In November 2023, a spooky makeup trend took TikTok by storm. Users posted images of themselves with full-coverage, pale foundation for a ghostly vibe, intense grey contouring, hidden eyebrows, and pencil-altered lips. The aim behind those creative efforts was actually to resemble humanoid creatures, and elicit a particular reaction known as “uncanny valley” from viewers.

And the trend garnered a lot of attention. As of November 13th, Forbes reported that the #uncannyvalley hashtag had amassed 821 million views. The funny thing is that the origins of the uncanny valley phenomenon actually have nothing to do with makeup at all.

What does it mean then? Where does the 'valley' part come from? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

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