Chasing the void: the american psycho effect
There is a haunting moment in American Psycho where Patrick Bateman, standing before a mirror, methodically peels off a face mask with unsettling precision. His skin is flawless, his hair immaculate, yet his expression is empty. Underneath the surface, he is nothing - just a hollow shell hiding an internal void. Bateman is the embodiment of a society obsessed with fragile concepts of beauty, power, and status. In him, we see both the male and female reflections of a world that teaches us to value surface-level perfection over substance, and in doing so, we lose insight of our true selves.
More than two decades have passed since American Psycho - written by Bret Easton Ellis and the movie directed by Mary Harron - critiqued the excesses of ´80s Wall Street culture, but its exploration of vanity, capitalism, and identity feels more relevant than ever. What began as a satire of hyper-masculine consumerism has become a chilling mirror of the present - a reflection of a society that continues to place its worth on things that are inherently unsustainable. Bateman himself is a manifestation of these ideals, and his distorted pursuit of perfection is not confined to his character alone. It is a reflection of us all, caught in the never-ending chase for validation and power through external markers.
Today, the thirst for self-optimization and the craving for external validation have reached new heights, particularly through the rise of social media. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat have turned beauty, status, and success into measurable commodities, creating an environment where appearances are constantly curated, filtered, and perfected. Like Bateman, individuals are now living in a world where their worth is increasingly tied to how they present themselves online, their images manipulated to meet impossible standards of beauty, wealth, and success. The pervasive culture of self-surveillance, where every moment is an opportunity to showcase an idealized version of oneself, echoes Bateman´s obsessive attention to his physical appearance and his constructed identity. The pursuit of perfection is no longer confined to the rich elite - it is now a universal obsession.
Bateman´s rituals, his manic pursuit of perfection is more than personal vanity
Dehumanisation and Consumption
Bateman´s rituals, his manic pursuit of perfection - exfoliating, moisturizing, applying ice packs to his face - are eerily reflective of contemporary beauty standards. But it is more than personal vanity. His self-maintenance is rooted in a desperate attempt to maintain dominance in a world where power is visual. In a culture that glorifies beauty as a commodity, those who fail to meet the standards of perfection are marginalized, diminished, and dehumanized.
And yet, the most unsettling aspect of American Psycho is how Bateman´s pursuit of perfection is not isolated to beauty alone. His relationships, particularly with women, are transactional. In Bateman´s world, people are commodities to be consumed or discarded at will - whether it is women used as conquests or objects, or the homeless who are mere obstacles, figures that exist only to be ignored, dismissed, or even obliterated. Batema´s casual cruelty towards the homeless represents the way society often renders the marginalized of wealth and privilege; they are made irrelevant, stripped of humanity. Their existence is a silent inequality in a society driven by consumption and status. This objectification extends beyond women, the homeless and permeates his entire life: his car, his apartment, his clothes - everything exists to reinforce his sense of status and power and, in the end, to dehumanize himself.
What is crucial to remember is that Bateman is not just the predator in this world - he is also a satire of the very system he embodies. His obsession with perfection , his constant self-surveillance, and his need to dominate are reflections of a larger, systemic issue. Bateman´s vanity and self-objectification are no different from the women he manipulates, abuses, and discards. In a culture that commodifies beauty, wealth, and power, even Bateman himself is reduced to a product, a performance, a carefully curated image. He isn´t just a man objectifying women - he is a reflection of a broader society that objectifies everyone.
Today, we see echoes of this dehumanization in a variety of industries. Fashion and beauty, as well as the broader consumer culture, often reduce individuals to their ability to fit into specific ideals of beauty or success. These industries thrive on the objectification of people, suggesting that their worth is contingent upon how well they adhere to narrow definitions of beauty, wealth, and power. As consumers, we are encouraged to view ourselves through the lens of acquisition - constantly acquiring new trends, products, and identities, hoping that these will provide the validation or sense of self-worth we crave.
Our identities, like Bateman´s, are constructed through the products we consume. But just as Bateman´s perfect surface hides a profound emptiness, these material symbols of success are hollow in their inability to provide true meaning or fulfilment.
The Illusion of Perfection
The pursuit of perfection - whether in the form of Bateman´s self-maintenance rituals, his obsessive consumerism, or his relentless climb up the social ladder - ultimately reveals a deep, pervasive emptiness. The illusion of control he seeks through his possessions, appearance, and social status is unsustainable. Bateman´s life, despite the apparent beauty and success, is hollow. He is a reflection of a society that chases after an illusion of control, desperately trying to maintain a facade of perfection, even when the foundations are crumbling beneath them.
In today´s culture, this same paradox is ever-present. Beauty and body standards, promoted by social media, advertising and the beauty industry, often set impossible ideals, linked to body dysmorphia and mental health issues, with many people - especially women - feeling pressured to conform to increasingly narrow standards of beauty. The constant cycle of new trends, cosmetic procedures, and the never-ending push for self-optimization can leave people feeling more isolated and inadequate than ever. Despite the ever-growing arsenal of tools and treatments aimed at enhancing beauty, the underlying truth remains: perfection is unattainable. But beauty is just one facet of this relentless pursuit.. The obsession with optimization extends beyond the body - into careers, lifestyles, and even leisure. The perfect career must be not only lucrative but also fulfilling, prestigious, and socially impressive. The perfect vacation must be Instagrammable, exclusive, and carefully curated to project a life of ease and sophistication. Every aspect of life is subject to the same impossible standards of refinement and success, transforming human existence into a never-ending performance and toxic happiness.
