Mess World

We’re back with a new episode of Mess World, a podcast collaboration between FLESH WORLD (by me, Jessica DeFino) and I (a fashion newsletter from Emily Kirkpatrick).Today we’re talking about: Why people suck at watching TV now [2:23], the Dieux x Fishwife collab [17:20], an Emmy’s fashion recap [22:15], Elizabeth Holmes’ “I’m Innocent!” makeover [54:00], collars and clown ruffs are having a moment [1:04:01], what the viral “grinder eye mask” controversy says about the sustainability-to-status-symbol pipeline [1:13:00], a Fashion Month overview (shoes are disappearing! eyes are getting deader! automata reign supreme!) [1:28:30], Donna Karan’s brattiness [1:40:20], and “hair makeup” at Ulta. Plus more!Media we mentioned: Masscult and Midcult [Dwight Macdonald], “The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century” [NY Times] “How The Dropout’s Makeup Team Nailed Elizabeth Holmes’s Signature Look” [W], Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison [Michel Foucault], “Fecal Matter Dreams a Fashion Dream” [NY Times], “The Sandman” [ETA Hoffman], The End of Fashion [Teri Agins]Also: We’re on YouTube now, for those who prefer to watch their podcasts!About the podcast: Mess World is a podcast by Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick that takes a critical look at the dregs of pop culture. Jessica is the writer behind FLESH WORLD, which has been called the newsletter “the beauty industry fears,” and Emily is the creator of I , a weekly roundup of the best of the worst celebrity fashion. Together, they dissect the biggest and dumbest celebrity happenings every month and give their unfiltered opinion on everything going on in the world of fashion and beauty.Subscribe to receive future podcast posts in your inbox:About the theme music: The Mess World theme song is “Hot Mess” by Carly Lind. Find more about Carly here and listen to her music here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessicadefino.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with a new name and a fresh episode of Mess World (formerly The Review of Mess): a podcast collaboration between FLESH WORLD (by me, Jessica DeFino) and I (a fashion newsletter from Emily Kirkpatrick).Today we’re talking about: The “scandal” at the mental health start-up Selena Gomez started with her mother [6:30], a very dystopian NikeSkims launch at the New York Public Library [15:00], Pamela Anderson’s capitalist absorption [33:30], Doja Cat dreams of edible lipstick [38:45], the (Emily-predicted!) rise of the “Bodies on Bodies” trend [45:30], a Fashion Month beauty recap (Simulacra Skin! China Doll Hair! What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? Makeup! Dirt! Pepto Pink! Butthead Sunnies!) [55:30], a Labubu on Karl Marx’s grave [1:16:18], and the inane “ear seeding for cortisol face” discourse [1:21:15]. Plus more!Media we mentioned: “Sick People Are Sick” [Freddie DeBoer], Dekonstructing the Kardashians: A New Media Manifesto [MJ Corey], Love, Pamela [Pamela Anderson], What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? [Tubi]Also: We’re on YouTube now, for those who prefer to watch their podcasts.About the podcast: Mess World is a podcast by Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick that takes a critical look at the dregs of pop culture. Jessica is the writer behind FLESH WORLD, which has been called the newsletter “the beauty industry fears,” and Emily is the creator of I , a weekly roundup of the best of the worst celebrity fashion. Together, they dissect the biggest and dumbest celebrity happenings every month and give their unfiltered opinion on everything going on in the world of fashion and beauty.Subscribe to receive future podcast posts in your inbox:About the theme music: The Mess World theme song is “Hot Mess” by Carly Lind. Find more about Carly here and listen to her music here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessicadefino.