Drop Dead Gorgeous
For hundreds of years, we’ve been dying to be beautiful. Sometimes literally. This podcast is a 24-part deep dive into the dark history of the beauty industry, the price we pay for perfection, the societal pressures that drive us to pay that price, and what it says about us.
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Episodes
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
Back in the age of glamour, radium was all the rage. Sure, it was highly radioactive, but boy did it make you glow. And glow was in. This is the story of how an extremely dangerous substance was used in everything from watch-making to wellness products and, of course, beauty.
Thursday Jun 05, 2025
Thursday Jun 05, 2025
Step into the world of 19th-century beauty salons, where women risked everything for a flawless, pale complexion. In this episode, you’ll meet the powders and creams secretly laced with lead, mercury, and arsenic—ingredients that silently wreaked havoc on anyone who used them.