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Episode 254: Beauty and the Bird

LISTEN TO THE PLUGGED IN SHOW, EPISODE 254

Shakespeare once wrote that “Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know.”

That very statement proves its own fallacy. Because while it is beautiful, it’s not at all true. But it is influential. Living in the superficial, social-media-saturated world we do, we can imagine that, if we’re not beautiful, people won’t pay attention to us.

Today, we take a look at some entertainment offerings that push back on that notion—although they do so in some pretty ugly ways. Adam Holz will talk to Emily Tsiao, Kennedy Unthank and Bret Eckelberry about some of those pop-culture critics, including A Different Man, The Substance and Netflix’s adaptation of the YA book Uglies. And then they’ll unpack all sorts of thoughts about attraction, self-worth and where beauty really lies.

And then, Adam and I will take a look at White Bird, a truly lovely movie about a very ugly time—World War II in Nazi-dominated France.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on all of the above, too. Have you been impacted by cultural standards of beauty? How so? Do you plan to see White Bird? Give us your thoughts—good, bad and ugly—in the comment section below. Or write to us on Facebook or Instagram. Leave us a voicemail at our Plugged In Show homepage, or write us an email at [email protected].

Then, be sure to join us next week when we talk about another Netflix show, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, and explore the power and influence of video games on the broader world of entertainment. Trust me, you won’t want to miss a single word.

paul-asay
Paul Asay

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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