This pursuit of beauty, perfection, and status is not just a personal failing; it is a systemic issue. Bateman is not just a deranged individual; he is a product of a world that values appearances above all else, a world that rewards consumption and dehumanises those who fail to keep up with its relentless demands. Whether it is the women used as objects of conquest, the homeless discarded as invisible, or the individuals trapped in an endless cycle of consumption and self-surveillance, the novel reveals the profound dehumanisation inherent in a society fixated on appearance and perfection.
The Gamble of Status and Wealth
The Gamble of Status and Wealth
Bateman´s world is one where status is everything - where a designer suit or an expensive dinner reservation signals power and control. Prestige speaks through designer labels, exclusive memberships, and the quiet signals of elite belonging. This obsession with hierarchy, far from fading, has only intensified. His life is a product, reducing human beings to objects of consumption. He is the ultimate consumer - constantly acquiring, perfecting, and discarding.
Today, status is no longer about material excess only, but about curation - an art of crafting one´s life into an aesthetic, of projecting effortless wealth and success through carefully controlled images. Social media, luxury brands, and aspirational lifestyles feed into this illusion, reinforcing the idea that worth is measured by what we project, not by who we truly are.
However, American Psycho reveals the emptiness of this pursuit. Bateman, surrounded by material wealth, is profoundly isolated. His possessions and relationships offer no real meaning, only further entrenching his disconnection. This hollow pursuit of success through consumption mirrors our current culture, where achievement is often reduced to curated images and carefully crafted performances. The more we chase perfection, the more we risk losing ourselves in a cycle that leads to alienation, not fulfillment. Bateman´s obsession with outward appearances exposes a broader societal truth: the constant striving for idealised images does not lead to satisfaction, but to a deeper void. His world is a reflection of the emptiness beneath our own desires.
Breaking the Mirror: Embracing Imperfection in a World of Illusions
American Psycho is more than a horror story; it is a satire of a system that commodifies identity, particularly through beauty standards and hyper consumerism. Bateman is the ultimate product. His worth is measured by his appearance, his possessions, his ability to dominate. What makes him truly terrifying is that he is not just a figure of violence; he is a reflection of the Zeitgeits we live in - a culture that objectifies people, reducing them to their appearances, their bodies, and their ability to consume. Or margilize them if they don´t fit into the frame.
But American Psycho doesn´t just reflect our present - it predicted it. The 1980s, with their unchecked consumerism, obsession with status, and the commodification of identity, didn´t fade away; they’ve only been amplified. What was once confined to Wall Street power players has expanded, reshaped, and intensified. The aesthetic perfection Bateman chases - the designer suits, the immaculate skin, the status-driven lifestyle - has only become more extreme, more accessible, and more inescapable.
The difference is that today, the performance of success isn´t just for bankers and socialites; it is of everyone. Social media has turned Bateman´s world into a mass phenomenon, where wealth, beauty, and influence are curated and consumed in real-time. The pressure he experiences - the need to project effortless perfection, to collect and display the right objects, to reduce human relationships to transactions - have become the silent rules of digital existence. The nightmare of American Psycho is no longer confined to elite circles; it has trickled down into the lives of millions.
The most chilling part? Unlike Bateman, most people don´t even realize they’re trapped. His psychopathy makes him aware, at least at some level, that nothing truly satisfies him. But in today´s culture, we are encouraged to believe that happiness is always just one more purchase away. The endless cycle of self-optimization, aesthetic perfection, and curated success is sold not as empty performance, but as personal fulfillment. And so, we chase an illusion, mistaking status for substance, lifestyle for identity.
Yet American Psycho also offers an antidote, an opportunity - to reflect. It forces us to ask: What happens when we step outside this cycle? It forces us to confront how deeply we’ve internalized the very ideals it satirizes. The story doesn’t merely expose the emptiness of status-driven existence; it offers a moment to reconsider what truly defines us. So the answer isn´t rejecting ambition or beautiful things, but reclaiming identity from them. True fulfilment comes not from status or validation, but from cultivating something real - intellect, creativity, relationships, and a sense of self that isn´t dictated by external approval.
This shift isn´t just personal; it is transformative. When we stop defining ourselves, obviously myself included, through what we consume, we open space for growth, gratitude, and deeper human connection…and freedom. Education, self-reflection, and genuine ambition - driven by passion rather than performance - offer a way out. And in stepping back from the illusion of scarcity, we begin to recognize abundance in its truest form: in knowledge, in care for others, in a life that isn’t just curated, but truly lived.
https://www.breteastonellis.com
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0366004/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28676.American_Psycho
https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:519219/FULLTEXT01.pdf
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00111619.2022.2105134?needAccess=true
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/10/american-psycho-bret-easton-ellis-irvine-welsh