DiCaprio and the thin-girlfriend rule: the elite beauty standard debate

DiCaprio, the 'thigh gap' and elite status

It is a well-worn cliché that Leonardo DiCaprio has a very specific preference when it comes to women's bodies. What has reignited the conversation is the claim that this preference trinc a logic of class rather than simple taste. The spark: a provocative commentator has summed it up with deliberate bluntness — the actor only dates extremely thin women, with the 'thigh gap' as an untouchable boundary.

The case of Camila Morrone, the model and actress who was once his partner, works as the perfect example. Athletic build, no striking curves: the archetype some call 'premium genetics'. Against the reading of personal taste, another school of thought argues that the female body has become a status marker for men with power. If the rich are almost never seen with curvy bodies, it is no coincidence: thinness is associated with discipline, resources and an elite biology.

Some take the thesis further. The 'law of relentless coherence', in its most caustic version, holds that a man lacking charisma needs the crowd to envy his conquests so as not to feel ridiculous. That is why he would choose a body type applauded by the masses over a personal preference. The irony: most of those applauding that standard will never be able to attain it.

How much genuine preference and how much social dictate is there in a billionaire's choice of bed partners? The debate remains in no man's land. A bar-room line sums up the general cynicism: imagine getting rich doing what you love.