In the 2024 movie, The Substance, the story takes a brutal swipe at ageism and beauty standards.
It’s fiction, sure, but the themes are uncomfortably familiar. Moore’s character fights a system that devalues her because she’s ageing, and ironically ends up fighting for the same system by trying desperately to stay young. She turns to a black-market “substance” that promises beauty and perfection… and, as expected, it ends in horror.
But you don’t need a sci-fi movie to see the point.
Just scroll your phone.
In the ’90s, makeup brands flooded the market, selling the basics: branded lipsticks, mascara, foundation, etc.
Then came K-beauty and the nine-step skin routine that everyone swore by. Now it’s multivitamins, Pilates, going vegan, intermittent fasting, cold plunges, and Botox. We’ve even have billionaire Bryan Johnson and his project “Don’t Die,” with complete optimisation protocols (a blueprint), which I must admit is pretty awesome. So far, I am learning to sleep more (failing horribly at going to bed early) and to wear sunscreen even when I’m indoors, although I can’t eat my last meal at 11am, as Johnson does. I do follow his social media account.
The problem with our world right now is that everywhere we turn, reels, ads, influencers, and billboards, and there’s this pressure to live longer, look younger, stay flawless, and keep the body in top-tier shape. And honestly? Wanting to be healthy isn’t wrong. No one wants to deal with chronic illness in their 30s or depend on medication just to function.
But here’s what I’ve noticed:
Nearly all of it is focused on the exterior.
Skin. Hair. Body. Longevity. Glow-up.
Everything is about getting the best possible outside.
But what about what's on the inside? The mind, the condition of our minds?
From a Christian perspective..
The Bible Talks About the “Inside” a Lot More Than the Outside
Across Scripture, both the prophets and the apostles keep pointing us inward:
- “Set your minds on things above.” (Col. 3:2)
- “Seek first the Kingdom.” (Matt. 6:33)
- “Work out your salvation.” (Phil. 2:12)
- “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5)
- “Think about what is pure, noble, praiseworthy.” (Phil. 4:8)
- “Create in me a clean heart.” (Ps. 51:10)
- “Seek good, hate evil.” (Amos 5:14)
- “I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” (Jer. 31:33)
Scripture consistently teaches that the inner life, our thoughts, motives, desires, and heart condition, shape everything else. Left unattended, the inside decays long before the outside ever shows it.
It also gives us some of the most vivid images for this,
- A fig tree full of leaves but no fruit, and it is eventually cursed! Mark 11:12-14
- A vineyard that produced only bad fruit. Isaiah 5:1-7
- A whitewashed tomb, beautiful on the outside, dead within. Matthew 23:27-28
Really graphic and gory.
The Point Is This:
We can have:
- flawless skin,
- a sculpted body,
- perfect habits,
- clean eating,
- ideal routines…
…and still be anxious, bitter, insecure, afraid, or spiritually empty.
So what’s the point then?
What good is a glowing exterior if the interior is rotten?
Imagine wearing the nicest designer outfit, that Dior sprayed all over, the nicest trendiest new heels, that Birkin bag, and hair and make-up done to perfection, you have done your Strava run, and drank that Matcha; but inside- recoiling with anxiety, fear, bitterness, envy, jealousy, holding on grudges, unforgiveness all the traits of a toxic potion.
Our bodies follow what our minds believe. They go where our hearts lead. What we focus on internally determines the life we live externally.
Jesus in Mark 7:1-23, especially from V 20, best describes what truly determines us as a person; our thoughts, our mindset, the condition of our hearts are what destroy and defile us, "For from within, out of a person's heart comes evil thoughts."
And if this is true, what are we working on?
A Better Kind of “Self-Work”
I’m not anti-health or anti-self-care. Entering my 40s and really trying to reduce ‘sugar’, work out more, eat less chips and more vegetables. Yes, taking care of our bodies is essential. But I’m realising more and more that the deeper work, the more challenging job is working on my mind.
At the end of the day, our body is operated and moved by our mind. It does what the mind tells it to do, say, and think.
As we continue to work on ourselves, I pray that our minds will continually be renewed and operate on principles inspired by Heaven, as we continue to live life to the fullest here on earth.
To work towards not just our physical body, but also to have a beautiful mind, because exterior beauty, after all, is only skin deep.
