Not Another Manson Story: Helter Skelter Stirs Up Controversy On Consumerism-Driven Beauty Obsession

How far would you go to become beautiful?

Helter Skelter (2012) is a live-action adaptation of Kyoko Okazaki’s psychological horror manga of the same title that criticizes the ominous effects of consumerism, excessive fame, and beauty standards. In the film, we witness the dramatic downfall of Lilico (played by Erika Sawajiri), a supermodel who was once a beauty icon in Japan. Her success was the result of rigorous plastic surgeries. In efforts to support her status, her physical and mental health begins to plummet. While Japanese cinematography is not one for the books, Mika Ninagawa was able to pull off the film’s visuals. Unsurprisingly, the director is known for creating brightly colored movies and photographs throughout her career. The aesthetics were all over the place which correlates to the overall theme of the film

Helter Skelter, the film title, is an allusion to one of the most documented brutal massacres in history committed by the Manson Family in Spahn Ranch in 1969. Charles Manson blamed The Beatles for releasing the song “Helter Skelter” for the murder spree. What seemed to be an innocent song became an anthem of death. Paul McCartney composed the song, accompanied by loud drums and rowdy vocals, only in rivalry to The Who’s “I Can See For Miles” labeled as the wildest song ever recorded back then. The record was originally inspired by the spiral slide in an amusement park in Norwich Cathedral. Originally, the term was coined to mean confusion and haste and is mostly used in the United Kingdom. We can now correlate why the manga and the movie were called as such.

From the other side of the spectrum, Detective Nao Omori sets his sights on legally putting an end to the operations of the plastic surgery clinic that uses baby organs and skin for their patients and responsible for the death of several young women. With politicians backing up the clinic, the detective has no choice but to ask for Lilico’s help in testifying against this clinic, where her appearance is also a product of. Despite suffering from fatal side effects much like the beauty clinic’s victims, Lilico rejected the request so as not to reveal that she is not who people think she is. She did not endure physical pain and anxiety only to throw it all away like that.

Although surrounded by kindhearted people like her personal assistant, makeup artist, and her biological sister, Lilico fixates her focus on envy, greed, and lust. She commits crimes to vie for the attention of a man who would never love her. She does whatever it takes to get rid of the new teen sensation. Lilico trades her physical, emotional, and mental health in exchange for the public’s approval. She deliberately dug her grave deeper and deeper until there was no redemption for her at the end of the story.

The raw narrative of Helter Skelter (2012) holds a mirror up to our society on how we place the utmost importance on vanity. In the Philippines where I reside, the lighter your skin is, the more “beautiful” you are. If you wear braces or retainers, you are considered more attractive than those who don’t. And so we splurge our hard-earned money in desperation to fit in. Ridiculous as these beauty criteria may be, they are surprisingly powerful and can make an individual feel small and alone.

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You can also listen to the audio version of this article at the Skaredy Kat Podcast.