How to embrace – and challenge – the idea of “beauty” (w / Elise Hu)

How to Be a Better Human

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Elise Hugh: I'm so glad I used to work in television and now I work in radio. It actually makes me value myself apart from my appearance. How to Be a Better Human is brought to you on the Ted side by Daniela Baloreszo Whitney Pennington Rogers and Jimmy Gutierrez. On the PRX side our show is put together by Morgan Flannery, Rosalind Torticilius, Patrick Grant and Jocelyn Gonzalez.

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