logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
34m 1s

How to embrace – and challenge – the ide...

TED Tech
About this episode

Humans have always been captivated by beauty, and for almost as long, we’ve been marketed products and new technologies to help us achieve certain beauty standards. Elise Hu is a journalist and the author of “Flawless: Lessons in looks and culture from the K-beauty industry.”


In this episode of How to Be a Better Human, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective, Elise shares the fascinating insights she’s learned from years of studying the $10 billion K-beauty industry and the cutting-edge skincare, niche makeup products, and technology that promise to optimize our appearance. Elise and How to Be a Better Human host Chris Duffy talk about the real stakes of placing a premium on our looks, why a more inclusive version of “beauty” is worth pursuing, and how we can both enjoy and push back against the very human desire to feel beautiful. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts


Get more How to Be a Better Human wherever you are listening to this.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 4
Are we still human if robots help raise our babies? | Sarah Blaffer Hrdy (Kelly Corrigan takeover)
AI is transforming the way we work — could it also reshape what makes us human? In this quick and insightful talk, evolutionary anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy explores how the human brain was shaped by millions of years of shared childcare and mutually supportive communities, ... Show More
24m 43s
Jun 27
Can AI companions help heal loneliness? | Eugenia Kuyda
AI companions could either be the cure to our loneliness epidemic … or humanity’s final downfall, says Eugenia Kuyda, creator of Replika — an app that allows you to create AI friends. She explores the potential of this technology to either exacerbate isolation or encourage connec ... Show More
14m 48s
Jun 20
Why are we sending critical metals to the dump? | Jeff More
The world is heading toward a massive copper shortage that could derail the clean energy transition, says mining expert Jeff More. He shows how advanced sensing technology could get us back on the right track, drastically cutting down on the wasted materials from traditional mini ... Show More
8m 35s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
EP214: What is regenerative beauty?
Imagine a beauty industry that gives back more to the environment than it takes. That’s the crux of this week’s Green Beauty Opinion in which podcast host and Formula Botanica CEO Lorraine Dallmeier explores the concept of regenerative beauty. This revolutionary approach isn't ju ... Show More
7m 29s
Jun 12
EP269. When beauty misses the big picture – The truth about sustainable beauty
What if some of the most hyped innovations in sustainable beauty – dissolvable sheet masks, waterless shampoos, wild-harvested botanicals – are unintentionally part of the problem? In this powerful solo episode of Green Beauty Conversations, Formula Botanica CEO, Biologist, and C ... Show More
9m 49s
Dec 2024
EP245. Could AI make your skincare more eco-friendly?
Imagine a world where AI analyses every ingredient in a cosmetic formulation, identifies eco-friendly alternatives, and uncovers hidden benefits—all in the blink of an eye. Think this sounds futuristic? It’s not. This is happening right now, and it’s set to revolutionise the beau ... Show More
25m 52s
Aug 2024
How to make yourself more human in an automated world (from How to Be a Better Human)
Kevin Roose is a tech journalist who writes about the intersection of tech, business, and culture. In today’s episode from How to Be a Better Human, another podcast in the TED Audio Collective, he talks about the shift of technology’s role in our lives and how we can set up bound ... Show More
34m 23s
Apr 2024
Reducing Your Data Footprint and Confronting The Illusion of Privacy
Naomi Brockwell, Founder of NBTV Media, discusses the true cost of “free tools,” and why we need a major mindset shift when it comes to trading value for value. She also discusses the illusion of privacy versus the reality that data brokers are working in, and how AI may make the ... Show More
34m 47s
Nov 2024
Making human music in an AI world
For the third episode in our series about the future of music, we talk with Ge Wang. Ge is a professor at Stanford, a co-founder of Smule, the conductor of Stanford’s laptop orchestra, and has been at the center of technology and artistry for most of his life. We talk about how h ... Show More
50m 39s
Sep 2024
SHE'S BACK BABY! Let's talk beauty... Beauty.
Season 2: The Real Talk on Beauty – Episode Highlights Welcome to Season 2! We’re diving headfirst into the world of beauty, but not the kind you see on billboards. We’re talking about the real, personal, and sometimes complicated relationship we have with our own appearance. Joi ... Show More
28m 11s
Dec 2023
Why Tech Makes Us More Insecure w/ Astra Taylor
Paris Marx is joined by Astra Taylor to discuss how capitalism creates insecurity to sustain itself, the way tech is used to make us more insecure, and what it will take to change that.   Astra Taylor is a writer, filmmaker, and political organizer. She’s the author of The Age of ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 2024
Audio long read: Hope, despair and CRISPR — the race to save one woman’s life
In India, a group of researchers raced to develop a CRISPR-based genome editing therapy to save the life of a young woman with a rare neurodegenerative disease. Despite a valiant effort, the pace of research was ultimately too slow to save her life. While many are convinced that ... Show More
23m 4s
Mar 2025
Stop comparing yourself to AI
Why do we keep comparing AI to humans? Jaron Lanier — virtual reality pioneer, digital philosopher, and the author of several best-selling books on technology — thinks that we should stop. In his view, technology is only valuable if it has beneficiaries. So instead of asking "Wha ... Show More
55m 51s