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Episode 114

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Published on:

12th Feb 2026

EP- 114- Beauty Culture in Plagues, Wars, and Full-On Chaos

I'm back! Did you miss me?

In this episode, I'm taking you on a journey through the ways beauty standards twisted and transformed during some of history's darkest moments- from the death-obsessed world of the Black Death to the patriotic glamour demanded during World War I & World War II.

We'll uncover why people clung to fragile, disciplined, or "pure" aesthetics when everything around them was falling apart. We'll talk plagues, pin-ups, propaganda, and the way modern beauty culture still mirrors those old fears.

Are. You. Ready?

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Featured AD:

If you love wandering into the stranger corners of history with me, you'll want to hear the trailer for my new narrative show, Murder Through Time: A Whodunit Across the Centuries. Each episode drops you into a different era as you unravel a real case shaped by the customs, dangers, and secrets of its time. You're not just listening, you're the detective. You'll hear the teaser in today's episode, and you can listen to the first episode right now wherever you get your podcasts.

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Sources & Further Reading:

Naomi Wolf — The Beauty Myth (1990)

Millard Meiss — Painting in Florence and Siena After the Black Death (1951)

Katherine Byrne — Tuberculosis and the Victorian Literary Imagination (2011)

Kathy Peiss — Hope in a Jar (1998)

George Mosse — Nationalism and Sexuality (1985)

Ruth Ben-Ghiat — Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present (2020)

Jia Tolentino — Trick Mirror (2019)

Oxford University Press — Women in Wartime analyses (various authors)

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Apple Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beauty-unlocked-the-podcast/id1522636282

Spotify Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/37MLxC8eRob1D0ZcgcCorA

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Follow Us on Social Media & Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

YouTube:

@beautyunlockedspodcasthour

TikTok:

tiktok.com/@beautyunlockedthepod

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Intro/Outro Music:

“Fame Inc” by Savvier — https://icons8.com/music

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About the Podcast

Beauty Unlocked the podcast
Buckle up and get ready as I delve into a variety of topics regarding physical beauty.

We'll take a look at our society's obsession with physical beauty and the consequences these impossible beauty standards have had on us.
Let's face it; this fascination regarding physical beauty and body image isn't a recent phenomenon; it has been around for centuries, crossing borders, and has affected men and women alike.
The realization of this podcast has come about by my own experiences having to deal with society's perverse notion of physical "perfection" and researching an array of topics that have intrigued me over the years.
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About your host

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Carissa Vikis

Hey there!
I'm Carissa, host, content creator, and producer of the indie podcast Beauty Unlocked.
Growing up, I was frequently compared and criticized for my looks and weight. This started the vicious cycle of being self-critical and loathing my body. I knew I wasn't the only one suffering from society's ridiculous notion of what "we should look like." I started digging deeper and researching various topics, and the rest is h(er)story!
Beauty Unlocked The Podcast aims to educate and bring awareness of our society's obsession with physical beauty and the emotional consequences these impossible beauty standards have. Beauty Unlocked's social media platform showcases not only my work but that of other artists, illustrators, and fellow podcasters that I admire and that share a similar message of inspiration, empowerment, positivity, and raising awareness on a variety of social issues.