The thin line of good vs. bad plastic surgery

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 18 July 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

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Summary

What's the difference between "good" work and "bad" work? And how do we talk about the rise in plastic surgery without dehumanizing people for their choices?

Rates of plastic surgery are increasing, and minimally invasive procedures like filler and Botox are even more popular. It's also evident on social media that people (including plastic surgeons) are very comfortable speculating and commenting on other people's modifications, what procedures they might've had... and if they look busted.

Guest host B.A. Parker discusses the thorniness of beauty culture with Jessica DeFino, a beauty reporter, advice columnist at The Guardian, and writer of "The Review of Beauty" Substack, and Joan Summers, entertainment editor at Paper and co-host of the Eating for Free podcast.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
0:05.4	RWJF is a national philanthropy, working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right.
0:12.1	Learn more at RWJF.org.
0:18.2	Hello, hello.
0:19.9	You're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident.
0:29.2	I'm B.A. Parker.
0:31.1	I know you weren't expecting me.
0:33.4	I'm usually the host of NPR's Code Switch, but my good friend Brittany Luce is on vacation,
0:39.1	so I'm filling in.
0:41.5	That's a pun, because this week, we're connecting the dots between injectable fillers,
0:47.3	Love Island, and Ageism.
0:49.6	I know I know how all these things connected.
0:52.1	We're going to find out with Joan Summers, entertainment editor at Paper Magazine, and host of
0:58.8	the Eating for Free podcast, and Jessica Defino, beauty reporter, advice columnist at The Guardian
1:05.4	and writer of the review of beauty substack.
1:09.4	Joan and Jessica, welcome to It's Been a Minute.
1:12.1	Thanks so much for having us.
1:14.1	Yeah, thank you.
1:15.3	Okay, I love Love Island.
1:18.2	I re-downloaded Twitter, AKAX,
1:21.0	so I could see what people are gabbing about on there
1:22.6	while the season was going,
	...

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