There’s something quite infuriating about the phrase “I’ll see you next time” when it comes from the glowing face of a beauty influencer, staring into …
psychology
Honesty in Flux
Elvis Presley became an Elvis impersonator before he died. Somewhere along the way, the origin blurred with the echo. He began to play the predictable, …
“Make Yourself at Home” (But Where Is That?)
There’s a phrase people say when they’re being welcoming: “make yourself at home.” But as a kid, that sentence always left me a little confused. …
Outward Bound, Homeward Changed: What Art Knows About the Before and After
Before and after photos usually focus on what changed visibly. But in this diptych, two prints of the same ship, one Outward Bound, the other Homeward Bound, …
What We Praise, We Mock
In the theater of transformation, cosmetic surgery takes center stage—but the applause isn’t evenly distributed. Some surgeries are met with awe and support. Others with …
When the “Before” is a Lie: The Psychology of Makeunders
Before-and-after photos sell a story. But it’s rarely an honest one. Scroll through any beauty ad or transformation reel and you’ll see it: the slouched …
What We Don’t Say, We Wear
Hemingway once wrote what might be the world’s shortest tragedy: For sale, baby shoes, never worn. Just six words—and yet the silence between them is deafening. It’s …
The Mirror Between Us
We like to believe we know what we look like—what we project, how we come across—until the moment someone else sees us, really sees us, …