Only Ugly Girls Want the Vote: Beauty and femininity in US politics
Beauty is always political, but when women enter the political arena, physical appearance takes on a whole new dimension. From the women’s suffrage movement to bra burning to republican makeup and tradwives, we’ll explore the ways beauty and the performance of femininity have been weaponized, scrutinized, and emphasized in the world of politics. Strap on your god damn bicycle waist, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
You can find all of the images discussed in this episode on our instagram @VanityVeritasPod
24 Nov 2025
Hang Onto Your Shoe-Hats: The Life and Times of Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa “Schiap” Schiaparelli was the enfant terrible of the 1930s Paris couture scene. Still, after World War II, she fell into relative obscurity, only to have her name and legacy revived nearly a century later. Who was this singular artist? Why did she fall off the map, and what can it tell us about the politics of women’s fashion? We look to her 1954 memoir, Shocking Life, for answers. Spoiler alert: she’s a very unreliable narrator.
You can find all of the images discussed in this episode on our instagram @VanityVeritasPod
21 Oct 2025
Say Yes to the Mess: A Vanity Veritas Wedding Extravaganza
Say Yes to the Mess: A Vanity Veritas Wedding Extravaganza
In our Season 2 kickoff, we take a tour through the strange and diabolical history of weddings in the western world. From staged kidnappings to influencers to disposable dresses to drinking out of chamberpots, we’ll examine the surprising origins of some of our most beloved matrimonial traditions. It’s the most important day of your life, so don’t fuck it up!
All images from this episode can be found on our social media @VanityVeritasPod
18 Dec 2024
Introducing Ourselves: Who We Are, How We Got Here, and the Hills We'll Die On
Vanity Veritas hosts Chelsea Feltman, Kristina Cole Geddes, and Elizabeth Urbanczyk share their personal stories and philosophies, revealing the values that drive their unfiltered conversations about life, beauty, and culture.
4 Dec 2024
It's Better to be Looked Over than Overlooked: The Indomitable Mae West
Mae West and industry experts examine her trailblazing impact on popular representations of femininity and sexuality, challenging conventional norms of beauty and desire.
18 Nov 2024
Maria Callas: The Rise and Fall of an Opera Diva
Nearly 50 years after her death, Maria Callas remains one of the most iconic opera singers of all time, not just for her voice, but for her striking image. But who was she underneath that impossibly chic facade? In this episode, we examine opera’s most famous It Girl and attempt to unravel myths, misconceptions, and tiresome tropes about suffering artists, jilted women, and temperamental divas.
CW for conversations about fatphobia and weight loss.
All images from this episode can be found on our social media @VanityVeritasPod
28 Oct 2024
Tuberculosis: Angel Wings, Idiot Sleeves, and a Dumptruck Ass
Before there was heroin chic, there was consumptive chic. How did an objectively horrifying bacterial infection become the height of fashion and a marker of moral superiority, and why does it continue to matter today? In this episode, we discuss the surprising history of TB and its unfortunate, indelible effect on Western beauty standards.
CONTENT WARNING:
This episode contains graphic conversations regarding illness, weight loss, fat phobia, skeletal deformities, body dysmorphia and death.
[31:00-38:00] Death of a parent
All images from this episode can be found on our social media @VanityVeritasPod
Special thanks to our resources for this episode!
Consumptive Chic by Carolyn A. Day
Making Faces by Lisa Eldridge
Makeup A Glamorous History by Lisa Eldridge
Erin Parsons video essays on her Youtube Channel
Abby Cox
Georgian Makeup Tutorial & Queen Victoria Makeup Tutorial by Amber Butchart & Rebecca Butterworth on English Heritage
Fashion Victims: The Dangers of Dress Past and Present by Allison Matthews Davis
14 Oct 2024
Simply The Breast: A TIT-illating History From Wet Nurses to Silicone
Breasts. Bosoms. Boobies. If you don’t have them, you probably know someone who does. In this episode, we attempt to free the proverbial nipple by examining how cultural attitudes toward ta tas have evolved over the past half-millennium.
CONTENT WARNING:
This episode contains graphic conversations regarding surgery, as well as discussions on body dysmorphia, misogyny, and fat phobia.
All images from this episode can be found on our social media @VanityVeritasPod
30 Sept 2024
All Mantis Shrimps are Bright Springs: The Long and Strange History of Color Season Analysis
Color season analysis has gone from a cringe 80s relic to a TikTok phenomenon seemingly out of nowhere. Where did it come from and why is it back with a vengeance? Is color theory really science? Do we have colorisma? In this episode, we dive into the history of this recently revived practice and discuss why it has us in a chokehold.
CONTENT WARNING:
46:30- Body dysmorphia/Kibbe Body Types/Weight loss/ Fat Phobia
52:38- Diet/Weight Loss/ Fat Phobia/Body Dysmorphia
68:40- Fat Phobia/Body Dysmorphia
70:00- Fat Phobia/Body Dysmorphia/Fat Phobic Language
IMAGES FROM THIS EPISODE!
Follow us on social media @vanityveritaspod
16 Sept 2024
Give the Lady What She Wants: How Department Stores Changed How and Why We Shop
Give the lady what she wants! In our inaugural episode, we dive into a fascinating chapter of retail history. How did department stores come to be, and how did women shop before their inception? How have these mega meccas of commerce forever changed the ways we consume, socialize, and define ourselves? Are we all just living in the world that Harry Selfridge created???
CONTENT WARNING:
Sizing, fat phobia, body dysmorphia [47:49-1:06:56]
Curious about the images we're talking about?? Check them out on our Instagram:
I Want To See Those Images!
Follow us on social media @vanityveritaspod
12 Sept 2024
Vanity Veritas - Official Trailer
A sneak peak at Vanity Veritas, the show where three vain friends dive into the history of beauty, fashion, and culture trying to figure out how we got here and why we care so damn much. Each episode will present a topic related to historical fads, fashion icons, and beauty standards in an attempt to connect the past with the present. Always asking: does anything ever really change?
Hosted by Chelsea Feltman, Elizabeth Urbanczyk, and Kristina Cole Geddes.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
17 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
13 ratings
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