Face of the Future

Are We All Starting to Look the Same?

Today, with social media dominating, particularly Instagram, our beauty standards have become almost robotic. "Instagram Face" has become recognizable with poreless skin, plump lips, high cheekbones, and cat-like eyes. Everyone wants to follow this aesthetic, not just celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Bella Hadid. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that over 7 million neurotoxin injections were performed.

Instagram Influencers Are All Starting To Look The Same. Here's Why. | HuffPost Life

Non-surgical procedures aimed at achieving this look are also on the rise. With Instagram's filters and tools like FaceTune, we can instantly reshape our faces digitally, but many prefer to do it in real life. Botox and fillers have become mainstream for millennials and Gen Z, with spending on cosmetic procedures hitting $16.5 billion in 2021.

The result? We are slowly moving toward a single, curated "Cyborgian" beauty ideal that combines diverse ethnicities. But what does this mean for self-expression when individuality disappears under the influence of algorithms?

Life in the Slow Lane

New York City's attempt to ease congestion through congestion pricing has sparked heated debates, particularly as emergency response times continue to worsen. FDNY's response time for life-threatening medical emergencies has increased by an average of 20 seconds over the past year-time that could mean life or death during a cardiac arrest. Critical minutes are lost in the race to save lives, with the city's vehicle numbers soaring past 2 million.

FDNY commissioner Laura Kavanagh has identified traffic as the reason for delays, which has sparked a discussion about whether to remove the congestion tax. Now that the tax is on the chopping block, critics claim that human lives might be at risk.

The question remains: Can the city afford to lose precious seconds in emergencies for convenience as gridlock worsens?

The Wealth Illusion

The wealthy flaunted their privilege in the past, but today's elite are masters at blending in. Born to Rule explains that many people are downplaying their wealth, claiming working-class roots, and adopting mainstream hobbies. More than a third of the elite still attend prestigious universities but work hard to appear ordinary.

Surprisingly, this transformation is more than skin-deep. In contrast to traditional elite pursuits like horseback riding and golf, wealthy individuals participate in popular pastimes like cinema and sports. In contrast, these efforts create an illusion of relatability; the underlying privileges-networks, influence, and access-are in place.

Ultimately, while the rich appear "just like everyone else," their vast resources and power are carefully concealed behind this new persona.

What We Learned This Week?

  1. The war everyone’s watching vs the crisis everyone's missing

  2. The price of intelligence.

  3. Twelve years in prison for a single dot.

  4. We're staying in more than ever, why?

  5. Are we nearing the end?

  6. China’s baby drive.

  7. Where penises meet proxies.

  8. The golden arches of global dominance.

  9. Musk’s Cybercab: revolutionary or overhyped?

  10. The untold story of Saudi princesses.

💡 Core Wisdom

There is an art of leaving things undone so that the greater thing can be done.

📸 Lens to Life

🧮 Core Count: 1

The price at which the "Terminator" script was sold in dollars.

🗓️ Flashback:

54 - Nero succeeds Claudius as Roman Emperor.

1884 - The International Meridian Conference established Greenwich as the universal time meridian.

2016 - Bob Dylan is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

I'm glad we could get together here. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Fatih Taskiran

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