Pixel Flesh

1. Modern Beauty Culture is a Paradox of Empowerment and Oppression

To exist as a young woman today is to flounder in this sea of paradoxes.

Navigating contradictions. Modern women are told they are liberated and empowered, yet simultaneously face intense pressure to conform to ever-higher beauty standards. This creates confusion about the value placed on beauty, the relationship with one's body, and the extent of true choice in a patriarchal society. The author's personal confessions reveal this internal conflict, oscillating between desiring perception and resenting the effort it costs.

Illusion of choice. While beauty work is often framed as self-expression or empowerment, it frequently serves to uphold patriarchal ideals that benefit from women's time, money, and energy. Companies profit from women feeling "less than," encouraging treatments and products to achieve societal acceptance. This dynamic leads to a form of "beauty-standard denialism," where empowerment rhetoric masks underlying pressures and profit motives.

Feeling worse despite progress. Despite legal and material gains for women, many feel worse about themselves physically than previous generations. This suggests that as women gain autonomy, the pressure to control their bodies intensifies, acting as an alternative form of societal control. The author questions whether true self-expression is possible when beauty standards are dictated by external forces.

2. The Digital Age Intensifies Beauty Standards and Self-Surveillance

In our digital age, women and girls are subjected to unprecedented levels of scrutiny.

Constant visibility. Social media platforms expose women and girls to millions of images daily, fostering an environment of constant comparison and self-surveillance. This hyper-visual culture, combined with accessible editing tools, creates an intense pressure to present a perfected, often unrealistic, version of oneself online. The author describes cropping her head from photos and sculpting pixels to achieve a desired perception.

Internalized gaze. Digital platforms reinforce the "panoptic gaze," where women internalize societal beauty ideals and monitor themselves accordingly, much like prisoners in a panopticon. This self-surveillance extends beyond online presence, impacting how women view themselves in real life and leading to increased anxiety and body dissatisfaction. The author notes how hearing others' perceptions of her body highlights the disconnect with her own view.

Mental health impact. The rise of social media correlates with significant increases in depression, anxiety, self-injury, eating disorders, and body dysmorphia among young women. Meta's own research indicated Instagram was toxic for girls' body image. The endless scroll of curated perfection contributes to an "epidemic of perfectionism," with many young girls considering cosmetic interventions.

3. Celebrities and Algorithms Shape a Homogeneous "Instagram Face"

Kylie Jenner is an individual so powerful that she can shift the global stock market by more than a billion dollars with a single tweet and change the concept of beauty for an entire generation of girls.

New beauty benchmark. In the digital age, celebrities like Kylie Jenner become poster girls for a postmodern beauty standard disseminated globally. This ideal, termed "Instagram Face," features exaggerated features designed for digital appeal: poreless skin, high cheekbones, catlike eyes, small nose, and full lips. This aesthetic is popularized through mass image proliferation and celebrity influence.

Homogenization through augmentation. The pursuit of "Instagram Face" drives a culture of homogeneous beauty, normalizing injectable procedures, cosmetic surgery, and photo editing. Studies show a high percentage of top influencers share these specific features, creating a single aesthetic ideal that women covet and strive for through augmentation. The author's friend Sienna exemplifies this, getting filler to look like Kylie.

Algorithm reinforcement. Social media algorithms push users who adhere to this standard to increased visibility, further cementing it as the desirable norm. This creates a feedback loop where conforming to the generic sameness is rewarded with likes, followers, and status, while deviating from it can lead to marginalization. The author notes how this aesthetic has become the foundation of a new beauty industrial complex.

4. The Male Gaze Persists, Amplified by Technology and Self-Objectification

You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur.

Historical roots. The concept of the male gaze, where women are depicted and perceived as objects for male pleasure, has deep historical roots in art and culture. This framework dictates how women's bodies should look and behave, often emphasizing modesty, purity, and decorative waiting. The author references historical depictions of Venus to illustrate this long-standing tradition.

Internalizing the gaze. Women internalize this external perspective, leading to self-objectification, where they view their bodies primarily as objects to be looked at and evaluated. This fixation on an observer's view drains time and energy, diminishing presence and voice. The author describes feeling reduced to her body and struggling to be taken seriously.

Digital amplification. Social media amplifies the male gaze and self-objectification. Platforms reward sexualized content, but often only when it conforms to rigid, patriarchal norms. While some women attempt to reclaim their sexuality through "sexy selfies," this often reinforces the very standards they seek to defy, especially for those who already fit the beauty ideal. The author reflects on posting such images for validation.

