By Laurie Essig

The problem with presidential elections is that they stop us from seeing what’s really going on in our culture. Obsessed with the latest wins and losses, the latest political punditry, we stop keeping our eye on the ball and get distracted by the spectacle of corporate-funded rituals of “democracy.” So while most of us were glued to the Iowa caucuses, real change was happening in the world. Read more →

Women's hatred of the way they look didn't just appear out of thin air. It was implanted in us in a variety of ways, but primarily through advertising. Read more →

Bad sociology is being used in several important court cases to attack same-sex marriage. Read more →

When Laurie Essig read the Andrew Breivik manifesto, she was struck by how much it sounded like the threatening email she regularly receives. Read more →

Whitey Bulger's long time girlfriend's concern over her appearance played a key role in the FBI's strategy to catch the fugitive. Read more →

Laurie Essig wants to know: If the world is ending, can I run up credit card debt on massages and champagne? Read more →

Thinking of using that refund check for some plastic surgery? Laurie Essig explains how the plastic surgery finance industry makes it possible for people to get surgery they can ill afford. Read more →

Laurie Essig gives a feminist response to the charge that nuclear fears are "irrational." Read more →

Laurie Essig, author of American Plastic: Boob Jobs, Credit Cards, and Our Quest for Perfection discusses the cultural and financial issues that underlie a $12 billion dollar a year industry. Read more →

So what does a tummy tuck have in common with an underwater mortgage? Laurie Essig, author of American Plastic: Boob Jobs, Credit Cards, and Our Quest for Perfection explains how and why millions of Americans choose to finance expensive cosmetic procedures that they can little afford. Read more →

Americans not only pioneered plastic money, but we have also increasingly turned to using it to finance costly "improvements" to our bodies. A new book by Laurie Essig looks at how credit, medical advances, and cultural pressure combined to fuel a huge growth in plastic surgery. Read more →