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08 Aug 2026
49m

Best Of: Jia Tolentino on plastic surgery & AI / ‘Beef’ creator Lee Sun Jin

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Fresh Air

The modern era of cosmetic enhancement and digital surveillance is fundamentally altering the human face, transforming it from a repository of life experience into an optimized, algorithmically approved product. This shift toward invisible, extreme procedures—ranging from deep-plane facelifts to "looks-maxing"—reflects a broader, anti-human trend where physical appearance is increasingly treated as a disciplinary tool. Simultaneously, the creative process behind television series like *Beef* reveals the underlying pressures of class, midlife transitions, and the immigrant experience. Creators draw from personal road-rage incidents and neighborhood observations to explore how individuals remain trapped in their own subjective bubbles. Meanwhile, cinema continues to examine these tensions, with films like *I Want Your Sex* highlighting the unpredictable nature of human desire and the struggle to maintain genuine connection in an age of digital isolation and performative identity.

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