Are toned abs the latest flex in the fashion world?
From models on Prada‘s and Fendi‘s spring 2027 runways, to Teyana Taylor‘s new Calvin Klein campaign and Sombr’s, Charli XCX’s and Tyla’s red carpet appearances at MTV’s Music Video Awards on Sunday — toned abs are suddenly in vogue. Even at the age of 64, Tom Cruise got in on the trend as GQ’s October cover star as snapped by Mario Sorrenti. And Harry Styles revealed his muscular torso wearing only an unzipped Miu Miu jacket and jeans for W’s September cover shoot with David Sims.
Meanwhile, Confidenceheist’s David Carmi and other content creators have been featuring stylish on-the-move women wearing cutout silhouettes, navel-grazing tops, low-waisted skirts and pants in New York City, as well as other hubs like Paris and Milan. Gen-Zers are on board with revealing slivers of skin too with hip-slung jeans or midriff-baring tops and ultrashort shorts.
Abs are definitely having a fashion moment, according to personal trainer Kacy Duke, who has worked with Dakota Johnson, Bebe Rexha, Zoe Kravitz and other celebrities. (Earlier this week Kravitz turned up at the Saint Laurent after party in a two-piece lace ensemble.) “The bare midriff has almost become a fashion accessory — a flash of skin that can say strength, sensuality, confidence and a little attitude,” Duke said.
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Hailey Bieber helped to put the trend in motion by showing glimpses of her chiseled abs in a recent Gap ad campaign. Not surprisingly, fitness-focused brands like Alo and Lululemon feature models who have been doing their crunches. And Equinox’s in-store shops have mannequins with washboard abs. More unexpected is how central Gigi Hadid‘s toned solar plexus is in a fall Stuart Weitzman ad for stiletto knee-high boots. Leading models like Hadid and Kaia Gerber have shown their workouts on social media. Anok Lai, whose spring 2027 runway assignments included Calvin Klein, Balenciaga, Miu Miu and Saint Laurent, keeps up her stamina with workouts at Aarmy. (Walking in next month’s Victoria’s Secret show is further incentive.)
The flash of abs trend coincides with the ongoing influx of weight loss drugs and looksmaxxing. In fact, 11 percent of Americans are taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss, compared to 3 percent in 2024, according to Gallup data.
Despite consumers’ calls for body positivity and greater diversity in fashion in recent years, and some brands responding with more varied castings and sizes, the thin-is-in stereotype still resonates. But perfection “never stopped being the aim,” according to Heather Widdows, author of “Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal.” “We never embraced diversity in any significant way.”
Widdows, a professor at the University of Warwick, said there are four features of the global beauty ideal — thinness, firmness, smoothness and youth, which have been “increasingly dominant” over the past few decades. She said, “The global beauty ideal has been strengthening its hold, and claims to diversity were exaggerated.”
Aware of how weight loss drugs are impacting the cultural backdrop, Duke said that as bodies and waistlines change, fashion picks up on those cues. “But here’s where the trainer in me comes out. Losing weight and sculpting a body are not the same thing,” she said. “They might help lose weight, but they can’t do squats, planks or crunches for you.” (Glider planks are her go-to. If you don’t have two sliding discs, use two small hand towels. In other words, no excuses.)
What she loves about the abs-baring trend is that a perfect six-pack is not mandatory. Whether “your belly is strong, soft, mature or curvy,” Duke said, “If you feel fabulous showing it, show it!”
The trend is also apparent on the small screen. Viewers of “Dancing With the Stars” have seen how Tyler Cameron, Guillermo Rodriguez and Maura Higgins have flashed their physiques. The show’s host Julianne Hough has uncovered her tautness, as her recent on-air looks from Tom Ford and Yves Saint Laurent prove. The dancer and singer has also favored more sublime two-piece styles for DWTS rehearsals and even for a Paris Baguette commercial.
Back on the runway, Ralph Lauren, Conner Ives and Sportmax took a more subtle approach by dressing a few of their spring 2027 runway models in midriff-skimming tops. Duke offered a broader interpretation. As an “‘Age Defier,’ not an ‘Age Denier,” she said that if she worked her abs and felt fabulous in a crop top, she will wear one. “Sexy and style do not have an expiration date,” Duke said.
