Naked Beauty — "The Patriarchy & Beauty Standards" ft. Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs

Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Brooke DeVard
Guest: Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs (author, sociologist, gender studies scholar)

Episode Overview

Brooke DeVard leads a nuanced, deeply engaging conversation with Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs about how American patriarchy shapes beauty standards, the regressive trends in body ideals, the role of technology and media, and the enduring fight for autonomy and self-acceptance. Drawing from Dr. Tubbs' bestselling book Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden from Us, they explore the intersections of history, race, body image, motherhood, aging, and the political dimensions of self-love. The discussion is equal parts personal, cultural, and political—offering history, lived experiences, and practical insights for listeners seeking clarity and hope in a complex beauty landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State of Beauty Standards: Regression and Revolutions

(00:08–04:05)

• Brooke recalls the early 2000s obsession with thinness and diet culture, the hopeful turn toward body positivity in the 2010s, and her concern that, in 2025, beauty standards are regressing toward an exclusive focus on being "skinny," influenced by the rise of GLP-1 weight loss drugs and social media trends.
• She notes a spike in early anti-aging procedures (fillers, Botox, facelifts) and laments the narrowing of beauty ideals.

Quote:
"I have felt that as a society... we are becoming more and more regressive. Beauty standards have swung back... we're only seeing a certain size." – Brooke DeVard (00:44)

2. Personal & Family Influences on Body Image

(05:18–10:22)

• Dr. Tubbs describes her international upbringing and family-affirming environment, but how her sister's ballet career (with its intense body scrutiny) and her mom's self-criticism left lasting effects.
• Both speakers reflect on the subtle ways we transmit body anxiety—not just as parents but also as friends.

Quotes:
"Even if she wasn't passing those messages directly on to me, I picked up on them." – Dr. Tubbs (06:52)
"A mother's level of confidence impacts their children's level of confidence." – Brooke (10:22)

3. How Culture Defines Beauty: The Impact of Upbringing and Society

(11:14–13:09)

• Dr. Tubbs' studies opened her eyes to "the limits of choice": how beauty 'choices' are rarely free from outside influence.
• Her book advocates for women to make truly informed choices, understanding what systems and historic forces are shaping their options.

Quote:
"We think often, okay, we're choosing this for ourselves... But how much of that is our choice versus how much of that is somebody's made us think we have to choose that thing?" – Dr. Tubbs (12:30)

4. Technology, AI, and the Reinforcement of Patriarchy

(13:09–17:02)

• Brooke raises the commonly held belief that technology broadens beauty ideals, and Dr. Tubbs counterpoints that the tech sector intensifies patriarchal, Eurocentric norms through AI and algorithmic design.
• The Lensa AI phenomenon is discussed, exposing how women’s images are sexualized, altered, and “unclothed,” while men are depicted as empowered professionals.

Quotes:
"The algorithm likes to work with people's insecurities... because if you feel insecure... you're going to keep coming back to our platform." – Dr. Tubbs (14:38)
"Bodies were often taken and represented in the way that... women are supposed to be docile and fragile." – Dr. Tubbs (16:56)

5. The Political Dimensions of Self-Love

(17:02–18:46)

• Dr. Tubbs calls self-love a political act, necessary to break cycles of self-hatred and resist both patriarchy and capitalism. When individuals trust and accept themselves, systems that exploit insecurity lose power.

Quote:
"Self-love isn't personal; it's political... Patriarchy... relies on us hating ourselves and hating each other in order for it to maintain itself." – Dr. Tubbs (17:09)

6. The Roots of American Patriarchy

(19:53–27:15)

• Dr. Tubbs unpacks the deliberate construction of the American system to exclude and control, tracing how founding fathers wrote women out of the Constitution and purposefully erased Indigenous models of gender and power.
• They discuss how ideals about assimilation feed into respectability politics and exclusionary beauty norms, especially for Black women.

Quotes:
"The Founding Fathers knew there were other options... They very intentionally, strategically said, we are building a republic of men." – Dr. Tubbs (20:55)
"We're being tricked into protecting something that is hurting us." – Dr. Tubbs (26:10)

7. Resistance: The Power of “Black is Beautiful” & Reclaiming Beauty

(27:15–29:16)

• Brooke and Dr. Tubbs celebrate historical resistance movements like "Black is Beautiful" and the constant reinvention of beauty ideals by Black women, whose distance from patriarchal systems gave them clarity and creativity.

Quote:
"Black women have always had [the] realization... that the system as it was never served us... we can create something new." – Dr. Tubbs (27:53)

8. California, LA, and the Hyper-Scrutiny of Looks

(30:03–36:39)

• Dr. Tubbs shares her observations living in California: its culture of wellness often masks profound anxieties and a relentless focus on self-alteration (via surgery, weight loss, etc.), especially among mothers.
• Both women discuss anxieties around raising daughters in an environment where cosmetic interventions and body modification feel normalized.

Quote:
"I've never met more people... who want to alter themselves than I have in California, especially Los Angeles." – Dr. Tubbs (30:28)

9. The Serena Williams Weight Loss Ad & The Return of the Scale

(36:39–39:52)

• Both express disappointment at Serena Williams’ endorsement of GLP-1 drugs, noting how the language of the campaign ("the scale wouldn't move") signals a return to toxic, size-based ideals, even from an admired, strong Black woman.

