The Controversy of Influencer Partnerships in Beauty Marketing

co-hosts Lexy Lebsack and Emily Jensen discuss industry news of the week, including changes to beauty brick-and-mortar retail, from Nordstrom's NYC flagship's approach to Mecca's new 40,000-square-foot flagship in Melbourne. They also discuss the controversy immediately surrounding E.l.f. Cosmetics' new ad featuring drag queen Heidi N Closet and comedian Matt Rife, who, in 2023, sparked outrage after he made jokes about domestic violence in his Netflix special. Commenters have flooded the brand's TikTok and Instagram pages, and have also created their own content condemning Rife's casting.

Later, co-host Sara Spruch-Feiner sits down with New York City-based plastic surgeon Dr. Thomas Sterry to break down pop culture-plastic surgery moments and how they've impacted his day-to-day work.