Plastic surgery is a profession that seems to be almost inextricably linked with certain ideas about physical beauty in popular culture. Yet, l have often wondered whether working in the field might not give plastic surgeons a more nuanced understanding of beauty than we tend to give them credit for.

In this episode of This is Beauty Podcast, I talk to Plastic Surgeon and Researcher Dr. Michael Reilly, a double-board certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, about the subject of beauty and the role it plays in his profession and his practices, both as a cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon. How does the concept of beauty inform his work and how has his work influenced, or been influenced by, his personal philosophy of beauty?

While I have always had lots of questions on the subject, plastic surgery is a topic that I’ve always skirted on the show until now — not because it doesn’t have a place here, but because I really wanted to avoid the kind of skin-deep only conversations that can erupt when people mention beauty and plastic surgery in the same breath. In Michael, I found not only an expert on the subject of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, but someone who has clearly given the concept of beauty and its relationship to his work serious thought.

In this conversation, we discuss Michael’s work with both his cosmetic and reconstructive surgery patients and how beauty takes on different meanings depending upon the objectives of the procedure and more!

Enjoy!

• When perfection matters 
• Social media’s influence on the field of plastic surgery
• How mental health and self-esteem influence patient outcomes
• Dr. DeSilva on the Golden Ratio and the most world's most beautiful women
• Definitions of beauty 
• Bell’s Palsy and Facial Paralysis 
• Who benefits most from plastic surgery
• Why men seek plastic surgery
• Standards of physical beauty: men vs. women
• Age as a factor in procedures
• Why people elect plastic surgery

Mentioned in this episode:

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital  

The Most Beautiful Women in the World - Dr. Julian DeSilva

Bell’s Palsy and Mental Health

Psychology Today Blog: Dissecting Plastic Surgery

Social Media Drives Interest in Plastic Surgery Procedures

Plastic Surgery Can Make You More Likeable

About Today’s Guest:

Doctor Michael Reilly is a Professor of Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery at Georgetown University Medical Center and a double-board certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. His areas of expertise include both facial cosmetic surgery, including the full spectrum of minimally invasive treatments, and facial reconstructive surgery, with particular interests in the areas of nerve paralysis and microvascular reconstructive and melanoma...

Lisa Samuels Show Notes

In today’s episode of This is Beauty Podcast, transnational author, poet, theorist and filmmaker Lisa Samuels talks to me about the problematic relationship between concepts of beauty and the tool of language, and about how this dynamic shapes our understanding and experience of beauty, even as it limits our ability to fully ever know it. 

What is beauty’s relationship to knowledge and understanding in poetry, literature and art, and how has this relationship been shaped by beauty’s own intellectual history? Can beauty itself ever be considered a form of knowledge and, if so, then what is its role in helping the artist imagine the unknown? 

If you enjoy deep dives and fascinating discussions, then this episode for you. This one, in particular, is long-walk friendly :). So, grab your favorite cuppa and hit the trails for an episode that is sure to get the wheels of your mind turning as you learn how to perceive beauty in entirely new ways.

Also covered in this interview:

• Readings from the artist’s own work 
• Beauty as power and commodity
• The relationship between beauty and poetry 
• Aesthetics 
• Plato on beauty
• The poet Shelly on beauty

About Today’s Guest

Lisa Samuels is a transnational (US and New Zealand) poet, novelist, memoirist, editor, and theorist. She earned her PhD from the University of Virginia and currently teaches literature, theory, and creative writing at The University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Her work focuses on transformance and identity, how humans become signs and how language speaks the human and non-human world. Her critical essays engage with power and the body, transnationalism and displacement, and ‘imagining what we don’t know’ in theories such as membranism and distributed centrality.

Her many books include Tomorrowland, Symphony for Human Transport, The Long White Cloud of Unknowing and Breach, a response to the Covid lockdown. Her critical essays engage with power and the body, transnationalism and displacement, and ‘imagining what we don’t know’.

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Something beautiful to share? Email me at Nina@ThisIsBeautyPodcast.com. 

Find More on Lisa & Her Work Here:

Electronic Poetry Center

Pennsound

Tomorrowland

Breach

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In this episode:

In this episode of This is Beauty Podcast we sit down with writer and editor Kevin Kelly, to talk about his new book, Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier. We discuss the inspiration behind the book and explore how Kevin's love for proverbs and wisdom led him to share this advice with his children and ultimately, the world. Join us for this lively conversation as we hit some of the book’s highlights, touching on everything from optimism and imagination to beauty, art, YouTube, hot dogs and the future of A.I. 

Kevin Kelly:

Kevin Kelly (@Kevin2Kelly) is a distinguished figure in the world of technology and journalism and holds the esteemed position of Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. As a co-founder of Wired in 1993, he served as its Executive Editor during the publication's formative years, guiding the magazine to its current prominence.

Kelly's most recent work, Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier, offers a thoughtful compilation of 450 modern proverbs for a life of mindfulness and fulfillment. In addition to his literary accomplishments, he serves as co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization dedicated to fostering long-term thinking and responsible stewardship for future generations.

Show notes:

On "Being the Only":

"Don't aim to be the best. Aim to be the only, to do something that only you can do, to have a job that's hard to describe to your mom." (00:03:23)

On Mortality:

"Attend as many funerals as you can bear and listen to what people say about the departed...they mostly talk about what kind of person that person was, their character, while they were achieving." (00:05:07)

On Parenting and Discipline: 

“Let your children choose their punishments; they'll often be tougher on themselves than you would be. “(00:08:39).

On Remaining Youthful: 

The chief prevention against getting old is to remain astonished.(00:11:07)

On the Power of YouTube:

The quantity, quality, and accessibility of information on YouTube is transformative. (Examples include brain surgeons learning new techniques from their colleagues and people learning how to fix things. (00:11:57)

On Waiting in Line for Experiences (00:15:14)

On Imagination and Fear: 

Fear is fueled by a lack of imagination. (00:16:58)

On The Evolution of Humanity:

 Humanity is evolving physically and biologically faster than ever before. (00:20:50)

On The Future of AI: 

There will be no singularity. Humans are not the center of the galaxy but and edge case. Our type of thinking is specific to this planet, and other artificially created alien species will have specific minds suited to specific tasks. (00:24:52)

On Exploration vs. Optimization: Do you optimize...