How Toxic Beauty Culture Harms Women.
A Rallying Cry From A Brand New Voice
A Rallying Cry From A Brand New Voice
A generation-defining exposé of toxic beauty culture — from Botox and Instagram filters to lip flips and editing apps — and the realities of coming of age online.
We live in a new age of beauty. With advancements in cosmetic surgery, walk-in treatments, augmented reality face filters, photo editing apps, and exposure to more images than ever, we have the ability to craft the image we want everyone to see. We pinch, pull, squeeze, tweeze, smooth and slice ourselves beyond recognition. But is our beauty culture truly empowering? Are we really in control?
In Pixel Flesh, Ellen Atlanta holds a mirror up to our modern beauty ideal, as well as the pressure to present a perfect image, to live in an age of constant comparison and curated feeds. She weaves in her personal story with others’ to reconfigure our obsession with the cult of beauty and explore the reality of living in a world of paradoxes: we know our standards are unhealthy, but understand it’s a way to succeed. We resent social media but continue to scroll. We know digital beauty is artificial, but we still strive for it.
From Love Island to lip filler, blackfishing to the beauty tax, Pixel Flesh is a fascinating account of what young women face under a dominant industry. Nuanced, unflinching, and razor sharp, this book unmasks the absurdities of the standards we suddenly find ourselves upholding, and acts as a rallying cry and a refusal to suffer in silence, forming the definitive book about what it truly feels like to exist as a woman today.
"With kaleidoscopic vision, meticulously researched insights, and the narrative power of a novelist, Ellen Atlanta’s Pixel Flesh unravels the complex tapestry of standards and perceptions that shape our identities. Pixel Flesh is not just a book; it's an essential mirror reflecting the profound impact of beauty culture on our lives, urging us to question and redefine our notions of allure and authenticity."
Chloé Cooper Jones
Two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and author of Easy Beauty
"A rigorously researched and deeply personal account of the modern female experience. Pixel Flesh is a searing and lucid appraisal of internet culture's most corrosive and diminishing aspects; from predatory algorithms, celebrity, cosmetic surgery, disordered eating and the tyranny of performing a self. A must-read guidebook on the dizzying hall of mirrors that women must navigate online and the dangerous real world consequences that follow. "
Nada Alic
Author of Bad Thoughts
“Confronting the conformity and compliance of today’s beauty culture, Ellen Atlanta’s revealing new book charts the course for a brave new world in which women and girls can - at long last - be comfortable in their own skin.”
Victoria Bateman
Author of Naked Feminism
"Atlanta is a whip-smart, full-hearted writer who gets to the core of beauty with expert grace that makes it look easy. Her vulnerability makes you feel seen as a reader and her expertise makes you feel protected as you navigate the chaos of the beauty industry from her perspective. Pixel Flesh a pleasurable read, and one I feel lucky to have on my shelf. The world is lucky to have her writing and her tenderness, too."
Arabelle Sicardi
Fashion and beauty writer
“Pixel Flesh stopped me in my tracks. It took me back to my girlhood in a bold, unexpected and poetic way... like a Grimms’ Fairy Tales, but with Kylie Lip Kits. Ellen has a unique talent for helping you see through other’s eyes and making you feel seen yourself. You will want to pass this on to every woman you know!”
Freya Bromley
Author of THE TIDAL YEAR
“Pixel Flesh is a wise and sensitive indictment of the beauty industry — it synthesizes relatable anecdotes about living in the social media age with on-point critical theory and vigorous research. If you’re struggling with the beauty industry’s chokehold, this book can be a tool in breaking free”
MJ Corey
The Kardashian Kolloquium
