Mar-a-Lago makeover

Summary

Today, Explained – Episode: Mar-a-Lago Makeover
Release Date: April 18, 2025
Hosts: Sean Rameswaram and Noel King
Producer: Vox

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Introduction

In this episode of Today, Explained, Vox delves into the intersection of politics and aesthetics through the lens of Suzanne Lambert's viral TikTok series mocking Republican makeup techniques and Ine Oh's exploration of the "MAGA glam" phenomenon. Hosts Sean Rameswaram and Noel King guide listeners through the cultural and political implications of these trends, offering insights into how appearance and presentation play pivotal roles in contemporary political narratives.

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Suzanne Lambert’s TikTok Makeover Campaign

Suzanne Lambert, a TikTok creator, has gained significant attention by satirizing Republican makeup styles, particularly those she associates with Mar-a-Lago aesthetics. Her approach blends humor with political commentary, creating a unique space for discourse.

• Origin of the Campaign:
  Suzanne explains that her inspiration stemmed from frustration post-election. "It took me all of 10 minutes to record, edit and post where I was on vacation for my birthday. And I was just pissed off and feeling hopeless after the election," she shares (02:15).

• Makeup as Political Commentary:
  Suzanne meticulously recreates what she terms "Republican makeup" by using unconventional techniques like applying directly with hands instead of brushes, resulting in a "streaky" and "dusty" appearance (03:53). This intentional lack of polish serves as a critique of the perceived superficiality in political presentations.

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Background: From Young Republican to Vocal Critic

Suzanne's transformation from a high school Republican to a liberal advocate is a central narrative that adds depth to her online presence.

• Early Political Involvement:
  Growing up in Kennesaw, Georgia, Suzanne was actively involved in the Young Republicans during high school, a role she describes as superficial: "We would just have meetings and be like, isn't Sean Hannity cool?" (07:08).

• Shift in Beliefs:
  The turning point came with Trump's controversial behavior and policies. Suzanne recounts, "when Trump announced his run for presidency... I just felt like people should still be saying, we're still gonna vote for him, but that's bad" (08:01). An unexpected pregnancy accelerated her shift, challenging her previously held anti-choice stance and leading her to question broader Republican ideologies (08:34).

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Reaction and Impact of Suzanne’s Mocking

Suzanne’s satirical videos elicited mixed reactions, predominantly polarized along political lines.

• Republican Backlash:
  Some Republicans reacted negatively, expressing disappointment. "Oh, I thought y'all were the party of love and kindness," Suzanne notes (05:34). However, she also mentions that a few appreciated the humor: "Some of them, like, to their credit, were like, okay, like, this is actually funny" (05:39).

• Support from the Left:
  On the other hand, her content resonated deeply with liberal audiences, who saw it as a refreshing shift. "There's an overwhelming sense of, like, oh my God, we're finally talking a little shit," she observes (06:24).

• Cross-Political Following:
  Interestingly, Suzanne has garnered followers across the political spectrum. "I have Republicans who follow me who will also ask me questions and advice," she remarks, highlighting the complexity of political discourse in the digital age (12:02).

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Ine Oh’s Analysis: The Aesthetics of Power in the MAGA Era

Ine Oh, Senior Editor at Mother Jones, provides a scholarly perspective on the visual presentation of MAGA supporters and those in Donald Trump’s inner circle.

• Defining MAGA Aesthetics:
  Ine describes the aesthetic as "overly taught faces" with "puffed up lips, lots of apparent use of Botox fillers," leading to a "cyborgian" appearance gone awry (15:15). She draws parallels to South Korean beauty standards, emphasizing the global influence of such aesthetics.

• Political Implications:
  The appearance is not merely superficial but carries political weight. Ine posits, "The image is political," stressing that the crafted appearance serves to reinforce traditional gender norms and align with Trump's brand of power (21:13).

• Case Studies:
  She cites figures like Kristi Noem and Lara Trump as exemplars of this trend, noting their use of cosmetic enhancements to project a specific image. "They want to shock. They want to make it look good," Ine explains (19:51).

• Balancing Critique and Compassion:
  Ine acknowledges the fine line between critiquing political aesthetics and engaging in personal attacks. However, she argues that the political significance of these appearances justifies the scrutiny. "What's going on with this MAGA aesthetic is political. The image that they're crafting is political," she asserts (22:34).

