What is "heroin chic"

n. A fashion trend begun in the late 1990s revolving around models who bore characteristics of heroin addicts.

Heroin chic was a look popularized in mid- 1990s fashion and characterized by pale skin, dark circles underneath the eyes, dark red lipstick and angular bone structure. The look, characterised by emaciated features and androgyny, was a reaction against the " healthy" and vibrant look of models such as Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer. A 1996 article in the Los Angeles Times stated that the fashion industry had "a nihilistic vision of beauty" that was reflective of drug addiction and the U.S. News and World Report called the movement a " cynical trend".