Despite decades of feminist progress, youth is still one of the most universal currencies for women. As we fight for equal pay, for a fair share of domestic labour, for representation and for respect, we are still expected to recoil at the sight of our emerging crow’s feet in the mirror, to battle the natural ageing process at all costs.

Indeed, if you ever find yourself on the beauty-focused side of TikTok, you’ll be greeted with an endless stream of videos in which women claim to have found the secret to eternal youth: face massaging, slugging, face taping and beyond. More young women, seemingly horrified by the thought of a single wrinkle, are trooping to their aestheticians seeking out “preventative Botox”. The fear of ageing has even reached girls, many of whom are reported to be shopping at Sephora and slathering retinol on their faces after school.

The Substance: “Demi Moore’s new horror film reveals just how grotesque our obsession with youthful beauty really is”