Asthenic

Extremely thin and/or weak.

Origin

Trough Greek asthenes, this important adjective, dated back to 1789, stems from the Modern Latin asthenia meaning feeble, without strength.

Why this word? 

The early 90’s and the 20 years to follow gave way to a new sort of beauty, beauty that to me should be called dead beauty. I am referring to models showing more bones than skin or clothes, such women who would provide nothing but malnourishment to their newborns if they choose to breastfeed.

Curves are feminine, softness is feminine; being feminine is feminine. Hunger struck and bony is not beautiful, it isn’t sexy. It has nothing to do with the last thousand years in which the study of beauty, its construction and philosophy took maj
or part of each and every aesthetic debate.

Writing this post I googled “skinny models” to come up with some names and found the leading results to be right up my alley. The first result read “Are skinny models going out of style?”, then images and a blog, and then- “Vogue bans too-skinny models” and “Israel’s skinny model ban”. Looks like the world is coming to agreement- asthenic women are not attractive. This statement is the reason for all of us to know this synonym word.

How to use asthenic?

Use this word as a synonym to skinny, weak, bony…

“You are asthenic. It doesn’t look good”.

“I lived 10 years of my life being asthenic, worrying and caring for my asthenia. Thank God it’s over”.