Should We Take Ugly Women Seriously?

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: Our first impressions of the Caroline Bessette-Kennedy costuming in Ryan Murphy’s upcoming “American Love Story” (very Lifetime Original Movie-coded!) [6:30], why temporary tattoos and faux nipple piercings are trending right now [26:30], the faults and failings of “cosmetic transparency” [37:30], hyperreal paparazzi shots [1:02:20], shaving: personal preference or cultural conditioning? [1:13:20], women who aren’t hot: should they be taken seriously? [1:19:00], Tom Brady’s charming no-show socks [1:34:10], and the Baccarat Hotel stinkin’ up the streets of NYC [1:36:00; please note Jessica oh-so-stupidly referred to this as the Baccarat 540 perfume store, which it is not]. Plus more!

Media we mentioned: “Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s Colorist on the “Totally Wrong” Hair Color in Those Ryan Murphy Images” [Vogue], “Ryan Murphy Addresses the Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Discourse” [Puck], The Century of the Self [YouTube], Fur Annual Body Hair Survey [Instagram], @messworldwide [Instagram], Impersonal Foul [Substack]

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.

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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.

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