Appearance Matters: The Podcast!
Episodes
105. In Conversation with Phyllida Swift - AM11 Keynote Speaker
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Appearance Matters the podcast! This month we are kicking off our Appearance Matters 11 conference series. This month Maia speaks wi...
Episode 104: Family planning when you have a heritable visible difference
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Appearance Matters: The Podcast! In this month’s episode, Ella speaks to Dr Kerry Montgomery, who is a Research Fellow at the Ce...
103: Weight-Inclusive Physical Activity
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Appearance Matters: The Podcast! In this month’s episode, Kat speaks to Dr Luciana Zuest (Towson University, US) and Dr Eva Pila (We...
102: The Visible Difference Support Hub
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Appearance Matters: The Podcast! In this month’s episode, Maia speaks to Prof. Di Harcourt about the development of The Visible Diff...
Summer Short Series: Visible Difference Parenting Toolkit
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our 2025 Summer Short Series! We're back with bitesize episodes showcasing recent work from our team at the Centre for Appearance Research!...
Summer Short Series: Appearance-Inclusive University
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our 2025 Summer Short Series! We're back with bitesize episodes showcasing recent work from our team at the Centre for Appearance Research!...
101: Appearance, Sexuality, and Gender
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Appearance Matters: the podcast! In this episode, Maia speaks to Ginny Ramseyer-Winter, an Associate Professor at the University of M...
100: Blippi's Wonderful Talent Show
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nadia, Kirsty and Harriet from CAR talk about an exciting project focused on boosting young children's body image. Links: Blippi's Wonderful Talent ...
99: Cleft Youth Camps
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Appearance Matters: The Podcast! This month’s episode focusses on a project aimed at providing peer support for young people with cl...
98: Mindful Eating
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Maia speaks to CAR's own Christine Ramsey-Wade (Associate Professor in Counselling Psychology) about her PhD exploring whether mindful eating programs...
97: Exercise & Body Image REPLAY
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This Girl Can turned 10 this year so to celebrate, we are sharing an episode from deep in our archive (ep 20!!) on exercise and body image with with T...
96: Nature Connectedness and Disordered Eating
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year from Appearance Matters: The Podcast! New year, new episode. Today, we are joined by PhD candidate and Associate Lecturer Mia Morgan fr...
95: Visible Difference Through Art
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This month Maia speaks to local Bristol artist, Gail Reid, and visible difference advocate, Amit Ghose, about a project which focussed on representing...
94: Can Social Media Influencers Improve our Body Image?
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, Abbi speaks with Dr Nicole Paraskeva and Sharon Haywood, both researchers at the Centre for Appearance Research, about an emerging re...
93: Body Image And Social Class
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, social psychologist and lecturer at Brighton University Dr Jamie Chan speaks with Nadia about body image and social class. We hope y...
92: AM10 Keynote - Prof. Phillippa Diedrichs
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Appearance Matters the Podcast! In this episode, we share the recording of one of our Appearance Matters 10 Keynote talks, delivered ...
91: Putting a Face to Appearance Research - Kathleen Bogart AM10 keynote
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Appearance Matters the Podcast! In this episode, we share the recording of one of our Appearance Matters 10 Keynote talks, delivered ...
90: Can Social Media Influencers Shape the Appearance Diversity Landscape - AM10 Panel Discussion
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Appearance Matters the Podcast! In this episode, we share the recording of our Appearance Matters 10 Conference panel discussion eve...
89: The Body Confidence Book by Prof Phillippa Diedrichs
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A slightly different kind of episode on the show this month. Nadia speaks with Professor Phillippa Diedrichs about her new book for teenagers: The Bod...
88: Representation of People with Visible Differences in the Media
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this month's episode, Abbi speaks with Dr Lise Deguire; a clinical psychologist, public speaker, author and burn survivor. Abbi and Lise discuss ...
87: CARE in Craniofacial Microsomia
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by some of the members of the CARE project team. CARE stands for Craniofacial Microsomia: Accelerating Research and Edu...
86: Body Image In Autistic Adults
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
April is Autism Acceptance Month so Nadia speaks with Phaedra Longhurst - an autistic PhD student at Angelia Ruskin University. The Links to Phaedra'...
85: Body Confident Sport
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Find out more about Body Confident Sport - two new body image programmes designed to support girls in sport settings. Nadia speaks with Dr Emily Math...
84: Living with Alopecia
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For our February episode, Abbi finds out all about Alopecia. Alopecia means hair loss and it can affect any or all areas of the body, and can be tempo...
83: How can online support aid recovery for people affected by burn injuries?
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month, we are joined by Christia Huntington, a third year PhD student at the Centre for Appearance Research, who tells us all about her PhD looki...
82: In Conversation with Prof Phillippa Diedrichs - AM10 Keynote Speaker
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Phillippa Diedrichs chats to Nadia about some career defining moments and gives some teasers for her Appearance Matters 10 Conference Keynot...
81: In Conversation with Dr Kathleen Bogart - AM10 Keynote Speaker
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kicking off our Appearance Matters 10 Conference Series, Maia speaks with A/Professor Kathleen Bogart. About Dr Kathleen Bogart Kathleen was born wit...