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another episode of The Review of Mess: a podcast collaboration between The Review of Beauty (by me, Jessica DeFino) and I (a fashion newsletter from Emily Kirkpatrick).Today we’re talking about: Our new book club!, period blood as a fashion statement (or protest) [4:55], Kim Kardashian’s Elizabeth Taylor cosplay [10:45], Revlon’s inane lip gloss collab with Guy Fieri [19:26], the panopticon of surveillance culture by way of the Coldplay cheating scandal [26:30], heat damage is the hot new hair trend [38:30], Hailey Bieber’s perioral dermatitis [42:10], The Battle of Versailles’ impact on the modeling industry [47:25], Labubu as the embodiment of Sianne Ngai’s aesthetic theory of cuteness [59:00], Schiaparelli’s unsettling beating heart dress [1:13:38], and frozen cod as skincare [1:20:35]. Plus more!Media we mentioned: The Lowbrow Book Club [Substack], So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed [Jon Ronson], So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed review [The Guardian], The Battle of Versailles [Robin Givhan], Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting [Sianne Ngai]About the podcast: The Review of Mess is a podcast by Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick that takes a critical look at the dregs of pop culture. Jessica is the writer behind The Review of Beauty, which has been called the newsletter “the beauty industry fears,” and Emily is the creator of I , a weekly roundup of the best of the worst celebrity fashion. Together, they dissect the biggest and dumbest celebrity happenings every month and give their unfiltered opinion on everything going on in the world of fashion and beauty.Subscribe to receive future podcast posts in your inbox:About the theme music: The Review of Mess theme song is “Hot Mess” by Carly Lind. Find more about Carly here and listen to her music here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessicadefino.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another episode of The Review of Mess: a podcast collaboration between The Review of Beauty (by me, Jessica DeFino) and I (a fashion newsletter from Emily Kirkpatrick). For this installment we invited Mikala Jamison, writer of the newsletter Body Type, to chat about muscle-as-accessory in the Build-A-Body era. Today we’re talking about: A final Met Gala recap [3:12]; the Cannes red carpet nipple ban [27:30]; a hermeneutic analysis of Jones Road Just Enough Tinted Moisturizer [38:30]; genderqueer outfits from Justin Bieber and Alexander Skarsgård [48:30]; faux-free bleeding from Julia Fox [54:30]; Jennifer Aniston and LolaVie’s gimmicky “No Gimmicks” campaign [58:40]; a conversation with Mikala Jamison about Sophie Turner’s muscles, Khloé Kardashian’s protein popcorn, and the absurdity of “revenge bodies” [1:06:50]; Barbie Fashion Designer CD-ROMs [1:39:45]; and DIY otoplasty [1:43:25]. Plus more!Media we mentioned: Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity [Monica L. Miller], “Black Dandyism: a Cultural History, an interview with Monica L. Miller” [Dressed: The History of Fashion Podcast], Theory of the Gimmick [Sianne Ngai]About the podcast: The Review of Mess is a podcast by Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick that takes a critical look at the dregs of pop culture. Jessica is the writer behind The Review of Beauty, which has been called the newsletter “the beauty industry fears,” and Emily is the creator of I , a weekly roundup of the best of the worst celebrity fashion. Together, they dissect the biggest and dumbest celebrity happenings every month and give their unfiltered opinion on everything going on in the world of fashion and beauty.Subscribe to receive future podcast posts in your inbox:About the theme music: The Review of Mess theme song is “Hot Mess” by Carly Lind. Find more about Carly here and listen to her music here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessicadefino.