Episode 125

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Published on:

4th Jun 2026

EP - 125 - We Became the Tabloids!

Why were Laetitia Casta and Aishwarya Rai criticized for their appearance at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival?

What starts as celebrity gossip quickly becomes a much bigger conversation about beauty standards, aging, body image, and social media. Because the more I looked at the comments coming out of Cannes, the more one question kept nagging at me:

Did the tabloids disappear—or did we become them?

Are. You. Ready?

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Sources & References:

Andrejevic, Mark. iSpy: Surveillance and Power in the Interactive Era. University Press of Kansas, 2007.

Andrejevic, Mark. Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched. Rowman & Littlefield, 2004.

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1972.

Bordo, Susan. Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body. University of California Press, 1993.

Dyer, Richard. Stars. British Film Institute, 1979.

Festinger, Leon. “A Theory of Social Comparison Processes.” Human Relations, vol. 7, no. 2, 1954, pp. 117–140.

Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Translated by Alan Sheridan. Vintage Books, 1977.

Gamson, Joshua. Claims to Fame: Celebrity in Contemporary America. University of California Press, 1994.

Marwick, Alice E. Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age. Yale University Press, 2013.

Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Screen, vol. 16, no. 3, 1975, pp. 6–18.

Senft, Theresa M. Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in the Age of Social Networks. Peter Lang, 2008.

Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women. William Morrow, 1991.

Articles & Reporting:

Arieux, Chloe B. “Laetitia Casta : insultes, grossophobie… ce qui s’est passé à Cannes choque.” Public, 29 May 2026.

Reporting and commentary covering public reactions to Laetitia Casta and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, including discussions of ageism, body shaming, beauty standards, and social media scrutiny.

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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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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.