Becoming monstrous: Beauty norms, body image, and discursive limits on compassion in The Substance

This study analyses the Hollywood body horror film The Substance to explore how Western beauty culture regulates emotions and bodies. It aims to explore compassion within dominant body image discourses and considers how this impacts dietetic care.

Using Foucauldian discourse analysis informed by affect theory, the film was analysed through repeated viewings and close readings of the screenplay. This approach enabled attention to both visual and textual elements. The analysis focused on how subjectivity, bodily regulation, and the possibility for compassion are shaped.

Three key discursive and affective formations were identified: (1) surveillance and affective discipline as mechanisms enforcing normative appearance ideals; (2) the denial of compassion to bodies deemed unworthy; and (3) the inescapability of disciplinary beauty systems, even for idealised bodies.

The film shows how Western media circulates power by shaping what is known and felt about bodies, often denying compassion to those who do not fit dominant beauty ideals. This underscores the need for dietitians to reflect on how professional practices may unintentionally reinforce harmful norms. Compassion, understood as an affective and discursive counter-practice, can disrupt these norms and create space for more inclusive, caring approaches to bodies in dietetic care.