They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but how much of our perception of what we perceive as 'beautiful' is being prescribed, moulded, and manipulated through marketing campaigns and products? What if beauty brands were regulated by a set of ethical standards that didn't allow them to prey on our insecurities to sell their products? Let's be real, beauty brands have a vested interest in you not feeling good about yourself, in you wanting to change something about your appearance or enhance your features; It's how they sell their products.   

 

We're exploring all these topics and more today on the podcast, as Tahnee chats with prolific beauty industry journalist and author of The Unpublishable, Jessica DeFino. You may have read some of Jessica's articles in Vogue, Harper's BAZAAR, Allure, The New York Times, Elle, Cosmopolitan, or Marie Claire. Jessica has earned herself a reputation for debunking marketing myths, exposing the ugly truths behind beauty product ingredient lists, and as the HuffPost once put it, "basically giving the middle finger to the entire beauty industry". We love Jess for this and are so excited to share this podcast with you.

 

In this episode, Tahnee and Jessica deconstruct the beauty industry as we currently know it. The insidious impact patriarchy, white supremacy, colonialism, and capitalism have on the industry, how things like colourism, sexism, and ageism are enforced constantly through marketing campaigns, the ethical dilemma of dermatologists offering (and often suggesting) aesthetic cosmetic procedures like Botox and fillers, the role of self-care as we age, and so much more. Most importantly, Jessica talks about the power individual behaviours have when it comes to shaping culture and the future of beauty culture for the better. Jessica also breaks down how and why we need to stop participating in this psychologically damaging industry that is the root cause of so many physiological and psychological disorders. There is so much in this episode; Jessica inspires transparency, truth, and the kind of beauty that can only come from within.

 

Host and Guest discuss:

-Botox.

-Topical steroids.

-Filter vs. Reality.

-Psychodermatology.

-The Skin/Brain connection.

-How meditation benefits the Skin barrier.

-The ploy of 'community' used in branding.

-The problem with the clean beauty industry.

-Jess's natural skincare routine and suggestions.

-The culture of consumerism and the beauty industry.

-Performative beauty masquerading as empowerment.

-Self Care; What It Means and How It Changes As We Age.

-Racism, colourism, sexism and ageism in the beauty industry.

-The Kardashian's, and the beauty standards they perpetuate.

-The most pressing health issue in beauty is the psychological harm of beauty standards.

 

Resources:

Jessica's website

The Unpublishable

Jessica's Instagram 

 

Check Out The Transcript Here:

https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/jessica-defino-ep-152