*Minor Spoilers for The Beauty ahead*
If you’ve watched a single bit of live television in the past few months, you’ve more than likely come across a commercial about Serena Williams’ GLP-1 weight loss journey or another advertising the fountain of youth that is the Botox injection.
In fact, upon watching Ryan Murphy’s The Beauty (2026) – a psychological horror about an injectable that makes you drop dead gorgeous with some…not so fun side effects – I did not make it through a single episode without being bombarded by advertisements for the newest pill, pen, or potion that will supposedly change my life.
For a little more background information, The Beauty is *loosely centered around two FBI agents, Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall), who race to investigate the sudden gory deaths of multiple supermodels, uncovering the makings of an injectable and sexually transmitted virus that transforms the average Joe into the epitome of perfection.
*I say “loosely” here because, although portrayed by wonderful actors, the more interesting parts of the show have absolutely nothing to do with these characters, but I digress.
The show even creates its own commercial for the drug, with that long list of side effects we’re all used to hearing at the end of advertisements for medications. Except that this one includes literally exploding.
Still, I couldn’t help but shiver at how similar the fictional drug was to the commercials that played between scenes. The irony seemed almost orchestrated, like whoever was in charge of running advertisements was watching me through my iPhone camera with a sly grin.
The show features multiple antagonists, including Byron Forst (Ashton Kutcher), a ruthless trillionaire and CEO of The Corporation, the company that manufactures and distributes the drug commercially known as The Beauty. Viewers also follow The Assassin (Anthony Ramos) and his recently beautified protege, Jeremy (Jeremy Pope). Hired by Forst, The Assassin is tasked with taking out anyone who dares to spread The Beauty’s effect by way of sexual contact. As explained in a conversation between Forst and the scientist who formulated the drug, the STD version of The Beauty not only has more side effects, but it is a free alternative to the marketed injectable version, “a street drug” as the scientist calls it.
I was most interested– and most familiar, sadly– with characters like Forst and his hired killer. Upon becoming one of the first lab rats to take The Beauty, the already filthy rich businessman couldn’t help but take advantage of the drug for his financial gain, going so far as to murder the other entrepreneurs who dared to trial it. You could almost see the gears turning in his head as the drug was described to him. The itch to commercialize it as fast as possible radiated off every perfect inch of Kutcher’s face. And despite its unpredictable, deadly side effects, he forced The Beauty onto the market with record speed.
Once it is revealed to the viewer that Forst has released the drug to the public, the storyline shifts from assassins and FBI agents to a modern-day high school setting. Episode 10 specifically follows a teen girl, Bella (Emma Halleen), who watches as her classmates, favorite influencers, and best friend slowly succumb to The Beauty’s appeal.
As Ashton Kutcher mentions in an interview on The Beauty Official Podcast, this single episode shift to a completely separate storyline was a risky choice. “I don’t think any of the cast that has been with [viewers] up until this point is even in this episode,” he says. “Where is going to be the emotional resonance in it?”
But the reason this episode was so successful at portraying the gut-wrenching consequences of something like The Beauty is because we have all been in the shoes of Bella, a teenager drowning in obsession over her looks. His co-star and on-screen adversary Ari Graynor, explains “I was immediately transported to…those years where the aching pain and self-loathing during that time…breaks my heart.”
“Back then you would have done anything to feel beautiful.”
And that is just it.
At its core, The Beauty argues that capitalism responds to our insecurities, pumping out products to “fix” the things we hate about ourselves. Profit is sustained through this constant cycle of never feeling adequate. This is further proven by the storyline, when consumers are met with nasty side effects– including the most damning, that they will spontaneously combust 2-3 years after taking the drug– that of which can only be delayed by purchasing and administering booster shots.
But this socioeconomic cycle not only responds to our insecurities, but it also actively creates them. In fact, when we first meet Bella, she isn’t at all concerned with the way she looks, at least not in the way her best friend- who opens the episode sobbing over her botched nose job – is.
In the world of The Beauty, the drug’s presence confirms to society that perfection is not only attainable but necessary. It instills this idea in the minds of common people that the way they are by nature, their literal genes, is simply not enough.
As said in episode 1, “Your literal bones make you unfuckable!”
By convincing consumers they are too flawed, too aged, too imperfect, it creates a perpetual need for solutions. Those who remain “natural” are stigmatized, echoing how modern advertising constructs feelings of inadequacy from literally nothing.
Bella becomes incessantly worried that she will become the odd one out as more and more people around her receive the injection. It is because of this that she takes drastic measures to receive a dose herself, a decision that changes the trajectory of her life in a way I cannot begin to describe. The ending of this episode is the reason it sits so heavily with me. And without spoiling too much, the desperation in Bella’s voice as she pleads for her mother’s help, that terror in her mother’s eyes as she sees what has become of her daughter, was enough for me to fully understand the masterpiece that Ryan Murphy has produced.
If you only watch a single episode of The Beauty, it has to be this one.
In direct contrast, Byron’s wife, Franny Forst (Isabella Rossellini), is absolutely sickened by the drug, and her husband, for that matter. In fact, in the first interaction we see between the two of them, she spouts off one of the best lines in the show, “Feel free to fuck yourself while you’re fucking yourself!”
Rossellini also took to the show’s official podcast with her thoughts on the commercialization of beauty in the US. Born in Italy, she expresses that compared to Europe, Americans are obsessed with remaining youthful to keep up with the energetic nature of our country. She notes, “When I was a little girl growing up in Italy and France, [there] was huge respect for older people,” directly contrasting America’s incessant need to maintain as young as physically possible.