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Intersection of Personal Identity and Political Expression

Both Suzanne and Ine explore how personal identity and political alignment shape and are shaped by appearance.

• Suzanne’s Personal Journey:
  Suzanne reflects on her evolving identity, stating, "I want people to be able to see, like, oh no. I actually did used to think what you think. So, like, I get why you think that way. Here's why that's wrong, though," highlighting her role as both critic and former insider (09:47).

• Ine’s Empathy and Analysis:
  Ine connects her personal experiences with broader societal pressures, noting her own contemplation of cosmetic procedures and how seeing others conform to specific beauty standards helped her empathize with those perpetuating the MAGA aesthetic (16:27).

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Conclusion

The episode skillfully navigates the nuanced relationship between appearance and politics, illustrating how makeup and aesthetics serve as tools for both personal expression and political messaging. Suzanne Lambert’s satirical TikTok series and Ine Oh’s analytical approach provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the cultural landscape shaped by political aesthetics.

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Notable Quotes

• Suzanne Lambert at [02:15]:
  "It took me all of 10 minutes to record, edit and post where I was on vacation for my birthday. And I was just pissed off and feeling hopeless after the election."

• Suzanne Lambert at [07:08]:
  "So I was the president of Young Republicans, which didn't really mean anything. We would just, like, have meetings and be like, isn't Sean Hannity cool?"

• Ine Oh at [15:15]:
  "The image is political. The image that they're crafting is political."

• Suzanne Lambert at [22:34]:
  "What's going on with this MAGA aesthetic is political. The image that they're crafting is political."

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Additional Contributors

• Production Team: Gabrielle Burbay (Producer), Amina Al Saadi (Editor), Laura Bullard (Fax), Patrick Boyd and Andrea Christensdotter (Sound), among others.
• Music: Breakmaster Cylinder

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Follow & Connect:

• Suzanne Lambert: TikTok
• Ine Oh: MotherJones.com

Feedback:
For questions or comments about the show, email NoelingMail.net.

Support the Show:
Listen ad-free by signing up at vox.com/members.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the "Mar-a-Lago Makeover" episode of Today, Explained, offering a comprehensive overview for those who haven't tuned in.

Transcript

[Suzanne Lambert]

You are not doing this because you enjoy it. You're doing this because you're trying to fulfill a weird obligation to, like, the patriarchy.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Oh, okay.

[Suzanne Lambert]

Oh, look at you. Oh, yep, that's perfect. It doesn't match your undertones. Yeah, we don't have attention to detail over here, as evidenced by certain group chats.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Am I gonna look less crazy at some point? No, you kind of look intense too, actually.

[Suzanne Lambert]

Okay, so I just added some muddy bronzer. Cool.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Okay.

[Suzanne Lambert]

You know, when you're. When you're filming glam videos with Border Patrol, you can't always bring all your. So this is very authentic to how they might do it in the car.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

For example, I accidentally just colored in my entire eyelid.

[Suzanne Lambert]

That's fine. They love eyeliner over there.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

I hit my eyeball. Oh, no, it's okay. I'll make it.

[Suzanne Lambert]

I look like I'm ready to go vote to take away my own rights.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Hi, we're doing Mar a Lago makeovers on Today Explained. Join us. This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. It's tax season and we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's one you need to $16.5 billion. That's how much the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last year. Now here's a good number.

[Ine Oh]

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[Sean Ramaswaram]

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[Suzanne Lambert]

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[Ine Oh]

Good morning.

[Suzanne Lambert]

Okay, we're feeling well rested and hydrated and we are going to get ready.

[Ine Oh]

For the day on Today Explained.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

For Suzanne Lambert, it all started with TikTok.

[Suzanne Lambert]

Anyone who creates any kind of online content I feel like can relate to this. It was a video that I filmed on such a whim. Hey, I noticed that all of the Republican girlies in my comments do their makeup the exact same gorgeous way. So I thought that I would try to do it myself. It took me all of 10 minutes to record, edit and post where I was on vacation for my birthday. And I was just pissed off and feeling hopeless after the election. Starting with the base, I'm not going to do any prep at all. We really want our makeup to cling to any dry spots and accentuate any texture that we might have. And seeing the way that people were messaging online, it was, like, not out here to spread, like, hate.

[Ine Oh]

You know, we're all here to spread love.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

So please be respectful and be kind to each other, because the person who sits in the Oval Office, they come and go every four or eight years.

