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*SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO BOOK AWARDS 2024*

‘A brilliant clarion call for better’ GINA MARTIN

‘A must read’ ROXIE NAFOUSI

‘An essential mirror reflecting the profound impact of beauty culture on our lives’ CHLOE COOPER JONES

A generation defining expose of toxic beauty culture and the realities of coming of age online

We are living in a new age of beauty. With advancements in cosmetic surgery, augmented reality face filters, photo editing apps, and exposure to more images than ever, we have the ability to craft a version of ourselves that we want everyone to see. We pinch, pull, squeeze, tweeze, smooth and slice ourselves beyond recognition. But is our beauty culture truly empowering? Are we really in control?

In Pixel Flesh, Ellen Atlanta holds a mirror up to our modern beauty ideal and the harm it is doing to women all around the world. Weaving in her own personal story with those of other women, she reconfigures our obsession with the cult of beauty and explores the realities of living in a digitally obsessed world where the pressure to present yourself both virtually and in person is all-consuming.

Providing an eye-opening account of the realities young women face under a dominant industry, Pixel Flesh unmasks the absurdities of the dystopia we find ourselves living in. Both a rallying cry and a refusal to suffer in silence, this is the defining book on what it feels like to exist as a woman today.

Publisher 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 -- Chloe 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 A riveting expose of toxic beauty culture and how it harms women [...] blends personal confessions with razor-sharp insights * The Bookseller * 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 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 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 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 * This book is courageous, revealing, and occasionally painful, and Atlanta writes with verve and authority * Kirkus Reviews *