Slanted: A Teen Body Horror Comedy that Question Beauty and Identity

Slanted is a teen horror comedy directed by Amy Wang and starring Shirley Chen, McKenna Grace, Elaine Hendrix, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.

Slanted is inspired by The Substance (2024), adapting the idea for a young audience. The story centers on Joan Huang, a teen Asian-American girl who wants to fit into Western society and, above all, be accepted by her high school peers. To achieve this, she believes she must become her school's prom queen. For this reason, she undergoes experimental cosmetic surgery that will turn her into a white Western girl.

Slanted is part of an authentic and well-documented conversation: how subtle racial discrimination and aggression affect the body through constant vigilance, feelings of insecurity, and emotional exhaustion, especially in young people. In the field of child psychology and psychiatry, recent evidence based on exhaustive studies such as diaries and detailed follow-ups shows that racial and ethnic discrimination is linked to poor mental health, both in momentary assessments and in everyday life. When social exclusion is added to the mix, such as typical dynamics in school hallways, the risk of suffering from depressive symptoms increases significantly.

The film takes to the extreme what in real life is often presented in a subtle way: the assimilation of standards that place the Western gaze as both the aesthetic and social norm. Although this is not a new idea in research, it is becoming increasingly refined in its details: recent studies connect gender racism, Orientalism, and aesthetic pressure on the Asian-American population with body dissatisfaction and body “correction” tactics to alleviate discomfort or approximate a prevailing ideal. In Slanted, this pressure literally becomes a clinical procedure backed by brands and marketing.

Connection with The Substance

The Substance is a 2024 body horror film directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, as antagonist. This story revolutionized the genre and put the spotlight on beauty standards.

The narrative of The Substance focuses on Elisabeth Sparkle, a well-known television presenter who hosts a famous fitness tv show. The owners of the network where she works are considering firing her because she is about to turn 50. When she realizes that the system is trying to make her life difficult because of her age, she suffers a crisis that leads her to an extreme situation. She decides to experiment with a banned substance that will allow her to transform into a younger, more athletic version of herself, in a different female body.

Slanted and The Substance question the feminine aesthetic imposed by mass media, fashion, advertising, and social media, among others.

Slanted adds the theme of racial identity and how a teenage girl is capable of anything to fit into her environment. She does not accept her Asian identity and seeks to look like a Western girl. Director Amy Wang takes on the challenge of addressing these issues in a comedic context, while at the same time using the story to reflect on the paradigms imposed by the outside world.

The elements of physical horror in Slanted function more as psychological expressions than as examples of gore. Slight physical dysfunctions, such as overly tight skin and reactions that arrive with a slight delay, give the impression that Joan's new form rejects her. These moments are shocking because of their subtlety. Wang understands that the most disturbing fear is existential: the notion that, in her desire to be accepted, Joan has distanced herself from her true essence.

Conclusion

Slanted is a body horror comedy that is worth watching, especially to learn more about the internal insecurities experienced by teenage girls and the crazy things they might do to look like most people, in this case, to look like a Western woman.