[Suzanne Lambert]

All of those things are great. But I was like, this isn't what I want to say. And I feel like the people who kind of caused us to be in this predicament in the first place have learned nothing, right? They haven't learned as far as messaging and what works and what doesn't, what people really want to see from Democrats and from the left. So I posted a video essentially saying, like, not all of us were meant to be Michelle Obama. Jack Schlossberg, liberals. Some of us were meant to be Regina George. Liberals. Lucille Bluth, Principal Eva Coleman. Some of us have some bite to us that we've really been suppressing because y'all told us that we had to. Everyone's getting on here now being like, oh, liberals need to be meaner. Democrats need to be meaner. Say less. Babe, do you know how many reform mean girls have been waiting for this exact moment in time?

[Sean Ramaswaram]

And where did you go from there?

[Suzanne Lambert]

Well, from there, I finally was like, okay, I have a plan for this, and I have a roadmap for what this looks like and how people can start fighting back and what that really looks like. So I just started making more videos. Rather than using a brush, we're actually just going to apply directly to the skin and use our hands that way. It's streaky. It doesn't blend well. I also applied extra tanner to my hands so that it doesn't actually, actually match anything. Some of those videos were, you know, making fun of Republican makeup. You'll notice that it's also really matte. I wanted a really matte finish. It's giving drained. It's giving dusty. Some of those videos were making fun of politicians in particular. Everyone's asking me to do Caroline Levitt's makeup from yesterday. But the problem is I just don't have the right products. Because when I'm gleefully taking away school lunches from kids and defunding childhood cancer research, I try not to look so jaundiced. Me personally, some of it was just Talking about our frustrations. But I. I think in a way that if I had done it prior to the election, it just, like, it would not have worked. People would have hated me for it.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

So you just said Republican makeup. For people who are maybe unaware, what exactly is Republican makeup?

[Suzanne Lambert]

It's characterized by, like, lack of. I just say matte and flat, dry, bland. We want to make sure that it doesn't look like we've ever used moisturizer once in our life. Big block eyebrows for brows. We want bold glamour filter, but in real life and not.

[Ine Oh]

Not totally matching.

[Suzanne Lambert]

They love some eyeliner over there. Just, like, a general lack of moisture, including the lipstick. It's crazy.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

And how did people respond when you decided to mock Republican makeup?

[Suzanne Lambert]

I mean, predictably, right? Republicans had a little hissy fit over it, right? Talking about how, oh, I thought y'all. I thought y'all were the party of love and kindness. And I was like, no, look at my pinned video. I literally said, you don't fight fire with a little drippy water hose. You fight fire with equal exertion of force. Some of them, like, to their credit, were like, okay, like, this is. This is actually funny. And I. I do have Republicans who follow me, and I think from the left, there was an overwhelming sense of, like, oh, my God, we're finally talking a little shit. Because I've been ready for this. I just went down the Suzanne Lambert rabbit hole, and I'm obsessed. Why am I just finding her, like, she is my hero.

[Ine Oh]

She got an automatic follow from me. Because, bitch, we absolutely need a Regina.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

George of the Democrats.

[Suzanne Lambert]

What I will say what I find funny and interesting is it's white conservative women and white liberal women who get mad at me. That's. That's it. Almost without exception, right? I'm not going to speak for everyone.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Interesting.

[Suzanne Lambert]

They have the exact same talk track, which is, we shouldn't be bullying other women, and we shouldn't be bringing them down. I think that's really interesting that they. That they share that. That commonality and that way of thinking. But, yeah, they'll be like, this is mean. And I'm like, I don't. I don't care.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

I heard a rumor that you used to be a Republican, that you were the president of. Of the Young Republicans. In college, maybe. Are you?

[Suzanne Lambert]

No. High school.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

High school in high school, yeah.

[Suzanne Lambert]

So I grew up in a town called Kennesaw, Georgia. It's. It's like the law to own a gun, for example. That's our slogan. It's the law In Ken, History teacher, was the football coach who also sponsored, you know, the Christian club that met at the school. So everything was taught from this, like, white evangelical lens. Yeah. And I was the president of Young Republicans, which didn't really mean anything. We would just, like, have meetings and be like, isn't Sean Hannity cool? And it's like, why does a 17 year old know who Sean Hannity is?

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Like, and how did you go from being a, you know, high school Republican and a college Republican to being a liberal woman? What happened? Was it the makeup?

