Welcome to Unstyled. I'm your host, Christine Barberick, co-founder and global editor-in-chief of Refinery 29.

Each week, I invite a notable person to come in and talk with us as we explore the funny, inspiring,

sometimes heartbreaking tales of life, work, and love, as told through the things that we wear.

It's been nearly 30 years since Naomi Wolfe first published her pivotal book, The Beauty Myth,

a venerable work of journalistic analysis and cultural criticism that sent shockwaves through the modern world.

She was just 28 when it hit shelves.

And the way we think about women's looks and their relationship to women's power in society has never been the same.

Though our conception of beauty has changed a lot over the last quarter century, Wolf's thesis

that we punish women who aspire to power by raising the beauty standard The conception of beauty has changed a lot over the last quarter century. Wolf's thesis,

that we punish women who aspire to power by raising the beauty standard bar to unreachable heights,

is as relevant today as it ever was. Of course, Wolf herself has changed a lot since holding up the magnifying glass to the way we perceive a pretty face. The beauty myth solidified her place in the pantheon

of professional feminists, and she led the third wave through the 90s as a thought leader, writer,

and activist. When she joined Al Gore's campaign in 2000, for one hot minute, it looked like Wolf might

end up in the White House. It didn't come to pass,

but Wolf kept on, demanding better from democracy and society at large. And in the years since her

debut, she's written seven more books, the subject of which range from positions on porn and sexuality

to politics and civic life. But even though it's clear that the written word is Wolf's most powerful weapon,

as well as the place where she's cultivated her voice as a feminist, cultural commentator,

and an outspoken mother and mentor, she's also turned her attention to online activation.

Her two-year-old website, Daily Cloud, is a place where people can go to learn more about digitally engaged democracy, starting with what that actually means, driving disruption and real grassroots change.

So the beauty myth was just the beginning, having raised two young feminists of her own, while also teaching an entire generation of young women the need to

bravely question and challenge what drives the status quo. Naomi Wolf keeps reminding us to never,

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