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The Tyranny of Images

The Tyranny of Images

By Allison Keats

A photo used to be a souvenir of a life well-lived. Today, the life is just an excuse to generate the photo. In this essay, Allison Keats argues that the logic of advertising has completely colonized our imaginations, turning the pursuit of a beautiful life into the desperate desire to become a flawless, consumable image.

From the "Old Money" posturing of TikTok to the extreme bodily disciplines of anorexia and looksmaxxing, Keats explores how this quest to become an untouchable Icon might just be a misguided search for transcendence—and that we will never find an accurate reflection of ourselves in the demanding scrutiny of the screen.

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