TwiggyTwiggy (born Lesley Hornby) is an English model, actress, and singer, also known by her married name of Twiggy Lawson. In the 1960s, at 16, she became the first prominent teenage model. She was known for her large eyes, long eyelashes, and thin build, and is regarded as one of the most famous models of all time. Twiggy went on to star in movies, and appeared as a judge on the reality show America’s Next Top Model. She modelled for Marks and Spencer to promote their rebranding, and appears in seasonal television She commercials with others, such as Myleene Klass, as well as other forms of media for the campaigns.
Twiggy was brought up in Neasden, London the daughter of Helen (Nellie) Lydia Hornby (née Reeman), and William Norman Hornby, a master carpenter and joiner. She got her first job as an assistant in a hairdressers where her sister Viv worked then became a counter-girl at a Woolworth’s store and factory worker at a printing firm.
Twiggy during the height of her modeling career in 1966, Nigel Davies noticed the young Lesley Hornby and offered her a modelling contract. She was only 16 and weighed 6½ stone (41 kg). Davies advised her to go by her childhood nickname, Twiggy. After sweeping England as “The Face of ‘66” when her modeling pictures, taken by Barry Lategan, were made public, Twiggy arrived in New York in March 1967. It was believed that the Twiggy craze would die down within a month; however, she became an icon. Known for the high fashion mod look created by Mary Quant, Twiggy changed the world of fashion with her short-haired androgynous look. She was also famous for drawing long, fake eyelashes under her bottom lashes.
In 1966, Mattel issued a "Twiggy" doll, a Barbie-sized doll with smaller bust and hips.
