Exit The Beauty Culture Matrix. Enter FLESH WORLD.
Reporting on the absurd world of beauty culture.
Welcome to FLESH WORLD! (Formerly known as The Unpublishable and The Reivew of Beauty.)
What people are saying about this weekly(ish) newsletter:
“The woman the beauty industry fears.” - The Herald
“A go-to for feminist insight on cosmetics and beauty culture.” - Salon
“Jessica DeFino is really good at her job.” - Emily Sundberg
“A fierce critic.” - the Financial Review
“Yanking consumers out of the matrix made by the beauty industry.” - HuffPost
“Un-bought, highly-researched, and totally unhinged way of covering the beauty industry.” - Kate Messinger
“DeFino’s [work] is a reminder to question our relationship with beauty. Why do we do what we do? Is it being defined by society or driven by our authentic self?” - Dua Lipa
“Subscribe for witty, BS-free content.” - The Sunday Times
What is FLESH WORLD?
Hi! I’m Jessica DeFino, a former editor for the Kardashian-Jenner Official Apps (I’m sorry!) turned award-winning beauty journalist (the New York Times, the Sunday Times, the Guardian, and more). This is FLESH WORLD, a weekly(ish) newsletter reporting on the absurd world of beauty culture.
Because FLESH WORLD is reader-funded, I can skip the spon-con for cosmetic corporations and product-pushing affiliate links. Instead, I cover what traditional beauty publications don’t, won’t, or can’t — whether that’s to appease advertisers, preserve brand relationships, or cling to the conventional wisdom, outdated ideals, and marketing myths that keep consumers consuming. (Trust me, it all influences what information makes it to the mainstream.) Expect practical, political, philosophical explorations of beauty; don’t expect retinol recommendations. (This is, according to the Herald, the newsletter “the beauty industry fears.”)
Most FLESH WORLD content is completely free, but anyone interested in extra insight can become a paying subscriber for $6/month.
Paying subscribers get:
Exclusive, independent beauty reporting + the full FLESH WORLD archives
Access to the comment section and subscriber chats
The joy of supporting the culture-shifting work of The Beautywell Project, Slow Factory, and Transgender Law Center, where a portion of subscriber proceeds are donated each month
My endless gratitude for funding independent beauty reporting that isn’t beholden to brands, advertisers, algorithms, or affiliate sales
Paying subscribers say:
“This remains the best $5 I spend all month.”
"Your work has been better for me than any product I have ever purchased.”
“My therapist suggested your writing.”
“As a proud retired hot girl, this publication has done so much for me in terms of unlearning beauty bullshit and taking my time back. I have saved hundreds of dollars in products, maybe hundreds of hours of self-obsession, thanks to Jessica’s work. I truly cannot recommend reading this newsletter enough.”
“YOU MAKE THE INTERNET BEARABLE.”
Have a hot tip for FLESH WORLD? An unsettling ad, a new celebrity brand, exec-level intel? Submit it anonymously here.
The "aesthetic" fitness industry seems to be leaning more and more into the model of the beauty industry through class descriptions that promise to: slow our brainwaves down, , re-pattern old memories, expand human consciousness, to purify, release tension so that we live in harmony with Earth, shed layers that hold you back, shift your focus to feel better in your own skin. Simple language doesn't seem to cut it anymore. And, of course, beauty products are often promoted as part of the package.
https://youtu.be/8Fmhs-oIdg0
Ms. Jessica Defino, this may appear as a shameless plug - it's not, it's to show how much we are on the same page and introduce myself at the same time.
(I haven't launched my substack yet.) Also, to tell you how much I appreciate the work you are doing. This is one power place where our power lies as women and we need to use it to pivot the planet back to balance.
I have been having some good laughs for the last month as well from Unpublishable - this is a compliment. Knowing just how close comedy and tragedy tango. I'm a fan! Happy Holidays! LA from Flying Bra.