The Weeknd: The Birth of Venus in the XXI century

A standing ovation is not enough to applaud the cultural eye-opener

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, a.k.a.The Weeknd, took a social experiment to the extreme to prove the grotesque Hollywood beauty standards and its influence in our visual culture.

Throughout a full year, The Weeknd has been showing up publicly with bandages, bruises as if he was going through plastic surgery. In his music video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYlFuWEuK), he shows a completely transformed face. A normal procedure in Hollywood, which sets the example for the rest of the world of what are the new trends in beauty.

The Weeknd risked losing fans, social media followers and the freedom to be who he really is to expose how much image affects stardom. And what it really counts when it comes to being a celebrity.

All of it is Photoshop and prosthetics.

Beauty standards have always been set by the rich and famous and we can have an insight into it by looking at the beauty standards before social media and influencers.

The Birth of Venus by Boticelli (1486) for example, depicts a blonde white woman, medium stature, slightly curvy, not muscular, as the centre of the painting. At that time, paintings were only commissioned by powerful people, those with money and…