Actual People
Welcome to Actual People, an unfiltered exploration of individual and societal shifts in a world undergoing tremendous change.
I open up about my own experiences in order to dive into social and cultural phenomena, positive developments, and collective pain.
We look at survival, endurance, strength, triumph and despair while imagining a future with creative joy and hope.
Each episode is dedicated to meaningful conversations about the evolving landscape of our lives and the power of our own creativity and imagination to make magic.
Actual People
006 - Exploring Beauty Standards from a Gen X Miami + New York Coming of Age
Beauty is a short lived tyranny.
- Socrates
"I put the silver stiletto in the trash. The blade started to churn and I heard the snap of wood and strain of leather rending within its metal jaws..." Beauty is sublime, rejuvenating, restorative! but impossible beauty standards can have quite an opposite and deleterious impact.
How do we foster self love and create the kind of beauty we can enjoy throughout our entire lives?
Episode 6 of Actual People invites listeners to reflect on their own relationships with beauty including shifting and contradictory societal expectations and the celebratory aspects of personal expression through makeup and color.
Chauncey mixes stories of growing up in flashy 80s Miami and coming into her own as an adult coming to terms with varying expectations and finding a path to self-acceptance and celebration.
Stay tuned for our next episode with Elise Hu, where we'll explore the beauty industry and the concept of lookism through the lens of K Beauty in her book, "Flawless."
Written, directed, and executive produced by Chauncey Zalkin. Intro/Outro sound engineered by Eric Aaron. Photography by Alonza Mitchell with Design Consulting by Paper + Screen.
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Actual People, a Podcast
www.chaunceyzalkin.com
