So many of you have been asking for an episode on plastic surgery culture for so long — but I knew I couldn’t do it until I had the perfect co-host. Someone deeply familiar with the allure and contradictions that infuse the world of plastic surgery… but also conversant in plastic surgery as a form of gender and class performance. I needed Arabelle Sicardi — and was so thrilled when they agreed to come on the show. This conversation will take you to some very unexpected places: it will challenge you, alarm you, and I can promise you’ll never look at Elon Musk the same again. This is one of my favorite episodes we’ve recorded — I think you’ll quickly see why.

• Celebrate Earth Month and make the switch to Blueland today. Get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/culture

• Stop putting off those doctors appointments! Go to Zocdoc.com/culture to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor.

• Subscribe to Arabelle’s excellent newsletter

• The piece from Arabelle’s newsletter I reference re: “Beauty is Going Backwards”

• A write-up of the BYU study of Utah women and plastic surgery that Arabelle references

• On Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: my piece in Culture Study and the Culture Study Pod episode I did with Sara Petersen:

  Will MomTok Even Survive This?!?!

• My conversation with Sam Sanders re: Nicole Kidman’s Resting Rich Face:

  Nicole Kidman's Resting Rich Face

• And now some PLASTIC SURGERY ASMR!!!

***And if you want the running belt I mention in the AAA section — this is it.***

• What’s going on in AMERICAN PARENTING CULTURE (broadly conceived) right now (with Melissa Wenner Moyer!)

• TEXAS Culture for our ongoing culture-of-place series

• How/Why Private Equity is Fucking Everything Up

• Dark Academia (as in, the literary genre)

• Van/Skoolie/RV Life

• Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!

• As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here