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\n\tHollywood\u2019s old guard looks distinctive. Haven\u2019t they always? Meryl. Al. Tom. Morgan. Matt. Denzel. Brad. Newer stars look more \u2026 familiar. We\u2019re not saying millennial and Gen Z stars have had some work done (though many certainly have). But there is arguably a more generic quality to beauty<\/a> nowadays. Call it Instagram face. Or, in a reference to AI\u2019s rising influence on beauty standards, \u201cslop face.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s a trend I first noticed attending broadcast network parties a decade ago. The older actors at events hosted by CBS, NBC and Fox looked more unique. But at a party hosted by The CW, the network\u2019s starlets were like a petite, size-zero army \u2014 all big Disney princess eyes, plumped lips and long, voluminous hair (despite all being on different shows).\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThink about this: When was the last time you saw a star under 40 with less than perfect teeth? What about a bald spot or large nose? (Adam Driver, 42, is beyond the cutoff.) How about a lead actress in a movie with a BMI over 30? (Even the latest iteration of Bridget Jones \u2014 in last year\u2019s Mad About the Boy \u2014 had Bridget all fit, climbing trees and hiking.) Or a shirtless leading actor without washboard abs? (Do I hear 8 percent body fat? Six percent? Sold \u2014 to the dehydrated dude who can only dream of bread.)<\/p>\n \n\tWhat happened?\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe homogenization of Hollywood beauty standards is the result of decisions by the gatekeepers of stardom, as well as by stars themselves, who urge plastic surgeons, cosmetic dentists and dermatologists to achieve on-trend looks they hope will benefit or extend their careers. And, as with seemingly every modern problem, one suspects social media is at least partly to blame here. Pressure on talent to aesthetically conform used to arise quietly, behind the scenes, from agents, managers and others within the system. Now actors who are either brave or foolish enough to read online comments can get pushed to change their looks every time they peek at their phone; coerced to play Whac-A-Mole with any features that stand out (which are sometimes literal moles \u2014 Rachel McAdams has bravely kept hers, but heaven knows how many bumps on other famous mugs have been frozen and scraped off). \u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of abuse of how I look \u2026 it\u2019s made me shy away,\u201d Saltburn actor Barry Keoghan, who has been dubbed a \u201chot rodent man,\u201d recently confessed. \u201cIt\u2019s made me really go inside myself, not want to attend places, not want to go outside.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnd that\u2019s from an acclaimed Oscar nominee who has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past few years despite not looking like a matinee idol. One can only imagine how much toxicity and pressure a less successful star receives \u2014 particularly if they\u2019re a woman, as guys have always been granted more leeway on the looks front. \u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tEven objectively stunning stars get scrutinized over any element that\u2019s a departure from the norm: Anya Taylor-Joy gets ridiculed for her widely spaced eyes. Mia Goth gets singled out for her barely-there eyebrows. Sydney Sweeney\u2019s breasts have caused a raging debate (\u201cWhy Is the Discourse Around Sydney Sweeney\u2019s Breasts So Unhinged?\u201d asked Vogue, while a Slate headline insisted, \u201cSydney Sweeney\u2019s Boobs Are Not That Big\u201d).\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tAs across-the-board sameness increases, anything distinct strikes us as even more, well, distinctive, and it seems many cannot resist pointing out when \u201cone of these things is not like the other.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnother possible culprit, more specific to Hollywood: the rise of virtual casting sessions, particularly since the pandemic. Actors putting themselves on tape or auditioning via Zoom have become the norm, particularly for early casting rounds. Super convenient for all involved, though there are typically also in-person sessions required to seal the deal, particularly for major roles.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tBut have we lost something by shifting so much of the casting process to virtual? There can be a magical sense of presence when an actor enters a room, and reducing a producer and director\u2019s first impression to a flattened, boxed image cannot help but boost the value of a perfectly pleasing, symmetrical face at the expense of more intangible attributes.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n