The Maybe Baby podcast is a mixed bag of interviews, advice, and unfiltered thoughts on the topics of culture, politics, the internet, and being alive. It's a supplement to my weekly written newsletter. New episodes every Wednesday.
haleynahman.substack.com (https://haleynahman.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)
Today we’ve got: a recently out queer person who’s new partner is pressuring them to become poly for political reasons, a friend who’s gone “eyebrow blind,” a boyfriend who recently confessed to being a “deeply closeted bisexual,” a toxic ex our questioner wants to sleep with, an in-law’s mortgage gift offer gone wrong, and finally a boyfriend who eats so much junk food it’s giving our questioner the ick. Love the questions, you guys are unstoppable.
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21 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT
Blame it on the beauty industry
Hey!
Last week I wrote about (https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/236-blaming-it-all-away) personal and political scapegoats and the heaven/hell of having something to blame all your problems on. The original inspiration for that essay was, randomly, a recent experience I had taking a new license photo, which had me thinking about the beauty industry in a new way, as a kind of scapegoat industrial complex. In the end, I didn’t mention beauty in the essay because it felt like a whole separate topic, one I’d rather explore in conversation. So I invited beauty critic Jessica DeFino on the podcast to discuss it.
Jessica writes FLESH WORLD (https://jessicadefino.substack.com/) and is, to me, a consistently steadying voice in the headache of modern beauty discourse. I asked her to help me explore the idea of scapegoating in beauty and naturally this lead us all over the place, from the classic cosmetic procedure debate (a mini version of which took place in my podcast comments a couple weeks ago (https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/dear-danny-should-i-get-a-boob-job)) to our own beauty scapegoats. I hope we were delicate enough with our language to avoid making anyone feel attacked! I think and hope we all have the same goals and are just trying to collectively figure out a humane way forward. (If you missed Jessica’s first appearance on my podcast, you can find it here (https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/-who-gets-to-be-beautiful-w-jessica).) (Also shout out to my episode with the GOAT Barry Schwartz (https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/-good-luck-and-bad-choices-w-dr-barry), who I mention in this ep.)
If you’re a free sub, welcome to the podcast! The episodes normally run on Wednesdays for my paid subs only, but I’m sharing today’s with everyone as a kind of part 2 to last week’s essay. You can listen through Substack (the site, the app) or your favorite podcast app (https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/4519588148244-How-do-I-listen-to-episodes-on-my-podcast-app) by clicking the “Listen via…” button underneath the podcast player above.
Also, trust I tell the (stupid) license story in detail, and on account of my journalistic integrity, have provided the photos below…
Thanks for listening,Haley
p.s. ICYMI:-Lots of good discussion/analysis (https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/are-you-a-disassociated-feminist) about Hannah Horvath and Fleabag in the discussion thread comments last Wednesday.-So many good recs (https://haleynahman.substack.com/p/15-thing-i-consumed-this-week) for movies to watch with your kids (that don’t suck) under 15 things last week.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit haleynahman.substack.com/subscribe (https://haleynahman.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
10 Sept 2025
Dear Danny: Should I get a boob job?
Hey!
Welcome back to Dear Danny. Today we answer 6 questions about: a forbidden work crush that’s gone too far, a boyfriend who’s taking a new hobby too seriously, a boyfriend who’s laundering his anxiety under the purview of “protectiveness,” a woman whose drop-dead-gorgeous fling isn’t good in bed, a woman questioning whether to get a boob job, and a meet-cute involving…..rabies. Love you guys!
Haley
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit haleynahman.substack.com/subscribe (https://haleynahman.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
Inside a recent episode
Blame it on the beauty industry
Published 21 Sept 2025 · Transcript excerpt
[…] But there's also a ton of just like psychological and emotional and behavioral consequences where like. There's so much room to just do less and not feel bad about doing less. I think people assume like when you get rid of some of these habits or work on releasing some of these habits or beauty behaviors or products in your routine that like you necessarily must feel bad and then must have to deal with the consequences of feeling bad and figure out how to cope. But like there's also the possibility. What if you do less and you feel fine? […]
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