[Suzanne Lambert]

No, but, like, honestly. And it was a gradual unraveling.

[Ine Oh]

Right?

[Suzanne Lambert]

But it was when Trump announced his run for presidency, and it was when his tapes came out where he was talking about, you know, assaulting women. And no one was, like, that bothered by it. And I was like, hold on, hold on, hold on. I feel like people should still be saying, we're still gonna vote for him, but that's bad. Like, like, that's like bottom of the barrel, like, bar of what I was looking for. And then I got pregnant unexpectedly. Didn't. Didn't want to be pregnant. Right.

[Ine Oh]

That.

[Suzanne Lambert]

That obviously accelerates a lot of things as well, because, like, I was super vocally anti choice, you know, because that's, that's what I'd been taught. I'd never really heard stories of women exercising their right to choose. And I thought of them as being, like, lazy and irresponsible, all the things that you're taught, and then you get pregnant all of a sudden, and it's like, oh, yeah, no, I, I don't want. I don't want a kid. Right? Like that. Like, there was not even a second where I questioned it, and I've never questioned it. So then it was like, okay, so if I was wrong about that and they were wrong about that, what else were they wrong about? And then it just, it all unravels really quickly as soon as you dig just, like a little under the surface. And I think that's also why, given how vocal I was in the past about my views, it's why I'm so vocal now. One, because I'm kind of like, I grew up Catholic, right? I'm like, this is my penance. I, like, I ran my mouth a lot back then. I need to run it twice as much now. But also, I think I want people to be able to see, like, oh, no. Like, I actually did used to think what you think. So, like, I get why you think that way. Here's why that's wrong, though.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

You said you came, you started doing the mean thing after the election, of course, it was a few months before the second Trump administration entered office, but since they've entered office, there have been a lot of mean things happening. You could argue, you know, Elon Musk saying he needs to take a chainsaw to usaid, an agency that literally keeps the poorest people on earth alive, is mean. Deporting people who are here legally for things they may have written, exercising their. Their First Amendment free speech rights, you could argue, is. Is quite mean. Taking photo ops in front of prisoners in an El Salvador in prison, who.

[Suzanne Lambert]

Apparently, with your $50,000 Rolex and your.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Mismatched extension, didn't even commit a crime, other than entering this country without papers, arguably quite mean. Have you seen people come around to the meanness thing in the intervening months since the Trump administration took office?

[Suzanne Lambert]

Yeah, and I have said exactly what you just said. Like, hey, if we want to have a mean competition of who's meaner, it's such an absurd conversation to even have given everything that they're doing and the way that you could have listed hundreds of more things. I mean, right. I would say on the left, people have come around. I would say they are uncomfortable, which I think is okay. But for the ones who haven't come around, those. Those aren't the people I'm trying to reach. I'm not trying to reach the people who are trying to draw a line at critiquing makeup, not weight, not, like, not, you know, making racist comments. I've never done, like, anything of that sort. We are talking about mutable choices that you can change. I have Republicans who follow me who will also ask me questions and advice. They'll be like, I'm Republican. But this tutorial was actually the most helpful tutorial I've watched in terms of what not to do. And I'm like, I'll have you around, which surprises me. But I think it's also what we haven't done before, which is talk about politics alongside topics that are maybe a bit more accessible and entertaining and, like, interesting.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Yeah, well, I was entertained and I definitely look very interesting now. So thank you so much, Suzanne, for taking me and our audience on this journey.

[Suzanne Lambert]

I think you should go take a lap around the office and show off your work.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

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[Ine Oh]

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[Suzanne Lambert]

My mom used to say to me.

[Ine Oh]

As I was growing up, set your own agenda or someone else will. I know society is better off when women are in positions of power. I really enjoy this conversation because it's an interesting moment where women in technology are having much more of an important impact than men who are still moving fast and breaking things. Have a listen to on with Kara Swisher. Wherever you get your podcasts, this is TODAY Explained.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

All right, so Suzanne Lambert is making fun of Republican makeup on TikTok for the LOLs, but also to process this political moment of ours and her feelings about it. Ine oh has been writing about MAGA glam for Mother Jones because it's her job.

