The Substance (2024): The Importance of Self-Love
The Substance (2024): The Importance of Self Love
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (2024) illuminates the importance of self-love and how the negligence of self-care can lead to self-destruction. While the film is portrayed as a science fiction commentary on the desire for perfection, the deeper meaning lies within the psychology of Elizabeth Sparkle and her alias, Sue. The film dives into themes of extreme societal pressure to maintain desirability and sexuality as a woman and the fallout that occurs following the corruption of one’s self-image. The use of female youth, body types, genitalia, food and drug abuse aids in the process of understanding how women, especially in positions of fame, can succumb to the influence of flawlessness, or in this case, The Substance.The Male Gaze: How Desirability Causes Destruction
Elizabeth’s need for validation is clear throughout the entire film. She is a celebrity dancer, hosting a television show which exploits her sexuality for ratings. However, as time is the natural enemy of ageing, Elizabeth slowly realises her incapability to maintain her role as a youthful and sexy icon. Our first introduction to the negative commentary on Elizabeth’s age and body is seen when her producer is upset about the show’s decline in ratings, causing demand for a younger, sexier host. Elizabeth overhears this conversation, which begins the avalanche of her self-consciousness and self-love. This abrupt transition of desirability causes damning effects. She has been the icon of the male gaze for so long that she does not know how to cope with being someone who is not seen as youthful or sexy. Driven by desperation, she opts for a life-changing alteration, and her self-image becomes further corrupted.
Sue, Elizabeth’s “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” clone, is born after taking ‘The Substance’, creating a “better version” of herself. Sue is precisely who Elizabeth wants to be, and she utilises her femininity to secure her spot in the limelight. Elizabeth and Sue are meant to live synonymously, respecting the seven-day cycle between each body. While this balance is understood at first, Sue's greed for societal acceptance begins to fester, causing a separation between the two identities. With Sue being a conduit for Elizabeth’s desires, her actions become neglectful, and she abuses the use of ‘the activator’ (Elizabeth’s spinal fluid). Because Elizabeth’s need for attention lives so strongly through Sue, she begins to eat away at her own mental and physical being with little regard for the consequences. 
Another integral part of the film that shows Elizabeth’s desperation for male attention is when she asks a former classmate on a date. As she prepares, she constantly changes her appearance through makeup and clothes. She stares at herself in the mirror and is unhappy with who she sees because she sees Elizabeth rather than Sue. Angered by her inability to feel attractive in her own body, she abandons the date. This narrative is powerful in portraying how the obsession with perfection, particularly driven by the male gaze, can upset one's life. While The Substance depicts impossible events with the cloning of Elizabeth as Sue, the commentary on extreme body modification remains. Elizabeth destroys herself in trying to become a better version, purely compelled by the effects of male attraction. 
The Use of Female Genitalia: Boobs, Boobs and Boobs
The film employs the female body, particularly breasts, as a recurring motif to critique the hypersexualisation of women in media and society, which tails off the male gaze. This fixation not only highlights societal pressures on women to conform to idealised beauty standards but also underscores how female bodies are commodified and reduced to objects of desire for consumption and profit. Breasts are repeatedly used as visual and thematic symbols, appearing prominently in various forms, from Sue’s exaggerated, almost caricature-like cleavage to the disturbing merging of body horror and sexuality during the final scene. These representations serve as a commentary on how the entertainment industry exploits female sexuality to captivate audiences, reflecting a culture where women are valued primarily for their physical attributes.
One particularly striking moment occurs during Elizabeth's transformation into Sue. As Sue’s body emerges, her breasts are intentionally exaggerated and perfectly symmetrical, almost unnaturally so, signifying her new identity as a product designed for mass appeal. This enhancement aligns with the film’s satirical tone, critiquing the pressure on women to alter their bodies to achieve societal approval. It also suggests that Sue’s "perfection" comes at the cost of humanity, reducing her to an idealised but artificial object.
The obsession with breasts is further reinforced through the characters’ dialogue and actions. Sue’s confidence and dominance are often linked to her sexualised appearance, while Elizabeth’s fading beauty and shrinking self-worth are displayed through her "less desirable" physique. This disparity creates a dynamic where physical attributes determine power and success, encapsulating the shallow and oppressive nature of the industry. By constantly emphasising "boobs," the film forces viewers to confront the uncomfortable reality of female hypersexualisation. The repetition of this imagery and the juxtaposition of beauty challenge the audience to question their own perceptions of femininity, desirability, and the damaging cultural norms that prioritise women’s bodies and sexuality over their identities.The Use of Food Gore: Negative Connotations on the Female Body and Food
Aside from body horror, food gore is one of the most pronounced techniques used throughout this film. This motif first appears in the unsettling scene where Elizabeth’s manager fires her over a meal, with Elizabeth visibly recoiling at his disgusting eating habits. After Sue is introduced, food becomes a symbol of control and the fraught relationship between the female body and consumption.During one of Elizabeth’s cycles of control, she consumes a chicken drumstick, only for it to reappear beneath Sue’s skin the following day. This horrifying visual reinforces the idea that Elizabeth’s actions directly affect Sue’s body. Aware of this link, Elizabeth weaponises food in an attempt to reclaim dominance over Sue, indulging in excessive amounts of fatty foods despite her visceral disgust. Her gagging response underscores her internal conflict, and while she uses these foods as a tool for control, they contradict her own conditioned desires and societal approval of thin female bodies.
