FLESH WORLD by Jessica DeFino | Substack

Exit The Beauty Culture Matrix. Enter FLESH WORLD.

Reporting on the absurd world of beauty culture.

Jul 7, 2021 • Jessica DeFino

Recent posts

The FleshMatrix: MAGA Smells, Red Light Masks, & Love-Rage Blush

A fun little chart mapping Cosmetics, Health, Desire, & Power.

Apr 30 • Jessica DeFino

'How do I respond when friends criticize their own weight and looks?'

Read my latest Ask Ugly column!

Apr 28 • Jessica DeFino

Like We're Gonna Die Hot

The Don't Buy List: Issue #113

Apr 27 • Jessica DeFino

Recommendations

BDM

Emily Kirkpatrick

Non-Toxic Newsletter

Daniel Penny

Haley Nahman

John W Schneider

Exit the beauty culture matrix. Enter FLESH WORLD.

Features

Planned Parenthood Offers Botox Now. The Makers Of Botox Donated Over $135,000 To Politicians Who Defunded It

For Botox, bodily autonomy is marketing rather than mission.

Mar 9 • Jessica DeFino

Tyra Banks & Her Flawsome Five-Head

Watch the “ANTM” documentary with me tonight at 6pm ET!

Feb 24 • Jessica DeFino

Introducing: The FleshMatrix!

A fun little chart mapping Cosmetics, Health, Desire, & Power.

Jan 31 • Jessica DeFino

The Rick Owens Toothbrush Fell Apart In My Mouth

Jan 16 • Jessica DeFino

2026 Beauty Predictions: Fetal Skincare! 'Bleph In A Bottle'! Mouth Stuff!

The forecast for the year ahead.

Dec 31, 2025 • Jessica DeFino

The Don't Buy List

Like We're Gonna Die Hot

The Don't Buy List: Issue #113

Apr 27 • Jessica DeFino

Is Employment Making You Ugly?

The Don't Buy List: Issue #112

Apr 1 • Jessica DeFino

A Plethora of Subhuman Aesthetics

The Don't Buy List: Issue #111

Mar 18 • Jessica DeFino

Beauty x The Epstein Files

The Don't Buy List: Issue #110

Feb 19 • Jessica DeFino

The Don't Buy List: Issue #109

Jan 23 • Jessica DeFino

Ask Ugly

'How do I respond when friends criticize their own weight and looks?'

Read my latest Ask Ugly column!

Apr 28 • Jessica DeFino

Cadaver Fat Filler & The Ethics of Necrocosmetics

Read my latest Ask Ugly column!

Mar 26 • Jessica DeFino

'Help! I Can't Stop Picking At My Pimples!'

Read my latest Ask Ugly column!

Feb 26 • Jessica DeFino

'You Get The Face You Deserve'

Read my latest Ask Ugly column!

Jan 28 • Jessica DeFino

'I Lost Faith In Skincare. But How Do I Take Care Of My Face?'

Read my latest Ask Ugly column!

Dec 18, 2025 • Jessica DeFino

FleshMatrix

The FleshMatrix: MAGA Smells, Red Light Masks, & Love-Rage Blush

A fun little chart mapping Cosmetics, Health, Desire, & Power.

Apr 30 • Jessica DeFino

The FleshMatrix: Kennedy Cosplay, Lunch Break Boob Jobs, & Sexy Acne Serum

A fun little chart mapping Cosmetics, Health, Desire, & Power.

Mar 29 • Jessica DeFino

The FleshMatrix: Manosphere Models, Erewhon Botox, & Hot Girls <3 Chinese Medicine

A fun little chart mapping Cosmetics, Health, Desire, & Power.

Feb 28 • Jessica DeFino

Introducing: The FleshMatrix!

A fun little chart mapping Cosmetics, Health, Desire, & Power.

Jan 31 • Jessica DeFino

Interviews

Your Face = Ad Space

An interview with Glamour.

Nov 4, 2025 • Jessica DeFino

An interview with Marie Claire US on "keeping your lower bleph."

Oct 20, 2025 • Jessica DeFino

Erika Kirk’s Memorial Glam (Or, A Definitive Guide To MAGA Aesthetics)

Interview unlocked.

Oct 7, 2025 • Jessica DeFino

Makeover Madness!

My interview with the New York Times about the Skims Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap.

Sep 1, 2025 • Jessica DeFino

You Can't Shop Your Way To Safety

An interview with Lindsay Dahl, author of "Cleaning House: The Fight to Rid Our Homes of Toxic Chemicals".

Aug 14, 2025 • Jessica DeFino

“Yanking consumers out of the matrix made by the beauty industry.” - HuffPost

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts