Tekanan Sosial dan Standar Kecantikan dalam Industri Hiburan melalui Film The Substance (2024): Analisis Semiologi = SOCIAL PRESSURE AND BEAUTY STANDARDS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY THROUGH THE FILM THE SUBSTANCE (2024): A SEMIOLOGY ANALYSIS

Background. Beauty standards in the entertainment industry often create social pressure that encourages women to remain young, attractive, and physically ideal. These standards are not only communicated through visual representation but also through verbal signs such as dialogues, written texts, and emotionally loaded expressions that construct cultural meanings about women’s appearance and value. Aim. This research aims to identify the verbal signs representing social pressure and beauty standards in The Substance (2024) and to interpret their meanings using Roland Barthes’ semiological theory. Method. This research employed a qualitative descriptive method with library research. The primary data source was The Substance (2024), while the data consisted of selected dialogues, utterances, written notes, and verbal expressions related to beauty standards and social pressure. The data were analyzed using Barthes’ concepts of signifier, signified, denotation, connotation, and myth. Results. The findings reveal that the verbal signs in The Substance construct meanings related to youthfulness, physical attractiveness, ageism, body shaming, self-worth, and self-hatred. Through persuasive language, insults, compliments, and promotional discourse, the film demonstrates how beauty standards are normalized and how social pressure is internalized by women in the entertainment industry. Conclusion. The study concludes that The Substance uses verbal signs not only to portray beauty standards and social pressure but also to criticize the cultural myth that a woman’s value depends on maintaining youth, physical attractiveness, and public desirability.