5. Eurocentric Ideals and Appropriation Perpetuate Racial Hierarchies in Beauty

To be a Black woman is trendy as long as you’re not actually Black, and that is very confusing.

Colonial legacy. Eurocentric beauty ideals (fair skin, small nose, straight hair) were imposed during colonialism and remain dominant, defining "good" beauty. This creates a painful introduction to beauty for women of color, who realize they are excluded from the standard. The author shares stories of women wishing they were white or using skin-lightening products.

Digital bias. Bias is embedded in internet code and algorithms, reinforcing whiteness as the default standard. Filters and editing apps often lighten skin or offer features aligned with Eurocentric norms, while women of color face censorship and marginalization for displaying natural features or diverse body types. The author notes how searching for beauty content often requires specifying "for Black women."

Appropriation and profit. White women often adopt features and styles originating from women of color (blackfishing) to fit an emerging ethnically ambiguous ideal, gaining financial and cultural benefits. This commodification of marginalized features, without experiencing the associated oppression, is seen as a cruel extension of colonialist practices. The author highlights how brands pay more for white women mimicking these features than for women of color who possess them naturally.

6. Beauty is a Costly "Tax" and a Class System, Not Just Self-Care

‘I’m not ugly, I’m just poor’ may only be a meme but the reality behind the satire paints a terrifying vision for the future.

Financial burden. Achieving modern beauty standards requires significant investment in products, treatments, and procedures, creating a "beauty tax." This cost is increasing with the normalization of injectables and surgeries, pricing out those with less privilege. The author details her own spending on beauty rituals, realizing it rivals the cost of owning property.

Beauty as currency. In a hyper-visual culture, appearance becomes a valuable commodity and a tool for social mobility. Pretty privilege translates into tangible benefits: free access to exclusive venues, increased employment opportunities, higher salaries, and social status. The author describes attending events where women's entry and treatment depend on their perceived attractiveness.

Class divide. Beauty standards reflect and reinforce class inequalities. Those with wealth can afford to participate in and benefit from the beauty system, while those without are penalized financially and socially. This creates a beauty class system where adherence generates privilege, widening the gap between the affluent and the vulnerable. The author shares stories of women using beauty work as a strategic move for networking and opportunity.

7. Diet Culture and Eating Disorders are Exacerbated by Online Pressures

To be a girl is to be eternally hungry or unhappy, destined to live and die by a diet culture that punishes our bodies for taking up space.

Pervasive thin ideal. Diet culture, which equates thinness with morality and value, is deeply embedded in society and amplified online. Social media bombards women with idealized images of thin or "slim thicc" bodies, promoting restrictive eating and obsessive exercise as normal and desirable. The author and her friends engaged in disordered habits influenced by online idols.

Amplified by algorithms. Social media algorithms can quickly rabbit-hole users into harmful content, including pro-eating disorder communities and extreme dieting advice, despite platform policies. This personalized exposure intensifies body dissatisfaction and fuels disordered eating behaviors. The author describes the horrifying content found on "Eating Disorder Twitter."

Psychological toll. Diet culture and eating disorders are not just about weight; they are insidious forms of control that drain mental energy, compromise cognitive function, and lead to severe physical health issues. The author reflects on how starvation impacted her own mind and potential. The pressure to be thin is a "potent political sedative" designed to silence women and keep them small.

8. The Fetishization of Youth Fuels Anti-Aging Obsession and Fear of Aging

The fetishisation of youth is a tool to infantilise us and strip us of our autonomy.

Pressure to stay young. Modern beauty standards intensely value youth, creating immense pressure on women to prevent and correct any signs of aging. This is fueled by anti-aging rhetoric and the proliferation of preventative treatments like Botox, increasingly targeting younger women. The author describes seeing teenagers worried about wrinkles and influencers promoting anti-aging routines starting in their twenties.

Commodification of youth. The anti-aging market is a multi-billion dollar industry that profits from women's fear of aging. Treatments breed dependence and can be costly, adding to women's economic vulnerability. The author interviews an influencer who spends thousands monthly on anti-aging, feeling her self-worth tied to maintaining a youthful appearance.

Loss of autonomy and value. The societal fetishization of youth devalues older women, stripping them of respect, visibility, and power as they age. This creates a fear of losing desirability and relevance, pushing women into costly and potentially harmful anti-aging regimes. The author notes how dating desirability studies show women's value peaking young, while men's peaks later.

