Demi Moore’s ‘The Substance’ deals with “chasing perfection” in body image

Washington [US], September 15 (ANI): Actor Demi Moore talked about her latest film ‘The Substance’ and also how challenging it is certain times for women to withstand the criteria of “perfect body” as per social norms, reported People.

Her film ‘The Substance’ recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Talking about the expectation for women’s bodies in the 90s, she shared that until and unless they are lean and thin, women are not considered appealing and perfect

“Self-judgment, chasing perfection, trying to rid ourselves of ‘flaws’, also feeling rejected and despair, none of this is exclusive to women,” said Demi, prior to opening up about scene in the film in which her character, Elisabeth Sparkle, tries to find out flaws in her appearance while looking at the mirror before going for a date.

“We’ve all had moments where you go back and you’re trying to fix something, and you’re just making it worse to the point where you’re incapacitated,” she shared, adding, “We’re seeing these small things nobody else is looking at, but we’re so hyper-focused on all that we’re not. All of us, if we start to think our value is only with how we look, then ultimately we’re going to be crushed.”

Moore said that this is time of “great judgement,” and in this time “people can anonymously judge one another in cruel ways.”

“I feel this kind of judgement is a reflection of someone’s own unhappiness and/or a way to boost their own sense of self. When those things happen, I have learned to just let it roll. It’s what I make it mean about me. If I give it a lot of weight, value and power, it will have it. If I don’t, it won’t,” said Moore.

In the film ‘The Substance’, Moore’s character Elisabeth tries to create a young version of herself and for that she uses a black market drug.

The film, directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Margaret Qualley, delves with themes such as body image, societal expectations for women, and ageing. It received the best screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

The actor shared recently that she is enjoying the phase of her life when she is most independent as her kids are grown up.

“To me, this is the most exciting time of my life. I feel like my children are grown, I have the most independence and autonomy to really redefine where I want to go. I don’t know what that looks like or where it is, but I’m just excited to be living in it,” she said.

‘The Substance’ releases in theaters on September 20, reported People.