Podcast Episode

The Living Jewishly Podcast

Does Looking Good Mean Feeling Good? Purim and the Beauty Trap

Feb 15, 2022 Episode 65

Living Jewishly / Adrienne Gold

“There is tremendous power in knowing your worth that no amount of cosmetics and no amount of beauty products and no amount of surgery can replace.”

— Adrienne Gold

We are constantly told, and tell each other, that true beauty lies within. Yet, there are inarguable advantages to possessing external beauty. We see this not only in our modern world, but in ancient texts such as the Megillat Esther, where the heroine’s attractive visage plays no small role in helping her not only survive, but thrive within the palace and her relationship with her husband, King Achashverosh.

The darker aspects of her story include sexual coercion and patriarchal exploitation, as the King’s harem of kidnapped virgins are valued for their looks and pressured to please him, visually and otherwise. While the pressures that modern women in the West face aren’t quite as dire, the pressure to be beautiful is a major source of stress — and can lead to serious mental health issues.

This episode of Living Jewishly is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about Judaism and mental health. In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet sits down with Adrienne Gold, a trip leader with Momentum Canada and former fashion and beauty television personality, to explore the link between physical attractiveness and self worth, the psychology behind the drive for beautification, and how we can extricate ourselves from the beauty trap for good.

“It’s not only disingenuous to equate beauty with virtue, but it’s also so transitory because the standard just keeps shifting.”

— Dr. Elliot Malamet

This‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

How Esther’s agency and internalization of her worth helped her to become a victor in her story
The societal equation of physical beauty with inherent morality and virtue, and how language supports this association
The mixed messaging we receive in society and the importance of finding balance between your inner Esther and Vashti

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Highlights:‌ ‌

00:50 Intro

02:06 Adrienne Gold & internalization

06:10 Shifting standards of beauty

07:21 Esther’s agency & knowing your worth

11:25 Modern beauty messaging

14:06 Elliot’s cowboy clothing story

15:37 Beautification aims

18:44 Focus on your soul

21:30 Mixed messaging in society

25:28 Vashti & Esther