impact
her twig-like appearance had made on the world. The star would go on to retire from the world of
modeling the following year, though that doesn’t mean that she completely exited from the public
spotlight! In fact, Twiggy remains a notable public celebrity to this day, at the age of 72.
After retiring from modeling, she ventured into the world of acting via Ken Russell’s 1971 cult
classic The Boy Friend, which turned her from a model into a film star. She would go on to win
two separate awards at the next Golden Globes ceremony, including Most Promising Newcomer.
Although Twiggy Lawson’s modeling career only lasted for a few years and the star was never
entirely comfortable in her own skin during that period, the impact that she made on pop culture
during this short time remains immeasurable. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that
Twiggy Lawson was initially told that she had no chance of becoming a model due to her height
and that she ended up becoming one anyways by accident? As always, like this video
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