hololive VTuber Takanashi Kiara revealed a new outfit last month: a 1980s aerobics ensemble that ties into one of her songs, the vaporwave retro–themed “Fever Night.” The look has proven to be a very popular design with fans, and I’m no exception. But putting aside personal taste, one thing I find intriguing is that while the costume successfully evokes the 80s, Kiara’s hips and thighs reflect a much more contemporary beauty standard.

For better or worse, the Western standard for how women (especially white women) were “supposed” to look in the 80s was big breasts, tiny waist, narrow hips, thin legs, and small butt. There’s a reason “Baby Got Back” is written as a rebuttal to a dominant cultural sentiment.

This is even more the case when it comes to the iconic aerobics wear of the period. There’s a famous YouTube upload of an aerobics championship, and it’s a never-ending parade of fit and smiling folks in spandex showing off their slim lower bodies.

These days, however, wide hips and big butts are in. People online use words like “thicc” and “gyatt” with positive connotations, Instagram models swing in this direction, and Kiara to some degree aligns with these current values. Her default design has more prominent hips, and she even got the backside of her 3D model changed to be more shapely and closer to her non-virtual self—an upgrade that has received extra attention in her “Chimera” music video.

The Fever Night outfit, as form-fitting as it is, emphasizes this aspect of Kiara even more. And rather than seeing it as unfaithful to the 1980s, artists have embraced it, often exaggerating her proportions further still. In a way, it makes all the current fanart depict a kind of (not unwelcome) anachronism.

The way that fans have shown their love for Fever Night aerobics Kiara just has me thinking about how beauty standards can change—not only over time, but also across cultures. The 80s “ideal figure” might not be fashionable in 2024, but it could be seen in a different hololive campaign earlier this year: the hololive Production x Cheer Up collab in Taiwan. The promotional art was created by local artist Yanni, and it’s very clear that the girls’ proportions are different from their respective official designs.

In a way, the combination 80s aerobics outfit with current beauty standards—manifested in the form of Takanashi Kiara—really hits home the way nostalgia for an older time doesn’t necessarily mean every aspect of that bygone era is revived at equal levels. We’re seeing a snapshot of a time that is itself looking backwards, and if that is most readily depicted in the form of large thighs in hot pink, so be it.

PS: Today is Kiara’s birthday—stream “Fever Night!”