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It is no small feat to have made it to 2025 without seeing Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, and almost impossible to not have heard of its presence permeating social media for months. The Substance has divided viewers, with some hailing it as a feminist masterpiece, whilst others condemn it as a vacuous horror-fest which clumsily attempts to critique modern day society. I must confess, my views on the film align with the former. This satirical body-horror conveys a feminist critique of societal beauty standards, which highlights both how society demonises aging women and the dire measures women are pressured to take to maintain youth.
To provide some context for those who have not yet seen the film (note: spoilers ahead!), The Substance follows a famous oscar-winning actress named Elisabeth Sparkle, star of her aerobics show Sparkle Your Life. She is fired from her role and forced to fade into obscurity on her 50th birthday as her boss informs that ‘at 50, it all stops’. Her distress drives Elisabeth to invest in ‘the substance’, a mysterious product claiming to unlock ‘a better version of yourself’. Her young, attractive alter, Sue, is then birthed from Elisabeth’s body as her back splits apart. The rules of the substance are simple, both women must switch between each other’s bodies every seven days. Despite being compelled to ‘respect the balance’, Sue starts to use more than her given time, causing an intense battle between Elisabeth and herself.
The Substance conveys a theatrical cynicism of the male-gaze and the fetishisation of the female youth. The film presents many hypersexualised shots of lips, cleavage, and Margaret Qualley gyrating in a pink leotard. The way the film is shot ensures that we experience Margaret Qualley’s iconic lip bite and dazzling aura as Sue through a sexualised male-gaze, as her youth and beauty bring her admiration and success. But it is the rapid aging that Elisabeth suffers at the cost of Sue’s time in the limelight which becomes the intense, and often horrific, focus of the film. Hatred and frustration take centre stage in a struggle between the pursuit of eternal youth, and self-acceptance in the face of an impossible standard. Elisabeth’s pain torments us as viewers, and whilst we do not have a hypersexualised alter of ourselves to be compared to, we all have to try to live with an impossible, unattainable standard.
There is no doubt that The Substance and its bloodiness are shocking. However, it is the final hybrid form which Elisabeth and Sue take, Monstro Elisasue, which fully captures the film’s deranged nature. Those of us who have seen the film’s graphic, Carrie-esque finale, will understand its outrageous theatrics. Monstro Elisasue is an amalgamation of youthful female sexuality, a creature composed of an obscene amounts of lips, boobs, and butts. We live in a society where ageism is not only perpetrated by voyeuristic men, but taints our entire culture. This is a time where botox, plastic surgeries, and even anti-wrinkle straws dominate our media. Aside from enabling a culture of self-hatred, these anti-aging measures are detrimental to physical health. Certain anti-aging ‘skincare’ practices promoted online cause skin damage and sensitivity. Invasive procedures like botox and filler can cause bleeding, bruising, and facial asymmetry. Monstro Elisasue’s ‘deformity’ conveys the dire cost of self-mutilation in the name of beauty. Despite being proclaimed a ‘Picasso of male expectations’ by the director herself, she is met with horror and hatred. Her condemnation establishes the double standard which demands women remain youthful, but resents them for chasing this standard. The Substance ultimately captures the bitter irony and ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ nature of the societal obsession with youth.
Whilst many despise The Substance for its violence, those who love the film will appreciate its satirical shock factor. Whichever side of the spectrum you fall on, it is undeniable that The Substance has created some ripples. The film is at times outrageously graphic, but its deliberate symbology is what sets it apart. For those who haven’t yet seen this film, I strongly urge you to give it a watch. Preferences aside, the strong themes and gripping feminist critiques of The Substance have solidified its place in feminist discourse for decades to come.
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