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another episode of The Review of Mess: a podcast collaboration between The Review of Beauty (by me, Jessica DeFino) and I (a fashion newsletter from Emily Kirkpatrick). For this installment, we invited writer and director Emilie Blichfeldt to talk about her new “beauty horror” film, The Ugly Stepsister, which is theaters now and will begin streaming on Shudder on May 9.Today we’re talking about: Apocalyptic steampunk fashion at Coachella [3:30]; the astounding number of beauty brand founders on Time Magazine’s list of The 100 Most Influential People of 2025 [18:45]; aesthetic recession indicators [23:57]; a horrifying/embarrassing story involving Jessica, J.K. Rowling, and this Batsheva BUTTERFACE t-shirt [39:20]; a new hole care brand called Niches & Nooks [42:00]; luxury fashion post-tariffs [51:10]; Anne Hathaway’s alleged face lift [1:02:45]; an interview with Emilie Blichfeldt on tape worms, hair loss, and ugly heroines [1:08:36]; Lauren Sanchez’s $5,750 Balenciaga coffee cup [1:40:00]; and a fun little mental breakdown that resulted in Jessica bleaching her eyebrows [1:48:45]. Plus more!Media we mentioned: “Small plate cowgirls” [American Style], Ways of Seeing [John Berger], “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” [Walter Benjamin], “Weight-Loss Drugs Like Wegovy Are Linked to Hair Loss” [TIME], “Reentering The World With Anxiety Eyebrows” [Vogue]About the podcast: The Review of Mess is a podcast by Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick that takes a critical look at the dregs of pop culture. Jessica is the writer behind The Review of Beauty, which has been called the newsletter “the beauty industry fears,” and Emily is the creator of I , a weekly roundup of the best of the worst celebrity fashion. Together, they dissect the biggest and dumbest celebrity happenings every month and give their unfiltered opinion on everything going on in the world of fashion and beauty.Subscribe to receive future podcast posts in your inbox:About the theme music: The Review of Mess theme song is “Hot Mess” by Carly Lind. Find more about Carly here and listen to her music here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessicadefino.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another episode of The Review of Mess: a podcast collaboration between The Review of Beauty (by me, Jessica DeFino) and I (a fashion newsletter from Emily Kirkpatrick). For this installment, we invited Mother Jones reporter Inae Oh to talk about “In Your Face: The Brutal Aesthetics of MAGA,” her recent investigation into Mar-a-Lago Face, conservative makeup, and more.Today we’re talking about: A potential live podcast event in NYC!, wired garments that simulate wind [5:10] and makeup that mimics weather [12:50], the irony of Allure joining Substack [13:50], the red carpet’s pleaser problem [21:25], Jacquemus and Louis Vuitton are launching beauty lines [30:22], why all beauty is “fast beauty” [33:15], Kim Kardashian covers Perfect magazine with her Tesla robot [40:40], a deep-dive into MAGA aesthetics with Inae Oh [56:00], Meghan Markle’s messy ShopMy account [1:26:40], Mindy Kaling’s ugly Kelly bag bling [1:30:50], and “butter biscuit blonde” highlights [1:34:00]. Plus more!Media we mentioned: “In Your Face: The Brutal Aesthetics of MAGA” [Mother Jones], “Why ‘Allure’ joined Substack” [Embedded], “long live the female founder” [as seen on], “Would you eat at a reSTOREant?” [Shop Rat], “Elisa’s ‘Elle Decor’ Era & Kim K’s Skky Fall” [Puck], “Influencer Brands Often Fail. Does Meghan Markle's Stand a Chance?” [Back Row]About the podcast: The Review of Mess is a podcast by Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick that takes a critical look at the dregs of pop culture. Jessica is the writer behind The Review of Beauty, which has been called the newsletter “the beauty industry fears,” and Emily is the creator of I , a weekly roundup of the best of the worst celebrity fashion. Together, they dissect the biggest and dumbest celebrity happenings every month and give their unfiltered opinion on everything going on in the world of fashion and beauty.Subscribe to receive future podcast posts in your inbox:About the theme music: The Review of Mess theme song is “Hot Mess” by Carly Lind. Find more about Carly here and listen to her music here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessicadefino.