Lesley Hornby, known to the world as Twiggy, is an English model who rose to fame as a style icon of the 1960s. Born in London, Twiggy was just 16 years old when she went to the salon of Leonard of Mayfair (aka Leonard Lewis, a famous hairstylist), where she received a new crop cut as part of the stylist’s experiment. A photographer took some headshots of her sporting her new ‘do. Leonard displayed the photos in his salon where they caught the eye of a fashion reporter working for the Daily Express.
Soon after, the teenager found herself in the paper, touted as “The Face of ‘66.”
Hornby, who had a narrow frame even for her age, was called “Twigs.” Her modeling career soared to great heights, winning her success under the name “Twiggy”. What set her apart from other models of the time was not only her boyish haircut but her thin and androgynous figure. She had gorgeous dark and heavy eyelashes that couldn’t help but draw in anyone looking at her photos. In a matter of months, Twiggy had appeared in several leading publications including Vogue.
In 1967, she visited the United States where she had already risen to international fame.
Twiggy modeled for four years after getting her big break and retired in 1970 to focus on other things, specifically singing and acting.
Twiggy went on to perform in a variety of musicals and film dramas, appearing in an onstage production of Cinderella and even hosting her own TV show. She won two Golden Globes in 1972 for her portrayal of Polly Browne in the musical comedy film, The Boyfriend.
She also released two albums in 1976 – Twiggy and Please Get My Name Right – which consisted of country and pop songs.
Her career as an actress and singer continued to flourish well into the 2000s, even appearing as a judge on the popular reality TV show, America’s Next Top Model.
At present, she continues to work in the film, TV, and fashion industries and is a well-known activist who supports animal rights and breast cancer research.
According to Twiggy, she used to do her own makeup in the ‘60s. She had a doll with big eyelashes on the top and bottom and she used it as inspiration when she did her eyes, adding false lashes not only up the top but at the bottom as well. This later became one of her signature looks.
Twiggy also shared that when she started her modeling career, she was a skinny schoolgirl who stuffed tissues down her bra. She wasn’t really trying to be thin and was healthy for her age, but her look was something that was next to impossible for women older than 20 to achieve.