RFK Jr: America's Beauty Czar

We’re back with another episode of The Review of Mess: a podcast collaboration between The Review of Beauty (by me, Jessica DeFino) and I <3 Mess (a fashion newsletter from Emily Kirkpatrick).

Today we’re talking about: Kim Kardashian seduces a Tesla robot to feminize the future of techno-fascism [5:20], David Beckham launches a “longevity” line to bring anti-aging to the bros [12:15], the construction of false bodies through fashion in the age of Ozempic [18:20], the return of aughties-era thinspo [22:30], beauty standards as a backlash to feminism [30:27], the rise of eye color surgery [33:20], predictions for the beauty industry as RFK Jr. takes control of the FDA [41:42], Lili Reinhart doesn’t understand skin positivity [1:08:00], Martha Stewart is an icon of Mess [1:13:15]. Plus more!

Media we mentioned: Kim Kardashian’s tweet about The Substance [X], Females by Andrea Long Chu [Verso Books], All The Rage by Virginia Nicholson [Simon & Schuster], The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison [Barnes & Noble], “When I Stopped Using Fluoride” [Offline Time], “How RFK Jr.’s health secretary appointment could impact the beauty and wellness industries” [Glossy], “RFK Jr. Is Poised to Be America’s Wellness Influencer-in-Chief” [Business of Fashion], Ami R. Zota [Google Scholar], “Makeup, fragrance and hair dye use in pregnancy leads to more PFAS in breast milk” [The Guardian], “The Disturbing Truth About Hair Relaxers” [The New York Times]

About the podcast: The Review of Mess is a podcast by Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick that takes a critical look at the dregs of pop culture. Jessica is the writer behind The Review of Beauty, which has been called the newsletter “the beauty industry fears,” and Emily is the creator of I <3 Mess, a weekly roundup of the best of the worst celebrity fashion. Together, they dissect the biggest and dumbest celebrity happenings every month and give their unfiltered opinion on everything going on in the world of fashion and beauty.

Subscribe to receive future podcast posts in your inbox:

About the theme music: The Review of Mess theme song is “Hot Mess” by Carly Lind. Find more about Carly here and listen to her music here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessicadefino.substack.com/subscribe