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another episode of The Review of Mess: a podcast collaboration between The Review of Beauty (by me, Jessica DeFino) and I (a fashion newsletter from Emily Kirkpatrick).Today we’re talking about: The New York Times Styles section seems suspiciously inspired by Emily (Medieval fashion is in? Fur is back? You don’t say!) [2:15], some anonymous gossip about the mainstream media site that almost published Jessica’s facial harmonization story but didn’t [15:20], tighty-whitie fashion and the adult baby boom [28:00], geometric dress shapes in the build-a-body era [37:45], a theory against “Republican makeup” [49:45], the shopping sea change and economic boycotts [1:00:55], Fashion Week beauty trends (Pagliacci-core! exhausted beauty! mouth tape lipstick! feather brows! infantilization! latex lips!) [1:21:50], Emily’s continuing feud with Deux Moi [1:33:45], and Jessica’s maybe-controversial Love Is Blind take [1:42:28]. Plus more!Media we mentioned: “Cheers! We Drank The White Lotus Grunch” [Who? Weekly], “The Cruel Kids’ Table” [New York Magazine], Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions [Edwin A. Abbott], Intact [Clare Chambers], “Forget ‘they go low, we go high’: This influencer wants Democrats to get mean” [The Washington Post], Meat Market: Female Flesh Under Capitalism [Laurie Penny], “Boyhood Is Trending” [The Review of Beauty], runway shows: Anna Sui, Ashish, Marc Jacobs, Fforme, Luar, Meruert Tolegen, Sandy Liang, Simone Rocha, Thom BrowneAbout the podcast: The Review of Mess is a podcast by Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick that takes a critical look at the dregs of pop culture. Jessica is the writer behind The Review of Beauty, which has been called the newsletter “the beauty industry fears,” and Emily is the creator of I , a weekly roundup of the best of the worst celebrity fashion. Together, they dissect the biggest and dumbest celebrity happenings every month and give their unfiltered opinion on everything going on in the world of fashion and beauty.Subscribe to receive future podcast posts in your inbox:About the theme music: The Review of Mess theme song is “Hot Mess” by Carly Lind. Find more about Carly here and listen to her music here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessicadefino.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another episode of The Review of Mess: a podcast collaboration between The Review of Beauty (by me, Jessica DeFino) and I (a fashion newsletter from Emily Kirkpatrick).Today we’re talking about: Our 2025 trend predictions already coming true [1:30], the future is ephemeral foam couture [8:30], a faux-scandalous pubic hair care campaign from Kiehl’s [15:50], the various horrors of Mr. Beast [22:00], why Coors — yes, the beer company — is entering the cosmetics space [33:40], a historical deep-dive into fascist fashion at the Trump inauguration [39:00], the right-wing obsession with cosmetic surgery [56:15], the upsetting politics of Substack executives [1:15:45], and The Ordinary’s flashy new “science” site marketing ploy [1:28:25]. Plus more!Media we mentioned: Bryan Johnson on “Project Babyface” [YouTube], “Fluids On Film” [The Cut], “A Cultural History of Slime” [LitHub], “Khloe Kardashian Goes Into WAY Too Much Detail About Her — and Her Sisters’! — Pubic Hair” [Us Weekly], Richard Avedon’s portrait of Coco Chanel, “Ivanka Trump channels Audrey Hepburn in custom Givenchy gown for 2025 Liberty Ball” [ABC News], Fashion, Desire and Anxiety: Image and Morality in the Twentieth Century by Rebecca Arnold, “What We See In Lauren Sanchez’s Cleavage” [The New Yorker], “A housekeeping note about Substack and Nazis” [Read Max], “The painful lessons I learned after The Ordinary gave me chemical burns” [Dazed Beauty]About the podcast: The Review of Mess is a podcast by Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick that takes a critical look at the dregs of pop culture. Jessica is the writer behind The Review of Beauty, which has been called the newsletter “the beauty industry fears,” and Emily is the creator of I , a weekly roundup of the best of the worst celebrity fashion. Together, they dissect the biggest and dumbest celebrity happenings every month and give their unfiltered opinion on everything going on in the world of fashion and beauty.Subscribe to receive future podcast posts in your inbox:About the theme music: The Review of Mess theme song is “Hot Mess” by Carly Lind. Find more about Carly here and listen to her music here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessicadefino.substack.com/subscribe