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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Surgical Conformity in Twilight Zone: Number 12 Looks Just Like You

5 replies

RethinkingLife · 21/08/2025 20:22

This feels remarkably prescient.

Twilight Zone: Number 12 Looks Just Like You.

Opening narration: Given the chance, what young girl wouldn't happily exchange a plain face for a lovely one? What girl could refuse the opportunity to be beautiful? For want of a better estimate, let's call it the year 2000. At any rate, imagine a time in the future where science has developed the means of giving everyone the face and body he dreams of. It may not happen tomorrow—but it happens now, in The Twilight Zone.

A disturbing tale about a dystopian future in which everyone who turns 19 is invited (effectively coerced) to undergo 'Transformation'...surgical alteration into one of a set of physically attractive models.

The popularity of female model 12 and male model 17, means that adults need to wear name badges to avoid confusion. The transformation offers delays to the aging process and an improved immune system. It also involves unspecified psychological corrections. Marilyn, the would-be refuser, associates these changes with her father’s suicide, who came to regret his transformation and the loss of his individual identity. She has observed a lack of empathy in those who’ve been through transformation.

Closing narration: Portrait of a young lady in love—with herself. Improbable? Perhaps. But in an age of plastic surgery, body building and an infinity of cosmetics, let us hesitate to say impossible. These, and other strange blessings, may be waiting in the future—which, after all, is The Twilight Zone

I can’t find the complete episode on YT. It feels like an exploration of forced, large-scale conformity to enable control in totalitarian systems. It achieves this by restricting and commodifying choices. People ‘voluntarily’ embrace an ideology of beauty and conformity.

There are currently threads that have some discussion of the bland conformity of some popular cosmetic surgery procedures. This story introduces the element of a mind virus, effectively. One that facilitates totalitarianism.

- YouTube

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9u5b904Ij8&t=3s

OP posts:
CassOle · 21/08/2025 21:08

That looks interesting. Thanks for posting.

RethinkingLife · 22/08/2025 11:07

I haven’t seen it but apparently it influenced Charlie Booker and Konnie Huq to create Black Mirror episode “15 Million Merits”.

I don’t know if it’s because it involves drinking Cuppliance.

OP posts:
OttersAreMySpiritAnimal · 22/08/2025 11:32

I feel like I've seen an ad for something very similar recently, a netflix movie perhaps.

Igmum · 22/08/2025 17:43

Thanks Rethinking, I used to love the Twilight Zone and there’s definitely resonance with other types of transition.

GarlicLitre · 22/08/2025 18:17

I loved it, too, and am a big Black Mirror fan as well.

There's a film like this. I saw it some time in the past year, probably on Netflix, but only have vague recollection. A small posse of refuseniks end up fighting The System, which is obviously way more sinister than they'd ever suspected. After their 'perfecting' treatment, the beautified majority spend a lot of time acting like they're on Instagram and being vapid.

It's good to be prompted to think about this shit.

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