Eau No
Hello and welcome to another edition of THE DON’T BUY LIST! To start, single-sentence summaries of the month’s biggest beauty culture stories:
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On the public’s lust for Luigi Mangione:
Some people are hot and we dehumanize them (celebratory).
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On men body-shaming Sydney Sweeney:
Some people are hot and we dehumanize them (derogatory).
Or: Some men don’t want living women but static objects, dolls, playthings, pets. (What is “your body, my choice” if not something to tell a toy, or an ant under a magnifying glass?)
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On women defending Sydney Sweeney against body-shamers by saying she doesn’t deserve it because she is, in fact, hot:
Bleak. -
On Cardi B claiming she’s “a perfect 10” because she never has an “odor even when it’s that time of the month”:
Cleanliness is often aesthetic shorthand for goodness. (See also: Olfactory ethics.)
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On Azealia Banks tweeting out dental care instructions for Matty Healy:
Uncleanliness is often aesthetic shorthand for badness.
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On allegations of bullying, favoritism, and fat-shaming at influencer Matilda Djerf’s brand, Djerf Avenue:
Influencer valued for her spot at the top of the hierarchical system of beauty culture turns out to have internalized those values.
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On the beef tallow moisturizer boom and its attendant backlash:
“Is Mastercard A Queer Ally? Is This TV Show My Friend?” Is my moisturizer Republican?
On the topic of tallow, I spoke to Vogue Business for “The carnivore is back. Are vegan brands out?”And I’m on a new episode of the Never Post podcast, talking about “the capitalistic excess of self-care online.” Listen here.
Anyway! Onto the links.
IN THIS ISSUE: Beauty filter bans! Phthalates in fragrance! Dove x Crumbl Cookies! Blush is not a virtue! Matt Gaetz’s Botox is “not gender-affirming care”! Nike lipstick as an apologetic for women in sports! Fluids on film! What does it mean to be “botched”? Rejection! The Bluest Eye! Mocha Mousse! Bootyhole Brown! & more!
