Vanity & Sanity

This week's caller works in video games. The first half of the call gets into the current state of the industry and what it's like building a career in something you love. Halfway through, this caller earns a spot on one of our favorite unofficial Beautiful/Anonymous lists: peopl ... Show More

It's this caller's birthday, and she has a lot to celebrate: a career she's crushing, a new house, and the chance to provide for people she loves. The conversation is funny and charming, and then the family stories start coming out. Every family has a little chaos, but hers might ... Show More

A middle school Spanish teacher calls before first period to talk with Gethard about her deskless classroom, eating chocolate in front of her students, and finding an identity beyond teaching through slam poetry. Plus: a treacherous hike and an even more treacherous situationship ... Show More

Some may think of beauty as frivolous and fun, but on this episode, we're examining a few of the ugly ways that its been used to project power.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship ... Show More

On this week's episode, we dive into pretty privilege, confidence, and how these dynamics shape friendships, relationships, and situationships. A candid conversation on self-worth, navigating connections, and owning your presence. 

This time of year, folks are being inundated with messages about how to become more beautiful. But beauty is an ever-changing goalpost that has everything do with race, class and power.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorsh ... Show More

<p>Beauty and health may seem in opposition – but in many ways, they are two sides of the same coin. In this episode we’ll hear from Dutch photographer and kickboxer Ilse Twigt on how her relationship with her body changed after fighting cancer. We’ll also hear from Dr. Nina Jabl ... Show More

Continuing on Beauty (2009), ch. 1-4. Does apprehending beauty really have to involve reason, or can it be merely sensory? If you're not hearing the full version of this part of the discussion, sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. 

Why do briefly glimpsed people appear to be more attractive? Why did portrait photographers put Vaseline on their lenses, and what does that have to do with Instagram filters? Why are thirsty people more likely to perceive something as transparent? And what does any of that have ... Show More

The value society places on physical appearance has never quite made sense to blind presenter Lyndall Bywater and yet she's intrigued to discover why it matters so much to those of us in the sighted world. How much of an advantage is it to be beautiful? And what is physical beaut ... Show More

<p>We like to tell kids, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But from a very early age, we humans are doing just that — judging others based on how they look. This week, we bring you the second part of our look at the science of beauty and talk with psychologists <a href="https:// ... Show More