Saving Beauty

In Saving Beauty, Byung-Chul Han explores the paradox of modern beauty, addressing its ties to consumerism and digital culture.

Beauty today presents a paradox. While the cult of beauty is omnipresent, it has seemingly lost its deeper significance and has been reduced to a mere element of consumerism, tied to the aesthetic side of capitalism. The profound and often unsettling dimensions of beauty have been overshadowed by a focus on physical pleasures and social media validation, creating a phenomenon that resembles a kind of 'pornography' of beauty.

In Saving Beauty, cultural theorist Byung-Chul Han revitalizes aesthetic theory for our contemporary digital landscape. He critically examines our obsession with polished and appealing visuals, from the playful sculptures of Jeff Koons to the sleek design of the iPhone and even the trends of Brazilian waxing. Han delves deeper than our fleeting responses to viral content and social media trends, reclaiming beauty as a concept that embodies truth, temptation, and even disaster.

This extensive and insightful investigation into beauty encompasses not only aesthetic considerations but also ethical and political dimensions. Readers interested in cultural and aesthetic theory, philosophy, and the impact of digital media will find Saving Beauty to be a compelling and thought-provoking exploration of how beauty is perceived and experienced in today's world.