The film’s portrayal of food as grotesque and damaging highlights the harmful societal narratives around women, body image, and consumption. In the universe of the film, and reflective of real-world pressures, the entertainment industry demands women maintain impossibly thin bodies to be deemed beautiful and desirable. This dynamic instils a negative stigma around food, particularly indulgence, creating a psychological war between nourishment and the desire for acceptance. By showcasing food from such a repulsive perspective, the film critiques the toxic obsession with perfection and how it distorts women’s relationships with their bodies and sustenance.
Metaphorical Drug Abuse: The Substance
The Substance is portrayed as an addictive drug, serving as a metaphor for the destructive nature of addiction and its impact on both the body and mind. This commentary mirrors real-world struggles with drug abuse in the entertainment industry, where societal pressures and the pursuit of perfection often drive individuals to self-destruction. In the film, The Substance is a daily injection necessary to sustain the persona of Sue, yet its misuse causes devastating consequences for Elizabeth.
One of the most overt symbols of this drug abuse is the billboard outside Elizabeth and Sue’s apartment, advertising Sue’s exercise show, ‘Pump It Up’. The title carries a double meaning. On the surface, it promotes Sue’s physical fitness show. However, it also alludes to injecting The Substance. The visual of Sue gazing down from the billboard creates a constant, almost mocking presence, subliminally pressuring both Elizabeth and herself to depend on the drug. While Sue perceives the message as empowering, Elizabeth finds it belittling, highlighting their contrasting perspectives. Sue’s catchphrase, “Hi everybody. I’m Sue. And it’s time to Pump It Up!” encapsulates this duality. While Sue acknowledges her reliance on The Substance, she justifies it to maintain her allure and success. However, her actions come at a significant cost to Elizabeth, whose body deteriorates daily. By the end of the second act, Elizabeth is a frail, rotting husk barely able to function, while Sue thrives, becoming more radiant and powerful than ever.
The stark contrast between the two underscores the physical and psychological toll of addiction. Elizabeth’s withered state symbolises the irreversible damage inflicted by substance abuse, while Sue’s amplified beauty highlights the fleeting, superficial gains. This conflict culminates in the transformation of ‘Monstro Elisasue,’ a monstrous fusion of their identities marked by severe deformities. This horrifying final form serves as a visual representation of addiction’s ultimate cost: the complete loss of self, leaving behind something unrecognisable.
Conclusion
The Substance is a visceral exploration of the relentless societal pressures placed on women, particularly in the entertainment industry, to conform to ideals of youth, beauty, and perfection. The film critiques the devastating consequences of internalising these expectations through its striking use of body horror, grotesque imagery, and metaphorical devices. Elizabeth’s journey highlights the toxic pursuit of flawlessness, a pursuit driven by the male gaze and perpetuated by an industry that commodifies women’s bodies for profit and attention. The interplay between Elizabeth and Sue serves as a metaphor for the fractured self-image that arises from these societal pressures. Sue, the embodiment of Elizabeth’s insecurities and desires, is not a separate entity but a distorted reflection of Elizabeth’s internal struggle. Through Sue’s hypersexualised presence and destructive actions, the film underscores the corrosive effects of neglecting self-love in favour of external validation.Each thematic element adds layers to the overarching commentary. Fargeat masterfully intertwines these symbols to depict women's complex and often painful relationship with their bodies and identities. Elizabeth’s tragic downfall reminds us that striving for an unattainable ideal can lead to both physical and emotional self-destruction. Ultimately, The Substance is a cautionary tale about the dangers of perfectionism and a call to embrace imperfection as a necessary part of the human experience. It challenges us to reconsider the narratives we consume and perpetuate, urging us to value self-love and authenticity over the unattainable ideals of beauty and success. The Substance is a critical reminder that the quest for perfection often leads us further away from the one thing we need most: ourselves.
References
Fargeat, C. (Director). (2024). The substance [Film]. Working Title Films; Blacksmith.
