Pixel Flesh

Paperback / ISBN-13: 9781472298799

Price: £10.99

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*SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO BOOK AWARDS 2024*

‘A brilliant clarion call for better’ GINA MARTIN

‘A must read’ ROXIE NAFOUSI

‘A rigorously researched and deeply personal account of the modern female experience’ NADA ALIC

We are living in a world obsessed by beauty, and it is hurting us. From the moment we open our eyes, we are confronted with images and ideals that are crafted to make us look, think and be a certain way. Why do we aspire to this unobtainable ideal fed to us by the media, tech and beauty industries?

In Pixel Flesh, Ellen Atlanta confronts the digital ageʼs myth of beauty. Weaving in her own personal story with those of other women, she reveals the pressures put on us by our obsessive cult of beauty and shows that we all have the power to shatter the illusions we are under.

In this surreal moment in time, where the lines between reality and dystopia are more blurred than ever, Pixel Flesh unmasks the distortion of women and beauty in our digital world. This is a manifesto for women everywhere that defines the realities of our existence today and sets out a hopeful vision for a better future.

Reviews

Pixel Flesh is a wise and sensitive indictment of the beauty industry - it synthesizes relatable anecdotes about living in the social media age with on-point critical theory and vigorous research. If you're struggling with the beauty industry's chokehold, this book can be a tool in breaking free
mj corey, The Kardashian Kolloquium
This book is a brilliant clarion call for better. Ellen is masterful at exploring the complexities of modern womanhood
Gina Martin
This book is courageous, revealing, and occasionally painful, and Atlanta writes with verve and authority
Kirkus
Ellen Atlanta has written an imperative manual for surviving modern womanhood. Equal parts compassionate and fierce, personal and universal, PIXEL FLESH delivers a searing account of an image culture that continually asks us to self-harm in the name of empowerment. I couldn't put it down
Allie Rowbottom, author of Aesthetica and Jell-O Girls
If you are a woman, and have ever suffered with body image issues or worried about the way you look - this book is a MUST READ.
Roxie Nafousi
Ellen Atlanta is shaking up the beauty industry
Culted
A searing indictment of the ideals foisted on women
Irish Independent
Brings you into the proverbial girl's bathroom of the world and examines the harm of beauty culture in our digital age
Dazed Beauty
An astute and fascinating examination of how toxic beauty culture harms women
Oenone Forbat, author of Bad Influence
'Atlanta captures the pressure women face today. Enlightening and heartbreaking all at once'
Catriona Innes, Cosmopolitan
Pixel Flesh stopped me in my tracks. It took me back to my girlhood in a bold, unexpected and poetic way like a Grimms' Fairy Tales, but with Kylie's Lip Kits. Ellen has a unique talent for helping you see through other's eyes and making you feel seen yourself
Freya Bromley, author of The Tidal Year
A rigorously researched and deeply personal account of the modern female experience. Pixel Flesh is a searing and lucid appraisal of internet culture's most corrosive and diminishing aspects; from predatory algorithms, celebrity, cosmetic surgery, disordered eating and the tyranny of performing a self. A must-read guidebook on the dizzying hall of mirrors that women must navigate online and the dangerous real world consequences that follow
Nada Alic, author of Bad Thoughts
A riveting exposé of toxic beauty culture and how it harms women [...] blends personal confessions with razor-sharp insights
The Bookseller
Confronting the conformity and compliance of today's beauty culture, Ellen Atlanta's revealing new book charts the course for a brave new world in which women and girls can - at long last - be comfortable in their own skin
Victoria Bateman, author of Naked Feminism
With kaleidoscopic vision, meticulously researched insights, and the narrative power of a novelist, Ellen Atlanta's Pixel Flesh unravels the complex tapestry of standards and perceptions that shape our identities. Pixel Flesh is not just a book; it's an essential mirror reflecting the profound impact of beauty culture on our lives, urging us to question and redefine our notions of allure and authenticity
Chloé Cooper Jones, two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and author of Easy Beauty
Atlanta is a whip-smart, full-hearted writer who gets to the core of beauty with expert grace that makes it look easy. Her vulnerability makes you feel seen as a reader and her expertise makes you feel protected as you navigate the chaos of the beauty industry from her perspective. It's a breezy, pleasurable read, and one I feel lucky to have on my shelf. The world is lucky to have her writing and her tenderness, too
Arabelle Sicardi, beauty writer and author of The House of Beauty