Introduction

3min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The idea that we always have to be optimizing and improving ourselves is not healthy. Elise Hu explores the issue of global beauty culture in her book, Flawless. She also talks about skin care, plastic surgery and most of all, the work that it takes to look a certain way.

Humans have always been captivated by beauty, and for almost as long, we’ve been marketed products and new technologies to help us achieve certain beauty standards. Elise Hu is a journalist and the author of “Flawless: Lessons in looks and culture from the K-beauty industry.” In this episode, she shares the fascinating insights she’s learned from years of studying the $10 billion K-beauty industry and the cutting-edge skincare, niche makeup products, and technology that promise to optimize our appearance. Elise and Chris talk about the real stakes of placing a premium on our looks, why a more inclusive version of “beauty” is worth pursuing, and how we can both enjoy and push back against the very human desire to feel beautiful. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts