Breaking the Link Between Appearance and Worth

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The snip discusses the exhaustion and cost of trying to meet unattainable beauty standards and the dilemma between wanting to change these standards and recognizing their potential to lead to success. It highlights the importance of not buying into these standards or demanding that everyone be beautiful, but rather changing the self-concept to break the link between appearance and worth. The snip acknowledges that these are systemic issues, but individual changes can make a difference and influence others. The speaker reflects on being a good ancestor and not passing down appearance-related anxieties to future generations, as well as the desire to end the marginalization of people who don't conform to societal norms.

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