Meredith Jones is a professor of Gender Studies who loves popular culture. In the Beauty Chronicles she discusses all sorts of fascinating things to do with cosmetic surgery, media, popular culture, celebrity, and much more. So if you're confused by the Kardashians, or baffled by botox, this is the place to be.
An anonymous reviewer of Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights wrote that the gothic masterpiece was filled with “vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors” (Graham’s Magazine, 1848). This episode is darker than some others we've made. It includes discussions about the book’s depictions of abuse, degradation, and sadism. We review the latest film adaptation, by Emerald Fennell, and discuss whitewashing, colour-blind casting, vibe filmmaking, class issues, sex scenes, and jewellery made of hair.
13 Jul 2025
Too Tall to Tame: From Taylor Swift to Brienne of Tarth
Goddesses, giantesses, 50-foot women. In this episode we look at what it means for women to be tall, extra tall, and enormous. From sexual fetishes to Taylor Swift videos; From platform shoes to girls prescribed oestrogen to stunt their growth. Joining us are special guests Brienne of Tarth, Ice Spice, and Her Royal Highness Princess Diana.
4 Apr 2025
Sheer Genius or Barely There? Bianca Censori and the Art of Nylon
In this episode Carla and Meredith take a dive deep into the mysteries of Bianca Censori, otherwise known as the wife of Ye.
What does her nudity mean, and why are people so keen to see her as a victim?
We discuss her dildo pants, her silence, and what she owes to the genius feminist sculptor Louise Bourgeois.
Bianca's "Nylons" line of jewellery: https://issuu.com/bcensori/docs/nylons_look_book_2013_issuu (https://issuu.com/bcensori/docs/nylons_look_book_2013_issuu)
That Grammys moment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jta6UbnJ9v8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jta6UbnJ9v8)
LouiseBourgeois: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/louise-bourgeois_n_6251564 (https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/louise-bourgeois_n_6251564)
Sarah Lucas: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/sarah-lucas (https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/sarah-lucas)
Polly Borland: https://awarewomenartists.com/en/artiste/polly-borland/ (https://awarewomenartists.com/en/artiste/polly-borland/)
Shirin Fakhim: https://www.saatchigallery.com/artist/shirin_fakhim (https://www.saatchigallery.com/artist/shirin_fakhim)
Julia Fox: https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/66276/1/julia-fox-wore-her-hair-and-not-much-else-at-the-oscars-after-party (https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/66276/1/julia-fox-wore-her-hair-and-not-much-else-at-the-oscars-after-party)
Mary Magdalen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Folio-211v-Birago-St-Mary-M.jpg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Folio-211v-Birago-St-Mary-M.jpg)
2 Jan 2025
Forever Face: The Beautiful Life of Jocelyn Wildenstein
Her face was like no other. Until it was suddenly like many others.
In this podcast we trace Jocelyn Wildenstein's life and cosmetic surgery.
Recorded just before her death, Meredith and Carla uncover the power,
the sexism, the glamour, and the hatred around this iconic figure.
Mini Timeline of (some of) Jocelyn's many faces (https://www.flickr.com/photos/angel_miller26/6838061956)
Original 1997 New York Magazine cover (https://plasticsurgeryamerica.blogspot.com/2011/01/story-behind-face.html)
Jocelyn's 2021 version of the New York Magazine cover (https://www.instagram.com/p/CSR2MUKLim2/)
Tiago Azevedoart (https://www.instagram.com/tiagoazevedoart)
Anastasia (https://www.instagram.com/justqueen88)
4 Nov 2024
Cartoon Bloodbath: Monstro Elisasue and The Substance
What is there to love about the monster in The Substance?
In this episode we talk about cosmetic surgery, body horror, mother-daughter relationships, Demi Moore, and how bums have replaced boobs in our cultural imaginaries.
Warning: spoilers and disgusting descriptions.
9 Apr 2024
To Handbag or not To Handbag
Handbags are powerful, sexual, and even magical. In this episode we delve deep into their secret languages and histories. We discuss their physical and symbolic qualities, with Miley Cyrus, Lizzo, and the nameless, unhoused "bag lady" helping us along, and we talk about famous handbags like Margaret Thatcher's black Launer, which influenced the phrase "to Handbag."
See also Meredith's article: "Holding and Being Held: Handbags as Container Technologies" (https://www.academia.edu/117238508/Holding_and_Being_Held_Handbags_as_Container_Technologies)
31 Jan 2024
Saltburn: Slurp it Up!