Summer Shorts Series: Body Image among Indonesian Girls
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the final episode in the summer shorts series! Over the summer, we’re bringing you short episodes focusing on a recently published p...
Summer Shorts Series: The Everyday Colourism Scale
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the summer shorts series! Over the summer, we’re bringing you short episodes focusing on a recently published paper by researchers a...
Summer Shorts Series: PRISM Intervention for Caregivers of Children with Craniofacial Conditions
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the summer shorts series! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you bite-sized episodes on a recently published paper fro...
Summer Shorts Series: Dove Confident Me India
30 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the summer shorts series! Over the summer, we’re bringing you short episodes focusing on a recently published paper by researchers a...
Summer Shorts Series: Bopo Instagram Content and Body Image
23 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the summer shorts series! Over the summer, we’re bringing you short episodes focusing on a recently published paper by researchers a...
Summer Shorts Series: Do congenital and acquired causes of visible differences predict outcomes?
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the summer shorts series! Over the summer, we’re bringing you short episodes focusing on a recently published paper by researchers a...
Summer Shorts Series: Impact of a Photoshoot on Perceptions of Birthmarks
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the summer shorts series! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you bite-sized episodes on a recently published paper fro...
Summer Shorts Series: Body Positive Social Media
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In response to popular demand, we have brought back our Summer Shorts Series - weekly bitesize episodes spotlighting recent studies published by membe...
80: Understanding Colourism
24 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month's episode is on colourism with UKRI Future Leaders Fellow Dr Aisha Phoenix. To keep up to date with the Understanding Colourism in young ...
79: Adults with Craniosynostosis: Creating Online Resources to Reduce Distress
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the development of the ACCORD resource, including our adult representatives, Headlines Craniofacial Support, ...
78: Tattooing And Scars
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month, we are joined by Kieran Moulton, a second year PhD student at the Centre for Appearance Research, who tells us all about his research into...
77: Experiences of UK Somali adults with visible facial differences
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month our very own Appearance Matters the podcast co-host, Bruna Costa, joins us to share insights from her doctoral research project, conducted ...
76: Warna Warni Waktu - Improving Girls' Body Confidence in Indonesia
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to hear about an exciting new body image intervention designed for adolescent girls and young women in Indonesia - Warna Warni Waktu. Guest T...
75: Living with Eczema
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month, we are exploring the experiences of children and young people living with eczema. Christine Roxburgh (CEO of charitable organisation Ecz...
Defining 'Appearance Diversity'
24 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Thematic Analysis'
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Colourism'
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! In this episode, Nadia talks about the term COLOURISM. Paper links: Prof Hunter's paper referenced in the...
Defining 'Patient And Public Involvement'
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Literature Reviewing'
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Research Ethics'
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Intersectionality'
18 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! In this episode, Nadia talks about the term intersectionality and its application to qualitative and quant...
Defining 'Research Methods'
17 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Acceptance And Commitment Therapy'
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Cognitive Behavioural Therapy'
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Psychosocial Interventions'
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Frameworks Of Adjustment In Visible Differences'
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Body Talk'
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Psychosocial Adjustment'
11 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Objectification'
10 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Appearance Pressures'
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining "Body Functionality"
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to our December Dictionary Series! In this eighth episode of the series, Nadia defines the term BODY FUNCTIONALITY. Key readings Allev...
Defining 'Positive Body Image'
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to our December Dictionary Series! In this seventh episode of the series, Nadia defines the term POSITIVE BODY IMAGE. The definition sha...
Defining 'Protected Characteristics'
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination'
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Health Psychology'
04 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Congenital and Acquired' Conditions
03 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Visible Differences'
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
Defining 'Body Image'
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our December Dictionary Series! We recognise that we reference a whole bunch of terms and theories on this podcast and felt it was time to...
74: Self-Objectification in Girls
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This month, we are joined by Dr Elizabeth Daniels, Associate Professor from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Beth talks to Abbi about her...
73: Appearance Inclusive Universities
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This month, Bruna and Maia discuss how to make a university appearance inclusive. The Centre for Appearance Research (CAR), alongside other staff at t...
72: Let's Talk About Statistics!
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to hear a conversation all about statistics with Dr Caterina Gentili PhD - our resident Data Analyst and Data Manager at Centre for Appearance...
Summer Shorts Series: Body Image Comic Books for Indian Adolescents
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to our final Summer Shorts! We hope you have enjoyed the series. On this episode, Nadia speaks with Dr Helena Lewis Smith, Farheen Hasan...
Summer Shorts Series: Measuring the Influence of Social Media on Body Image
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Summer Shorts! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you 10 bite-sized episodes on a recently published paper from differ...
Summer Shorts Series: Men, Body Image and Eating Disorder Symptoms
18 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Summer Shorts! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you 10 bite-sized episodes on a recently published paper from differ...
Summer Short Series: ACT It Out - A Feasibility Study for a Prototype App
11 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the summer shorts series! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you 10 bite-sized episodes on a recently published paper ...
