The Substance serves as a stark and grotesque metaphor for the ways in which women are objectified, commodified, and ultimately consumed by the entertainment industry and society at large. Through the lens of body horror, the film examines the complex relationship between a woman’s identity, her body, and the expectations imposed upon her, particularly when she occupies the public eye.
Elisabeth’s decision to use “The Substance” to regain youth and fame illustrates how women in Hollywood are pressured to maintain a specific image—one that aligns with societal ideals of beauty and desirability. The creation of her younger, idealized self, Sue, represents the unattainable standards of femininity that women are forced to embody. Sue’s existence is not about who she is but about what she represents: the commercialized image of youth and beauty that the industry—and, by extension, society—fetishizes. This dynamic emphasizes the vampiric nature of Hollywood, where youth is consumed and exploited for public consumption while the “real” person behind that image is rendered invisible or disposable.
The film explores the existential horror of aging in a system that discards women once they no longer conform to these narrow ideals. Elisabeth’s monstrous transformation reflects the internal and external violence inflicted on women who resist or fail to meet these expectations. The use of body horror emphasizes the physical toll of this struggle—her body becomes a battleground for societal pressures, visibly contorting under the weight of those expectations. This speaks to a broader critique of how women are asked to “perform” perfection while concealing their authentic selves, much like the metaphorical masks that Sue and Elisabeth wear in the film. As the story progresses, the collapse of Sue’s body is a literal unraveling of this performance, symbolizing how such perfection is unsustainable.
The climax, in which Elisabeth’s face becomes disfigured, only to have it crawl away after her body explodes, reinforces the idea that women’s value, especially in the public eye, is reduced to surface-level aesthetics. The face that crawls away represents how women’s identities are often erased or dehumanized, leaving behind only a name or a hollow representation of who they once were. Thus, The Substance critiques not only the entertainment industry’s obsession with youth and beauty but also how these expectations shape and distort the lives of women, both in the spotlight and in broader society. It reveals the terrifying consequences of a system that prioritizes appearances over humanity, exposing the profound psychological and physical impacts of being endlessly scrutinized, judged, and replaced.