Meredith and Carla are back after a long hiatus to discuss the movie Saltburn: its ugly sounds, disgusting pottery, and grotesque sexiness. Along the way they argue and laugh about misophonia, eyelid real estate, what "posh" is, Barry Keoghan's penis, and Skorts.
Send emails confirming Oxford tutorial methodology to beautychroniclespod@gmail.com (beautychroniclespod@gmail.com)
Skorts:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skort (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skort)
Bernard Palissy pottery:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Palissy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Palissy)
27 Sept 2023
Ghost in the Glitterati: Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala
In this episode Carla and Meredith talk about what the Met Gala is and why it's important, and ALL of Kim's outfits(!) but especially the meanings behind that blacker-than-black one from 2021.
References:
- Wissinger, E. (2015). This year's model: Fashion, media, and the making of glamour. NY:NYU Press.
- Wissinger, E. (2016). Glamour labour in the Age of Kardashian. Critical Studies in Fashion & Beauty, 7(2), 141-152.
5 Sept 2023
Fear of a Fat Planet: Ozempic, Racism, and the Body Mass Index
Is the desire to be thin racist?
In this episode we talk about the origins of thinness as a beauty ideal, why the BMI is problematic, the rise of Ozempic, and the "Ozempic Face". As usual, you can expect to be both enlightened and disgusted.
Links:
BOOK: Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, by Sabrina Strings. NYU Press, 2019. https://nyupress.org/9781479886753/fearing-the-black-body/ (https://nyupress.org/9781479886753/fearing-the-black-body/)
PODCAST: Maintenance Phase "The Body Mass Index", by Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes, 2021. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Hm6oJt40eeAHhKseCtju8 (https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Hm6oJt40eeAHhKseCtju8)
BOOK REVIEW: Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, by Hannah Carlan. UCLA Centre for the Study of Women, Barbara Streisand Centre, 2020.https://csw.ucla.edu/2020/11/23/fearing-the-black-body-the-racial-origins-of-fat-phobia-by-sabrina-strings-nyu-press-2019/ (https://csw.ucla.edu/2020/11/23/fearing-the-black-body-the-racial-origins-of-fat-phobia-by-sabrina-strings-nyu-press-2019/)
Music provided by SoundKit, from Pond5
https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-music/item/89259782-funk-action (https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-music/item/89259782-funk-action)
18 Aug 2023
Don't Forget to Say Your Prayers
In this episode we discuss Kardashian genesis stories, links between Kristianity and notions of beauty, and the saints and sinners of the family.
Surprise From Heaven: Kanye West Surprises Kim Kardashian With Hologram From Dad On 40th Birthday (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mumSFH5zqnk)
Music provided by SoundKit, from Pond5
https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-music/item/89259782-funk-action
5 Aug 2023
We are all Weird Barbie
In this episode Meredith and Carla talk about dolls, vulvas, cosmetic surgery, and why the Barbie movie made them feel sad and angry.
Music provided by SoundKit, from Pond5
https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-music/item/89259782-funk-action
25 Jul 2023
Before/After and the Erotic Between
In this episode Meredith examines before/after photos – a familiar visual trope in cosmetic surgery.
Why is before/after the most common way of describing cosmetic surgery?
Where has the 'between' gone and is it coming back?
And what does this have to do with eroticism, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty?
Correction: Kathryn Pauly Morgan’s article was published in 1991 (not 1990).
Details: ‘Women and the Knife: Cosmetic Surgery and the Colonization of Women's Bodies’ (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1527-2001.1991.tb00254.x), in Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, Volume 6, Issue 3 (Special Issue: ‘Feminism and the Body’), pages 25-53.
The other piece mentioned is Over her dead body: Death, femininity and the aesthetic (https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719038273/), by Elisabeth Bronfen, 1992, Manchester University Press.
Music provided by SoundKit, from Pond5
https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-music/item/89259782-funk-action
14 Jul 2023
Rise and Fall of the Brazilian Butt Lift
In this first episode Meredith delves into the Brazilian Butt Lift: What is this cosmetic surgery procedure, how is it done, why does it exist? We talk about body fashions and what people in different times and places think is beautiful. Warning: gory descriptions.
Music provided by SoundKit, from Pond5
https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-music/item/89259782-funk-action
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
333
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
8
Social presence
0
YouTube
64
Engagement
60
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