The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Lockets By Katy Kelleher Feature Lockets simultaneously display and hide. But does squirreling our love and grief away in a piece of jewelry keep the memories and emotions present for us, or minimize them?
The Living Nightmare of Homeownership By Catherine Cusick Highlight The manmade dream of owning a home wasn’t built on a solid foundation.
The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Orchids By Katy Kelleher Feature Sometimes a flower is just a flower, and sometimes it’s a powerful vehicle for giving free rein to our worst colonialist and misogynist impulses.
The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Mirrors By Katy Kelleher Feature Mirrors are sparkly and shiny and hypnotic. They’ve fascinated us for thousands of years. And they might show us a lot more about our society’s misplaced priorities than we care to see.
The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Pearls By Katy Kelleher Feature Born from irritation and intrusion, luminous and complex, surprisingly durable: pearls are rich with symbolism and saturated with pain.
The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Angora By Katy Kelleher Feature Angora rabbit fur is fluffy, and silky, and was especially popular with two influential 20th-century groups: Hollywood starlets and Nazi officers.
The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Perfume By Katy Kelleher Feature Sometimes it takes a touch of darkness to create something alluring.