[Ine Oh]

So, you know, it has been disparagingly called Mar a Lago face. I would describe it as something of a phenomenon, a trend in the physical appearance of those who support Donald Trump. And whether that's, you know, you being in a prominent position of power or, you know, simply like an everyday MAGA supporter trying to express affinity or membership with his politics. But the aesthetic, if you want, like, specifically, like, overly taught faces, I would say, is like a big thing. Puffed up lips, lots of apparent use of Botox fillers and. Yeah. And then that makeup that you were talking about. And for me, when I think about it, the effect is this, like, cyborgian, like, smoothness sort of gone wrong, though. And, you know, for legal reasons. Yeah. I cannot say for a fact that any of these people that I mention or that come to mind have gotten these procedures, but it feels apparent, and it feels not just because of the way they look now, but if you compare their faces to maybe five, ten years ago, they look drastically different.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Oh, who's a good example of that? Who can we look up a before and after on?

[Ine Oh]

Well, Kristi Noem is a huge one, and she has admitted to dental work. Well, hi, I'm Kristi Noem. I'm the governor of South Dakota, and had the opportunity to come to Smile Texas to fix my teeth, which has been absolutely amazing for years. Lara Trump is another one that people mention.

[Suzanne Lambert]

Good evening.

[Ine Oh]

Hope you're having a great Saturday night. And welcome to MyView. I'm Lara Trump, and I'm excited to welcome you to our inaugural episode. Kimberly Guilfoyle. I believe that's how you pronounce it.

[Suzanne Lambert]

Ladies and gentlemen, lovers of liberty and.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Freedom and the American dream.

[Suzanne Lambert]

This is our last chance to make America great again.

[Ine Oh]

And then also Matt Gaetz at the rnc, specifically, you know, his, I mean, apparent use, I'll say again, of Botox was just like, what am I watching?

[Suzanne Lambert]

I've done Botox, but not then. That was a true makeup fail.

[Ine Oh]

I don't think there is any kind of official mandate that if you want to be in Donald Trump's either cabinet or just, you know, his inner circle, that you have to achieve this look. But I think that as someone who very blatantly values the appearance of someone and the aesthetics of someone, is literally obsessed with a pageantry of beauty.

[Suzanne Lambert]

I'll go backstage before a show.

[Ine Oh]

Yes.

[Suzanne Lambert]

And everyone's getting dressed and ready and everything else. And, you know, no men are anywhere. And I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant and therefore I'm inspecting it.

[Ine Oh]

I think that, you know, that you are performing a key part of his political Persona by adopting this very camera ready aesthetic. And as we know, you know, Donald Trump comes from a reality TV background.

[Suzanne Lambert]

You're fired.

[Ine Oh]

But I think it goes Like, a little more than that. You know, this is someone who, I don't know if you saw the way he's like, transformed the Oval Office with like extreme gold trimming. Gold, all gold look.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Yeah.

[Ine Oh]

And like not an inch of the wall is, like, not covered in these huge over the top portraits.

[Suzanne Lambert]

Throughout the years, people have tried to.

[Ine Oh]

Come up with a gold paint that.

[Suzanne Lambert]

Would look like gold. And they've never been able to do it.

[Ine Oh]

Can't do it.

[Suzanne Lambert]

You've never been able.

[Ine Oh]

Look at that look. You've never been able to match gold with gold paint. That's why it's gold that extends, you know, to the faces and the appearances of the people around him. But I think now that they are the ruling class who has been voted back into power twice, I think that the looks feel inescapable. I think that while there was some sort of discretion or subtlety or anything back in the first administration, and I mean this both in policy and aesthetics, I think that now it is just like, it is just fully out there. It is. Trump 2.0 is extreme in every way you can imagine. I think that also goes to, like, these Kristi Noem videos here at CCOT today and visiting this facility.

[Suzanne Lambert]

And first of all, I want to.

[Ine Oh]

Thank El Salvador and their president for their partnership with the United States of America to bring our terrorists here. You know, she's posing in front of these migrants who have been locked up, but she's in heels and like, perfect makeup, perfect hair.

[Suzanne Lambert]

I also want everybody to know, if.

[Ine Oh]

You come to our country illegally, this.

[Suzanne Lambert]

Is one of the consequences we could face.

