The beauty pandemic: “Brighter, more flawless"
“Social media is the stage for this transformation. Being liked and accepted has become the modern human's new way of existing, a way of saying ‘I am here, I exist too.’”
12punto
Betül Kayabaşı - Journalist
In today's world, it is as if everyone has gathered around the same desire. And that desire is to be beautiful. Moreover, this desire is no longer an issue attributed solely to women; men have long since joined this circle as well. When we scroll through social media, we wander among perfect bodies, smooth faces, and symmetrical features. Tight abdomens, slender legs, full lips, prominent cheekbones… They all point to one thing: to be more, more, and more beautiful.
The human interest in beauty is not new. For centuries, the beautiful has been considered fascinating, impressive, and often even sacred. The charm of Cleopatra, the beauty of Helen of Troy for whom wars were fought, or the divine attraction of Aphrodite, who possessed a golden radiance…
Two productions I have watched recently reveal the point this desire has reached in a striking way: The Substance and The Beauty.
In the film The Substance, Elizabeth, a famous television star who falls out of favor because she is aging, turns to a mysterious substance to regain her youth. As a result of this intervention, a “younger, brighter, more flawless” version is born from her own body.
However, this new body is not just a renewal; it is also the beginning of an addiction. Because once youth is attained, it is no longer enough. More is needed. Brighter, smoother, more striking…
This situation is almost a literal metaphor for today's aesthetic world. Aesthetic interventions, which were once accessible only to celebrities, have now become commonplace. Fillers, Botox, liposuction, tummy tucks, facial contouring… People are practically trying to create their own “updated versions.”
Social media is the stage for this transformation. Being liked and accepted has become the modern human's new way of existing, a way of saying “I am here, I exist too.”
The series The Beauty takes this desire even further, describing it with a virus metaphor. Youth and beauty are gained through a vaccine; however, this vaccine also spreads like a deadly disease. Even though they know the side effects, people are willing to risk death for the sake of this promise of “perfection.” Because the issue is no longer just about being beautiful; it is about not being able to live or exist without being beautiful.
When we look around us outside of these productions, we encounter the same picture.
The widespread use of drugs like the Ozempic injection, which were actually produced for diabetes treatment, for the sake of losing weight is one of the most striking examples of this. Teas, injections, surgical interventions… The human body has practically turned into a project that is constantly being worked on…
Beauty, the human desire to reach the divine and the perfect, continues to spread rapidly like a bad epidemic. While this “beauty virus” makes a person's outward appearance flawless, it slowly consumes their soul. It is as if it is eating away from the inside to keep the outside alive. It leaves us facing dire consequences such as eating disorders, depression, and mental fatigue, which are the popular diseases of our age.
As we see in both productions, are we truly becoming beautiful, or are we slowly disappearing?