It's Okay to Care How Things Look. And No, You're Not Shallow.

It's Okay to Care How Things Look. And No, You're Not Shallow.

From Becoming You with Suzy Welch by NYU Stern Professor Suzy Welch

September 8, 2026 · 45 min

About this episode

Suzy explores the value of Beholderism and its societal implications on beauty and consumerism.

Suzy continues her deep dive into the 16 values from the Welch-Bristol Values Inventory with Beholderism — our desire for beautiful things: our homes, our clothes, our stuff, ourselves. It's the #4 most prevalent value in the general population, #2 for women overall, and yet it's one of the values people are most likely to feel ashamed of. Suzy walks through the data on who has it and who doesn't, shares the story of the time her Beholderism led her to knock on a Finnish mayor's door, and sits down with legendary interior designer Elizabeth Lawrence of Williams Lawrence. Then Dr. Evelyn Welch — historian, MBE, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, and Suzy's friend of 52 years — joins to explain why beauty and consumerism have been linked since long before the Renaissance. If you've ever felt silly for caring how things look, this episode is your permission slip. As a Becoming You podcast listener, use code PODCAST for 50% off The Values Bridge .  You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the ⁠Becoming You newsletter⁠ for fresh new content in one tidy package. Want more Becoming You? Check out the ⁠Becoming You book⁠ . You can follow and tag…

People in this episode

Host: Suzy Welch

Guests: Elizabeth Lawrence, Evelyn Welch

Topics covered

  • Beholderism
  • values
  • beauty
  • consumerism
  • self-acceptance

Keywords

  • Beholderism
  • values inventory
  • beauty
  • consumerism
  • self-acceptance
  • interior design
  • Suzy Welch

Sponsors

The Values Bridge

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Bristol, Williams Lawrence

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