Comedic as her relationship with her husband is, Franny’s presence in the show is a kick to the stomach. She brings awareness to the impenetrable judgment that women face for allowing themselves to age naturally. No matter how tough her exterior, it is clear by the end of the series that she, too, had insecurities; her stance against her husband’s pharmaceutical business was her way of not letting those insecurities win.
And yet, the way the story ends for her is yet another reminder that our society is only making that level of self-acceptance harder and harder to achieve.
GLP-1s and the Medicalization of Beauty
At its surface, The Beauty is a body horror featuring an FBI-with-benefits love story, gory deaths, and not so distant technology that could entertain just about anyone. But a deeper dive into the show’s themes reveals disturbing real-life issues with American society.
As of this month, 3,546 lawsuits have been made involving Ozempic, a popular GLP-1 agonist used to treat diabetes and promote weight loss. Common injuries claimed include severe stomach paralysis (gastroparesis), impaired bowel function, intestinal obstruction, and permanent vision loss. Of these, gastroparesis has been the most prevalent, especially since the condition has not been included in the medication prescription information since the drug was approved by the FDA in 2013.
But it isn’t only Ozempic that’s causing problems. Other GLP-1 agonists involved in gastroparesis claims include Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, etc., all of which are commonly prescribed to patients for weight loss without needing a diabetes diagnosis. On top of that, it is becoming even easier to obtain and administer these drugs, with oral pill forms appearing on the market and remote prescription access via telehealth services.
For the most part, GLP-1s have proven to be safe and effective. This article isn’t meant to scare anyone into never looking into them. In fact, as someone who works in healthcare, I’ve seen these drugs work wonders for dozens of patients. But I can’t help but wonder what kind of effect the popularity of these medications is having on the way we view our bodies.
There is always a correlation between health and beauty, whether positive or negative. The Beauty addresses this as well; not only does getting the injection make you appear physically perfect, it makes you feel perfect. That low back pain you’ve had for years? Erased. Burn wounds? Healed without a scar. Terminal illnesses? As if they never even occurred.
The show asks all of us to consider whether or not we’d be willing to take a drug– even if that drug promised an early death– to look and feel perfect. And although this is a much more dramatic case than that of taking a GLP-1, the parallels are uncanny.
2026, the year of the “Skinny Apocalypse”, a term referring to the prioritization of extreme thinness, often correlated with extreme health and wellness trends (elimination diets, intense exercise, cosmetic surgery, etc.) This resurgence of thinness is no coincidence. GLP-1s are increasingly marketed and used beyond medical necessity, with some individuals seeking them for relatively minor weight loss or aesthetic goals. This shift highlights how the line between healthcare and consumer culture is blurred. The body becomes both a clinical trial and a market opportunity.
Pop singer Meghan Trainor makes a cameo in episode 3 with singer/actor Ben Platt, in a scene where their characters prod at their insecurities over lunch. In her interview for the podcast, she spoke about her own issues with her self-image, as well as the backlash she faced this past year after losing weight. She says to interviewer Evan Ross Katz, “It’s almost like there’s a competition of who can write the meanest comment wins.” Whether she was promoting body positivity at her largest size or taking control of her own health by way of “eating healthy and strength training three times a week”, Trainor has faced constant scrutiny throughout her career.
As Ashton Kutcher says on the show’s podcast, The Beauty is not merely about perfection, but about judgment. He explains that this is because “it’s constantly pushing you to make a judgment call about…what you would sacrifice.” He further states, “But judging other people for the risk they’re willing to take, that says a lot about who you are”.
This is exactly what Trainor meant in her interview. Those who adhere to the extreme beauty standards are shamed for not accepting their “true” selves. Those who remain “natural” are ridiculed. And although we all have the right to decide how far we are willing to go for our image, we ought to stop judging the decisions of others, especially those who are most vulnerable to the trap that is commodified beauty.
Whether or not someone chooses to use a GLP-1 is no one’s business. However, the push for people– especially women– to become smaller, “better” versions of themselves has both personal and societal implications that cannot go unaddressed. Although these drugs have proved to benefit those with certain health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity, the long-term side effects are not entirely known at this time. Further, the idea that quick weight loss will cure one’s body image issues is a common misconception that sets one up for disappointment and self-loathing, continuing this cycle of finding the next best thing to purchase to “fix” yet another issue.
The Beauty serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of an economic system that profits from insecurity, ensuring that no matter how useful a product is, there will always be something else to buy. The fictional injection mirrors popular real-world GLP-1 drugs that, although proving useful for treating health conditions, have rapidly expanded into the mainstream for cosmetic weight loss. In both cases, we view an intersection between health and beauty, and the impact they have on one another. Moreover, there is a distinct power of the normalization of commodifying our self-worth, revealing that the pursuit of perfection is not a personal failing, but a manufactured desire that only truly benefits those who profit from it.
So the unavoidable question is: what would it take for you to receive The Beauty?
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References:
The Beauty Official Podcast | FX’s The Beauty
With The Beauty, Ryan Murphy aims at Glee-level viral quotability
The four horsemen of the skinny apocalypse: Why thin is in (again) – Marie Claire Nigeria
Ozempic Lawsuit: April 2026 Blindness and Gastroparesis Claims