No Worries If Not
To Botox or Not to Botox?
Published: 14 May 2026 at 00:00 Europe/London
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Episode notes
Botox has gone mainstream. Once exclusive to the celebrity class, it’s now marketed as routine beauty maintenance for women. When the widespread use of injectables is challenged, a common defence is “it’s her choice, and feminism is about choice, right?” But it's not that simple.
In this episode we pick apart 'choice feminism' - its origin and its impact, and we look at how to talk to our friends who get Botox with compassion and empathy.
When you picture yourself as a middle aged woman, what does she look like?
Guests: Alice Cappelle
'Meg' (not her real name)
No Worries If Not! is written, hosted and produced by Lily O'Farrell. The script editors were Jackie O'Farrell and Will Hilton, also produced by Will Hilton. Theme music composed by Meg Jenkins.
Sources:
The Double Standard of Aging, Susan Sontag (1972)
Actors warned to keep off the Botox, The Guardian (2003)
Dataclysm: Who We Are When We Think No Ones Looking, Christian Rudder (2014)
The Mandarins (Les Mandarins), Simone de Beauvoir (1954)
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