[Ine Oh]

She's cosplaying ICE agent. And she, of course, is doing it with like 25 pounds of hair, only to be outdone by her 30 pounds of makeup and false eyelashes. There's no false eyelashes on an ICE raid. There are a lot of things going on there. But one of those things is, like, their appearance at these jails is, is going to create their own news cycles. You know, they, they know how this works. Mass deportations, but make it hot, make it sexy. This is what a real woman looks like. Even if she's performing a job that is maybe seen as traditionally male. You know, it's like a law and order. But hey, I can also look like a supposed quote unquote 10. This is what the ideal woman looks like. It serves many goals for Donald Trump. And she literally recalls Donald Trump telling her, like, I want your face in the ads, these crackdown ads that were going on television, like, I want your face in them. And I want you to, like, thank me for. For shutting down the border. I don't think that he cares whether or not she might have the experience or the credentials. It's. Does she have the face to carry out an extremely cruel policy, but, like, make it look good, you know, and they absolutely delight in that, and they want you to be triggered. They want to shock.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

And ultimately, what do these aesthetics that so many people in this world are chasing, like, symbolize? Is it. Is it just an affinity to, like, Donald Trump's aesthetic aesthetics, or is it something greater?

[Ine Oh]

I think it's that. I think it has a lot to do with traditional gender norms, perceived hotness as a power play, but also reaffirming the femininity of women, even if they're in power. You know, like, you don't have to be threatened by this woman of power because she is also what a weird woman looks like. It hearkens back to, like, a desire to return to a quote, unquote, golden age of American dominance. I think that you see that a lot in Donald Trump's rhetoric and what his policies are supposedly trying to do. But that's not just an aesthetics. That's also, you know, we want to return America to a pre Roe era. So it's twisted in all forms.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Unlike Suzanne Lambert, who we talked to earlier in the show, you're not a comedian. When you were writing this piece for Mother Jones, were you at all worried, you know, about toeing the line between critiquing a certain aesthetic that the most powerful people in the world right now have and being mean to people about how they're presenting themselves?

[Ine Oh]

Oh, absolutely. I'm not someone who wants to just point out a specific look or something in a woman's face that I might not agree with just for the sake of pointing that out. But what's going on with this MAGA aesthetic is political. The image is political. The image that they're crafting is political. And I think that to ignore it would be a mistake, especially when we have a president in power who is all about the appearance as opposed to the actual substance. You dovetail that with just how much more certain procedures are more accessible than they were decades past. You know, it just feels all turbocharged. And a lot of things in our politics right now feel very turbocharged. And I think to ignore what might be happening to women's literal faces around Donald Trump would be a mistake. I wrote in this piece about my own relationship to just our beauty industry and how, you know, I'm 37 years old. You know, I'm a young mother, I have a three year old. I am constantly tired. I have not gotten Botox or fillers yet, but they are certainly on my mind. I'm actually going to Korea next month. Yes, it is the plastic surgery capital of the world. Being in Seoul as a person who has not gotten the same popular procedures as many people in South Korea do, and to know what it feels like to be sort of the odd man out when it comes to a beauty standard and then feeling just kind of bad about it, you know, I think it helps me in some way empathize also with these maggot figures. Not in policy, but in terms of, you know, if you're at Mar a Lago, if you're just staying there for a week and everyone around you looks a certain way and you notice like, oh, I'm different. I don't. I can see why you would feel attracted to that look and think, oh, maybe I should do such and such too. And I think when you're constantly served a specific look and a specific beauty ideal, I see the pull.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

So maybe we don't need to be super judgmental either, but we can be judgmental about people who are posing in front of prisoners for kicks.

[Ine Oh]

Because right there the look is political and that is absolutely rife and it deserves our interrogation at the very least.

[Sean Ramaswaram]

Ine oh Senior Editor, MotherJones.com the required reading is titled in your face the brutal aesthetics of maga. You heard from Suzanne Lambert earlier in the show. You can find her on TikTok on the gram. Her handle is itsusannelambert. What else can I tell ya? Gabrielle Burbay made the show today. Amina Al Saadi edited, Laura Bullard was on fax. Patrick Boyd and Andrea Christensdotter were on sound. Abhishayartzi Hadi Miwagdi, Amanda Llewelyn, Miles Bryan, Victoria Chamberlain, Devin Schwartz, Carla Javier and Peter Balanon Rosenl also make the show with executive level supervision from Jolie Myers and Miranda Kennedy. We use music by Breakmaster Cylinder. My name's Sean Ramasvoorham. You can send me any and all complaints about the show anytime the door is open. My email is NoelingMail.net today explained is distributed by WNYC. The show is a part of Vox. If you'd like to complain about the ads on this show specifically, you can listen to us ad free by signing [e-mail] members thanks.