Body horror film The Substance follows Elizabeth (played by Demi Moore), a televised aerobics instructor whose work is drying up as she reaches 50. In desperation she seeks a silver bullet to recapture her youth and hold on to her fame, subscribing to a dangerous underground age reversal elixir: ‘The Substance’.

As she begins injecting the chemicals, her body violently erupts and a younger ‘clone’, Sue (Margaret Qualley), emerges to become the new star of the show. There is a catch: Elizabeth can only be Sue for seven days at a time and needs to switch back to her older self each cycle.

The eerie words “REMEMBER YOU ARE ONE” reverberate each time Elizabeth/Sue attempts to play with the program and extend the youth elixir. The film, directed by Coralie Fargeat, echoes philosopher Donna Haraway’s theory of Cyborg feminism, as Elizabeth/Sue are both liberated and bound by this futuristic technology. The Substance becomes intensely grotesque and unnerving as it progresses.

Inevitably the adulation that Sue receives for her youthful looks goes to her head, and she begins to play with the regime with horrifying results. In a recent interview ahead of the film’s release, Moore highlighted the intensity of the violence she believes women can do to themselves by hoping to preserve youth and chasing unattainable ideals.

In light of the film’s local release, with its exploration of punishing societal beauty standards, Leila Lois asked four New Zealand women working in the modelling, entertainment and beauty industries – often those criticised for upholding said standards – for their perspectives on ageing and beauty, and how their own self-image is being challenged all the time.

Jessica Grace Smith, actor, 39

My relationship with beauty has really changed since my teen years, growing up with “cocaine chic”. When I admire beauty in a friend, it’s their confidence rather than physical perfection that shines through. Now I’m a mother with two kids, I’ve distanced myself from media that supports an ‘ideal’ of beauty.

I take inspiration from actors that are ageing gracefully, like Naomi Watts. I think if we can celebrate our beauty as we age, our lines which express who we are, then we can be there for each other. I personally don’t have Botox or cosmetic enhancements but there’s a time and a place and I’m not saying never. A little can look good, but a lot can look horrific!

The biggest thing I’d like to impart to young women questioning their body image is to own their uniqueness. You don’t owe anyone any idea of what’s beautiful, you can decide this for yourself and have confidence. Personally I love imperfections, like gaps in teeth which give us character. Too much perfection isn’t interesting.

Tiffany Low, pilates instructor and former model, 34

I quit modelling after moving to Sydney and then New York during my 20s, where I was going out a lot, working a lot, meeting different people. I did some modelling and was always comparing myself to other models based on how I looked, my skin, what my weight was, what I ate, what I wore, etc. It was definitely psychologically unhealthy. I think being in my 30s now, I’ve realised that this is who I am, love it or not, so I do my best to appreciate what I was given and just try to keep up a routine of moving my body daily. 

I’m more confident than ever, now. I still work a lot (between operating my own business, a small restaurant Tempero, working an office job as a commercial director and teaching pilates at Sala and with private clients) but I try to have fun with it all – in the way I dress and present myself.

I just read something about Christina Aguilera “ageing backwards 20 years” and that it’s a “secret in Hollywood that we haven’t heard about yet”. It’s interesting because getting older is such a privilege. 

Beauty is so subjective. Sure there are many content creators and it’s fun to watch them transform themselves using makeup or dressing up with the OOTDs, but I think collectively, given the state of the world at the moment, we should think about how we can make ourselves feel better on the inside as this will reflect on the outside to the world.

Hannah Calver, cosmetic nurse, 39

I’ve practised as a cosmetic nurse for eight-and-a-half-years. I was formally a psychiatric nurse and the first few years after I switched to cosmetic nursing, I felt guilty for it. Slowly I’ve realised that my level of personal satisfaction as a cosmetics nurse is higher. 

In saying that, I think there’s a danger in seeing cosmetic professionals as a “drive through” service. Injectables like Botox and dermal fillers are medical products, and my clients are patients. The reality is that aesthetic enhancement shouldn’t be treated like McDonalds – these are medical procedures that have risks. I feel a huge responsibility towards their physical and mental health and I’m shocked when other practitioners don’t seem to.

Having treated patients who are “over-full” from fillers in their face, for example, I quickly realise that they didn’t want to look that way, they were given poor advice by their aestheticians. I’m not afraid to advise what is best for my clients and say no if something is dangerous or too much. 

As Ngāti Maniapoto, I’ve become more reflective on my Māori heritage and how it shapes my perspective. I think we need to remember that we shouldn’t want to change our faces so drastically as they reflect who we are, our rich ancestry and we should be proud of these. We look at our mothers and we love them. We can use appearance medicine as an enhancement of what we already have, to create the best version of ourselves rather than change everything to make ourselves look “younger” or like another person… Most times people aren’t satisfied with the result anyway, if that’s what they’re looking for.

Alana Greve, model, 26

I naturally have a small frame so people do express worry – which only stresses me further. However, even when I’m at my standard healthy weight, I’ve felt pressure to maintain that level. There is a fine line in the fashion industry… it is appearance focused, which you have to be conscious of.

Personally I think the ‘ideal’ body image is always just an unattainable vision, and that the ‘ideal’ varies every few years. I have experienced both skinny shaming and skinny complimenting to be harmful. If you tell someone they’re pretty because they’re slender, you are equally telling them that they will become uglier if their weight fluctuates higher.

It frustrates me seeing flawless skin plastered across commercial advertisements and sometimes even in shoots I do. Being a blemish free, plastic doll isn’t human; creases and fine lines show life lived, and that is beautiful. Our little unique features give character, and that is so much more interesting than airbrushed smoothness.

My perspective is that we shouldn’t assign value to body weight, and I think it’s extremely important to not be swayed by any influence that tries to convince you otherwise. To me, beauty is being the healthiest, most self-assured version of yourself.