Summer Shorts Series: Parent Experiences of Burn Injury Research
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the summer shorts series! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you 10 bite-sized episodes on a recently published paper ...
Summer Shorts Series: Positive Body Image
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to our summer shorts series! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you 10 bite-sized episodes on a recently published paper ...
Summer Shorts Series: The Impact of COVID on Body Image & Eating Concerns
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to our fourth episode of our summer shorts series! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you 10 bite-sized episodes on a rec...
Summer Shorts Series: Parents of Babies Born with Cleft Lip and/or Palate During COVID-19 Pandemic
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the third episode of our summer shorts series! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you 10 bite-sized episodes on a rece...
Summer Short Series: Male Breast Cancer and Informal Carers
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back for the second episode of our summer shorts series! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you 10 bite-sized episodes on a re...
Summer Shorts Series: Breast Cancer and Body Image
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing our summer shorts series! Over the summer, the CAR podcast team are bringing you 10 bite-sized episodes on a recently published paper from...
71: Men with Visible Differences
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This month, Bruna and Nadia consider what it means to be a man with a visible difference. On the episode, Bruna first speaks with Fabio Zucchelli – ...
70: Racism, Colourism, and Constructing Whiteness in Indonesia
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Having light-coloured skin has been a key feature of societal appearance ideals for women in many parts of the globe, including Indonesia - the world'...
69: Young People with CMN
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This month, we welcome a new podcast co-host – Abbi Mathews. Abbi is a Research Associate at CAR, with experience working in the area of CMN. CMN s...
68: Being a Teen with Social Media During COVID-19
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This month, the whole podcast team join together (for Jade’s final farewell!) to discuss the important topic of the impact social media has had duri...
67: Parenting a Child with Craniosynostosis
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This month, Bruna and Jade discuss the topic of craniosynostosis, with a focus on the experiences of parents of children with the condition. On the ep...
66: Topity - A Body Image Chatbot for Brazilian Adolescents
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Listen in to learn about Topity - a chatbot designed to improve body image among Brazilian adolescents. ~Timestamps~ Dr Juliana Meireles & Professor...
65: Appearance Matters 9 Keynote: Professor Esther Rothblum
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
65: Appearance Matters 9 Keynote: Professor Esther Rothblum by The Centre for Appearance Research
64: Facial Palsy
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This month, Bruna and Jade discuss the topic of facial palsy. The episode features several guests - Charles Nduka (founder of the charity Facial Palsy...
63: Ramadan, Eating Disorders, and Body Image
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ramadan - one of the five pillars of Islam - is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is characterised by a month of fasting, prayer, reflection...
62: Is a Body Confident Society Possible Amidst the ‘Ob*sity Epidemic’?
17 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to hear to Appearance Matters 9 Conference Panel Discussion: ‘is a body confident society possible amidst the ‘ob*sity epidemic’? With...
61: Medical Tattooing
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This month, Bruna and Nadia discuss the issue of medical tattooing. Guests Nicola Stock (Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Appearance Research)...
60: Appearance Equality & The Law
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What legal and non-legal changes can we introduce to protect people with a visible difference(i.e., any condition or injury which alters appearance) f...
59: Parenting a Child with a Visible Difference
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The experience of parenting a child with a visible difference is complex and so, with the help of Tina Rycroft (Mother of a child with Microtia) and M...
58: Expanding Support for Adults with a Cleft Lip and/or Palate
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This month, Bruna and Jade discuss the expansion of support for adults with a cleft lip and/or palate. Guests Nicola Stock (Senior Research Fellow at ...
57: Eating Disorders and Recovery in Lockdown
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lockdown has been particularly challenging for people living with eating disorders. Nadia and Jade find out why with eating disorder expert, Helen Wes...
56: Having A Visible Difference During Lockdown
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly a year since the first lockdown, Jade and Bruna discuss the experiences of those with a visible difference during the COVID-19 pandemic and sub...
55: Body Dissatisfaction is a Public Health Issue
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nadia and Jade speak with Dr Issy Bray (Associate Head of Department for Research and Knowledge Exchange - Department of Health and Social Sciences...
54: Body Image In India
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the last episode of 2020, Nadia and Jade learn more about body image in India from CAR colleagues: Dr Helena Lewis-Smith, Kirsty Garbett, and Farhe...
53: The History and Ethics of Face Transplants
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Nadia and Jade discuss the topic of face transplants. With the help of guest’s emeritus Professor Nicky Rumsey OBE, Dr Alex Clarke ...
52: Fostering Positive Body Image Through Children's Media
25 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nadia and Jade talk to Dr Emily Matheson and Harriet Smith about fostering positive body image through children’s media. Specifically, we hear more ...
51: Back to School... Promoting Acceptance of Appearance in Primary Schools
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s that time of year where children are headed back to school (albeit a bit different than usual) and while schools are preparing for another year...
50: Armed forces and Appearance Research
19 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nadia and Jade hear from military veteran Sergeant Simon Harmer and members of the UNITS study team at CAR to learn more about the need for support fo...