Elise Hu: Beauty is Personal and Political

Simplify

Our obsession with beauty and appearance may be deeply rooted, but at this moment, things seem to be reaching a whole new level. Facetune and features like skin smoothing, jaw reduction, and eye enhancement that are standard on social apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and even Zoom, as well as the ubiquitous advertisements for a flawless face and body, are turning our bodies into projects to work on forever.

This and much more prompted American journalist and podcaster Elise Hu to research and write her book, Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture From the K-Beauty Capital, which she describes as “part memoir, part social commentary, part reportage." As a former NPR correspondent in Seoul, she has experienced firsthand the dangers of the unyielding, strict beauty standards in South Korea, the world's most cosmetically advanced country, and what happens when beauty becomes associated with morality and the image of a “good person.”

In this episode, Elise shares with us her unique research on technological change, consumerism, and the undeniable political, economic, and social capital of good looks worldwide. Most importantly, her book and this conversation not only scrutinize the real financial, physical, and emotional costs of beauty work, but also serve as a call to join the fight for bodily autonomy and culture change focused on endless self-improvement as the best path to empowerment.

Caitlin and Ben's book recommendations:

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

The Aesthetic Brain by Anjan Chatterjee

Cherly Strayed on Simplify

Elise's book recommendations:

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, The Flesh, and L.A by Eve Babitz

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Let us know what you thought of this episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller [2], Ben at @bsto https://twitter.com/bsto [3]. You can write us all an email at [e-mail] [4].

This episode of Simplify was produced by Caitlin Schiller, Ben Schuman-Stoler, Maria Levacic & Stéphane Obadia at Blinkist