Over the last few months, I’ve heard a lot about the movie The Substance online. One thing that always catches my eye is when people say that a horror movie is “disturbing” or “unsettling.” Curiosity will always get the best of me and I’ll end up watching the movie no matter how many people online say that it “traumatized” them. This is what a lot of people said about The Substance when it first came out. So, of course, I had to watch it as soon as possible. I love horror and thriller movies, it’s my favorite genre, whether it’s a classic like Scream or Carrie or a newer one like Get Out or Longlegs. Nowadays, it seems like we’ve strayed away from typical slasher films and have come upon an era of psychological horror. Many people do not want to watch the same slasher film redone a million different times. So, the horror genre needs to constantly push out new, unique, thought-provoking movies that leave you thinking about for days.
The premise of the movie follows a woman, Elisabeth Sparkle, who is known for her aerobics show. She faces a harsh challenge when she gets fired on her 50th birthday because the creators of her show are looking for a younger person to take over her job. A laboratory offers her a substance that promises to transform her into a “better” and more enhanced version of herself. Desperate and self-conscious, Elisabeth accepts the suspicious drug and faces the terrifying consequences that change her life forever. Although some parts of the movie could be a bit weird, unsettling, and just downright gross, I ended up loving it. I will admit that if you are easily queasy and freaked out by gore and body horror, then this movie is not for you.
The movie delves into themes of ageism, sexism, beauty standards, and self-worth. As someone who has been scared of aging for as long as I can remember, this movie made me realize that I do not need to be afraid to grow older. I have always been scared to get wrinkles and face the impairments that come along with age. Nowadays, many people are scared to get old despite the fact that it’s been deemed a privilege to grow old for centuries. Why do people fear old age? Beauty standards. Within the past few decades, we’ve seen a major influx of anti-aging creams, botox, fillers, and all sorts of beauty procedures advertised in the media. No wonder people are more scared of aging now than ever. All signs of aging have been advertised as bad and shameful.
Throughout the movie, I found myself wanting to scream at Elisabeth and tell her how beautiful she is. There’s this one heartbreaking scene where Elisabeth gets ready to go on a date with a man who is head over heels for her. Elisabeth does her makeup and gets dressed but every time she looks in the mirror, she hates something about the way she looks. She eventually scrubs off all of her makeup in disgust and does not leave for the date. This scene could be so relatable for so many people and shows how important self-worth is. I realized as I was yelling at my screen for Elisabeth to stop looking in the mirror and hating herself, that no matter how beautiful everyone else thinks she is, she would never see her beauty for herself. So many people, myself included, do not realize their own beauty and self-importance even though everyone else can see it.
This entire movie symbolizes how women get treated in society especially as they age. Elisabeth is practically invisible and gets thrown away by the company that runs her aerobics show for a newer, younger version of herself to fill her shoes. This is often reflected in the film and music industry. As actresses get older, they get type-casted in roles as mothers or grandmothers but men still get all types of roles when they get older. Also, male celebrities experience more praise as they grow older and many people find them to still be attractive like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Tom Cruise, and Leonardo DiCaprio. While women celebrities still receive hate either if they look noticeably older or if they have Botox and look “too fake”. Women are just simply not allowed to age and are supposed to always look like they’re 20 years old. Some female celebrities are rebelling against this awful double standard and are embracing aging and not wearing makeup such as Pamela Anderson, Jane Fonda, Reese Witherspoon, and more. It’s refreshing to see these beautiful women stand up against these double standards and allow themselves to age gracefully. This gives me more hope for the future and has helped me realize that I shouldn’t be scared to get older because it truly is a privilege.