the ugly desire for perfection
My intention then, was to explore the concept of our fleeting attention, influenced by algorithms that use aesthetics to grab our focus. We often find ourselves trapped in media bubbles, momentarily captivated by beauty, only to forget it as soon as it vanishes from our sight.
Beauty work is labeled “self-care” to make it sound progressive.
Jia Tolentino • Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion
The subversion of this ideal is driven by accusations that the standards imposed by the fashion and cosmetics industries are Eurocentric or patriarchal; doing away with those standards is therefore a political act of anti-racism or feminism. In a similar way, goblin mode can be seen as a revolt against the standards of productivity and self-betterm... See more
the critic • The death of Ideals
The ideal woman looks beautiful, happy, carefree, and perfectly competent. Is she really? To look any particular way and to actually be that way are two separate concepts, and striving to look carefree and happy can interfere with your ability to feel so. The internet codifies this problem, makes it inescapable; in recent years, pop culture has sta
... See moreJia Tolentino • Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion
Beauty, or our idea of it, is always rooted in deep desires, capitulations, and pathologies. It makes certain things so obvious. How we spend the present trying to secure the future, and thus squander what’s in front of us. How we fail to appreciate what we may later understand as an experience of unbelievable plenty: unlined skin, spare time on Sa
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