9. Motherhood Challenges Beauty Ideals, Revealing Societal Judgment

Your body is always defined by the value it can hold for somebody else, either for the purposes of sexual gratification or for the purposes of bearing life.

Body as vessel. During pregnancy and postpartum, women's bodies become public property, subject to unsolicited comments, touch, and judgment. The pregnant body is often idealized, but the postpartum body faces intense scrutiny and pressure to "bounce back" to a pre-pregnancy state, often seen as a project to be fixed. The author describes feeling her pregnant body was haunted and invaded.

Stigma and shame. Natural postpartum changes like stretch marks, sagging skin, and weight gain are pathologized and framed as deformities to be corrected, often by a male medical establishment. This contributes to body image issues, postpartum depression, and disordered eating among new mothers. The author shares stories of women feeling guilty and inadequate compared to idealized online portrayals of postpartum bodies.

Loss of self. The pressure to conform to beauty ideals postpartum can conflict with the demands of caring for a newborn, forcing women to prioritize appearance over recovery and bonding. The author's friend Sophie felt resentment towards her son due to body image struggles fueled by social media. The "mummy makeover" trend exemplifies the pressure to erase the physical evidence of motherhood to regain social value.

10. Online Violence and Harassment are Modern Witch Hunts, Silencing Women

Persecution online has simply become a part of the continuum of witch hunting that women and girls suffer throughout their lives.

Digital abuse. Online spaces are rife with harassment, threats, stalking, and new forms of violence like revenge porn and deepfakes, disproportionately targeting women. This abuse is a continuation of historical witch hunts, used to control and punish women who dare to be visible or outspoken. The author shares personal experiences and stories from friends and public figures about the constant threat of online violence.

Appearance-based attacks. Much online abuse focuses on women's physical appearance, using insults and threats to enforce traditional beauty ideals and shame those who deviate. This strategic violence aims to silence women and deter them from public participation. The author highlights how women of color and other marginalized groups face compounded abuse based on intersecting identities.

Cultural gaslighting and inaction. Online abuse is often dismissed as "not real" or trivial, placing the onus on victims to protect themselves by retreating from digital spaces. Authorities often lack understanding or fail to act, leaving women vulnerable. This inaction maintains patriarchal control by limiting women's voices and participation in online communities and public life. The author notes how women's participation in online forums declined due to harassment.

11. Authenticity is a Myth in a Curated, Commodified Digital World

Authenticity in the digital world is an impossible feat, a parody that we have learnt to accept.

Curated selves. Social media platforms encourage the creation and maintenance of curated online personas, often requiring meticulous editing and filtering to present an idealized self. This pressure to perform a "personal brand" transforms individuals into commodities, blurring the lines between real life and digital performance. The author describes the effort involved in creating seemingly casual photos and maintaining a specific aesthetic.

Unrealistic standards. Filters, editing apps, and AI-generated content create a hyper-augmented digital beauty standard that is impossible to achieve in reality. This leads to a disconnect between one's real appearance and their online persona, fueling body dissatisfaction and potentially body dysmorphia. The author notes how even subtle edits contribute to this unreal standard.

Commodification of identity. The pressure to fit into specific online aesthetics or niches, often tied to consumer brands, limits genuine self-expression and encourages conformity. This commodification of identity is a form of control, managing how women present themselves and driving consumption. The author reflects on how her own online persona felt like a character she had to maintain.

12. True Liberation Requires Collective Action, Not Individual Optimization

Feminism, ultimately, is not about our individual choices at all; it is about freedom from the patriarchal oppression from which we all suffer.

Individual vs. collective. While individual acts of self-care or "empowerment" within the beauty system may offer short-term benefits, they do not dismantle the oppressive structures that create the need for them. Focusing solely on personal optimization distracts from the broader systemic issues of gender inequality, capitalism, and patriarchy. The author questions whether individual success within a flawed system constitutes true liberation.

Solidarity and community. Breaking free from the pressures of modern beauty culture requires collective action and solidarity among women. Sharing experiences, creating safe spaces, and challenging norms together are vital for resisting the forces that isolate and subjugate women. The author finds moments of genuine connection and sisterhood in shared experiences, like getting ready or in nightclub bathrooms.

Challenging the system. True change necessitates challenging the institutions and algorithms that perpetuate harmful beauty standards, profit from insecurity, and enable violence against women. This involves advocating for better regulation, demanding transparency from tech companies, and pushing back against the commodification and objectification of women's bodies. The author highlights the work of activists fighting for legislative change and representation.

Last updated: May 19, 2025