Disney+ premieres ‘The Beauty’, a provocative new series that dissects society’s obsession with beauty, starring Bella Hadid in her most radical role to date.
Disney+ expands its catalogue with ‘The Beauty’, a striking new science-fiction and body-horror series created by Ryan Murphy. Launching today, 23 January, the show turns a ruthless lens on one of the most uncomfortable fixations of our time: beauty as currency, promise and control. Leading the cast is Bella Hadid, joined by Ashton Kutcher, in a narrative designed to disturb as much as it seduces.
Adapted from the cult graphic novels by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley, the series unfolds in a world consumed by appearances. At the centre of this universe is a mysterious virus that promises to enhance physical beauty, quickly becoming the ultimate commodity. What begins as a seductive miracle soon reveals a brutal underside, exposing devastating physical consequences and a web of corporate power, exploitation and control over bodies.
Hadid plays Ruby, a supermodel who becomes the emotional and narrative core of the story. Her arc begins during a Paris Fashion Week runway show, where she suffers a public collapse that spirals into a violent escape through the city. From that moment on, ‘The Beauty’ evolves into an investigation — not just into the origins of the virus, but into the forces profiting from an industry built on perfection, desire and fear.
Visually, the series is uncompromising. Murphy leans fully into body horror, crafting a raw aesthetic where fashion collides with flesh and transformation. Prosthetics, wounds and visceral imagery replace glossy ideals, dismantling the visual language traditionally associated with luxury and modelling. Hadid herself has shared behind-the-scenes images revealing the intensity of the makeup and effects work: blood, scars and almost zombie-like transformations that sharply contrast her public image.
The reaction to those images was immediate. Among the voices showing support were her mother, Yolanda Hadid, who commented with pride, alongside messages from figures such as Kaia Gerber and Poppy Delevingne. Their responses underline the symbolic weight of the project: this is not simply a television role, but a deliberate challenge to how beauty is consumed and commodified.
While Hadid has previously appeared in reality television and brief screen roles, ‘The Beauty’ marks her first major step into acting. She has publicly described the experience as transformative, expressing gratitude to Murphy, cinematographer Jason McCormick and writer Stephen Shepard, highlighting the project’s impact on her both creatively and personally.
With ‘The Beauty’, Disney+ delivers one of its most daring and visually confrontational series to date. At the same time, Bella Hadid repositions herself beyond the runway, embracing a role that dismantles the very ideals she has long embodied. From fashion shows to physical collapse, from perfection to horror, the series poses an unsettling question: how far are we willing to go in the name of beauty?
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