Quotes:
"I thought we got away from the scale... seeing that language in the commercial really disappointed me." – Brooke (36:45)
"When did skinny become the replacement for healthy?" – Dr. Tubbs (37:55)

10. “Pretty Privilege,” Internalization, and Navigating the Patriarchy

(39:52–42:18)

• Both acknowledge their own privileges and complicity within beauty culture. They discuss how even historically Black beauty practices can be reclaimed, and why none of us is immune from societal influence.
• Emphasis is placed on early, consistent message-giving to children around bodily worth and autonomy.

Quote:
"We all are victims of the patriarchy. We've all internalized some messages to a degree." – Brooke (40:24)

11. Raising Confident Daughters in a Beauty-Obsessed World

(42:18–47:31)

• Sharing practical strategies—modeling self-love, emphasizing effort and intelligence, redirecting validation inward—Dr. Tubbs explains how she aims to foster resilience and self-acceptance in her own (almost four-year-old) daughter.
• The disproportionate attention paid to “exceptional” physical features—even within Black families—is exposed and critiqued.

Quotes:
"They are always watching us. They are always listening to what we're saying, how we're talking about ourselves especially." – Dr. Tubbs (42:53)
"I'm always asking her, how does it make you feel? ... That's what matters most." – Dr. Tubbs (45:22)

12. Aging, Facial “Enhancements,” and Patriarchy’s View of Women’s Value

(47:31–51:33)

• Dr. Tubbs explains how American patriarchy ties women’s value to reproductive ability, with aging women (and even men) erased or devalued.
• Highlights lack of research/support for menopause and the parallel invisibility and expectations for older men (andropause).

Quotes:
"If you're beyond reproductive age in our society... you no longer matter, literally, in the system of American patriarchy." – Dr. Tubbs (49:24)
"We discard elderly people in our nation." – Dr. Tubbs (52:51)

13. The Gender Pay Gap and The Pink Tax

(55:08–58:23)

• Quick primer on the gender pay gap, highlighting the additional layers (race, class, “pink tax” on products/services), and explaining how capitalism and patriarchy are inseparably linked.

Quote:
"Capitalism is a tool of patriarchy... one of those is going to be women don't get access to capital, and we're going to make women's lives more expensive." – Dr. Tubbs (56:59)

14. Ending on Hope: The Path to Change

(58:38–61:28)

• Despite bleak realities, Dr. Tubbs is profoundly optimistic, insisting that once we see the system as fabricated, we realize we can change our own lives and influence our communities.
• Advocates for empowered, participatory democracy in contrast to patriarchal structures.

Quotes:
"As soon as you become aware of what you are up against... you'll start to see a transition even within yourself." – Dr. Tubbs (59:06)
"What gives me hope is that we could... model a world that is anti-patriarchal in our communities." – Dr. Tubbs (60:15)

15. Self-Care, Joy, and Feeling Beautiful

(61:59–64:40)

• Dr. Tubbs shares practical self-care routines: early morning yoga, screen-free reading before bed, and embracing joyful moments with her children as forms of relaxation.
• On beauty: she feels most beautiful in athleisure, embodying comfort and confidence rather than external validation or elaborate routines.

Quote:
"Honestly, I really arrived at a place where I do just feel so beautiful always." – Dr. Tubbs (63:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Self-love isn't personal; it's political." — Dr. Tubbs (17:02)
• "I want to see women who embrace their bodies and who feel good about their bodies... look what your body's done, and I'm proud of it." — Dr. Tubbs (38:49)
• "We've all internalized some messages to a degree... what's okay to internalize versus what's not?" — Brooke (40:24)
• "As soon as you become aware of what you are up against, you can start living differently right now." — Dr. Tubbs (59:06)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:08–04:05 — Setting the stage: Regressive beauty trends and early 2000s nostalgia
• 05:18–10:22 — Growing up: Family, body image inheritance, and the ripple effect
• 13:09–17:02 — Technology and AI reinforcing patriarchal/Eurocentric beauty
• 19:53–27:15 — The structures of American patriarchy, exclusion, and assimilation
• 30:03–36:39 — Living and raising a daughter in LA’s hyper-aesthetic culture
• 36:39–39:52 — The Serena Williams/GLP-1 controversy and the return of the scale
• 47:31–51:33 — Aging, value, and invisibility in patriarchal America
• 55:08–58:23 — Gender pay gap and the pink tax: economics of exclusion
• 58:38–61:28 — Finding hope in the possibility of change
• 61:59–64:40 — Self-care rituals and defining beauty

Conclusion

The episode is a rich, accessible, and empowering exploration of the ways patriarchal systems continue to shape how women feel (and are made to feel) about their bodies, choices, and self-worth. Dr. Tubbs’ scholarship and lived experience provide clarity on the roots and mechanisms of American beauty culture—while her optimism and practical strategies offer hope for resistance and transformation, at both the personal and systemic level.

Recommendation:
Read Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden from Us for a deeper dive, and stay tuned for more conversations that blend history, society, and self-empowerment in the world of beauty.

[End of Summary]