Fight Club: Can You Really Make Soap From Human Fat?
Tyler Durden's soap-making business is one of the creepiest details in David Fincher's Fight Club, but is it possible?
The soap made from human fat in "Fight Club" is one of the most disturbing details in the movie, but is it really possible? Released in 1999, the David Fincher film based on Chuck Palahneuk's novel of the same name shocked moviegoers with its bleak perspective on contemporary life. Despite its polarizing theatrical run, Fight Club became a home video classic and its fame grew in the years since. Fight Club is known for its rich themes and convoluted plots, filled with little details that make the movie even more interesting.
Tyler Durden's business in Fight Club was to sell soap made from leftover body fat he stole from a liposuction clinic, which, in addition to being a very clever tidbit, served a thematic role in the story . Despite their differences, the Fight Club books and films both rely heavily on strong themes about alienation and the dehumanizing effects of advertising and commercialism. The sale of bars of soap that are actually made by people is one of the less subtle images in the film, but it's also one of the most authentic, even if it's not meant to be. ^though Highly controversial, it was discovered that body fat can be converted into soap with relative ease. As an article in The Guardian explains, human fat soap is not only possible, but considered a viable option for reusing the excess human waste people leave behind. While not widely used on a commercial level, Dutch artist Julian Herzl has created a provocative installation that actually sells bars of soap made from donated human fat. Fight Club created controversy for featuring the human fat soap, as did Hetzel when he made an artistic statement.
It Is Possible To Make Soap From Human Fat
Regardless of its practical use in the real world, the human fat soap in Fight Club is one of the integral images in the film, helping to summarize the artistic vision of David Fincher and Chuck Palahniuk . Fight Club's characters are worn out by the constant consumerism and cynical nature of modern society, and Tyler Durden has found a way to profit from that consumerism in his own way. Leaving aside the complexities of the plastic surgery industry typified by liposuction clinics, the dystopian nature of selling human by-products Profits are an onslaught on society.
The Meaning Of The Human Fat Soap In Fight Club
Even if Fight Club is dated in some respects, its cynical take on Generation X issues has only grown harsher in the decades since its release. Considering the fact that Julian Hetzel's art installation took place in 2019, Fight Club is not only vindicated by this piece, but made all the more real because of it. While the odds of a full-scale production of body fat soap are still low, the possibility of it helps make the Fight Club theme seem more realistic than it was in 1999. ^More: Bob in Fight Club is fake too - theory explained
