Pixel Flesh

The Beauty Myth for the digital age: a searing account of what it takes to exist as a woman in a world obsessed by image.

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 age's 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.

Review

This book is a brilliant clarion call for better. Ellen is masterful at exploring the complexities of modern womanhood -- Gina Martin

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

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

An astute and fascinating examination of how toxic beauty culture harms women -- Oenone Forbat, author of Bad Influence

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

About the Author

Ellen Atlanta is a writer and brand consultant specialising in Gen-Z and millennial culture. She has worked in the beauty industry for almost a decade and was a founding editor of Dazed Beauty. With her focus on female empowerment, Ellen departed from the beauty industry in 2019 to become a founding member of both The Stack World and Communia, reimagining social media platforms and creating better digital spaces for women+ . In 2021, she was headhunted to support UN Women UK on their digital campaigns, creating safer public spaces for women and marginalised genders across the country. She was awarded the RSL Giles St Aubyn Award for Non-Fiction in 2022.