The Dark Side of Chanel: The House of Beauty with Arabelle Sicardi
- Julia Chang
- Dec 4
- 1 min read
Beauty writer Arabelle Sicardi joins GlowJob for a brutally honest deep dive into their new book, The House of Beauty, exploring the power structures behind beauty. From NYC vs. LA beauty culture, to the explosive truth behind Coco Chanel’s anti-Semitic legacy and the Wertheimer takeover — nothing is off limits. Arabelle breaks down the politics of makeup, the ethics of beauty journalism, fragrance subcultures, immigrant labor, and why beauty is both capital and care. If you love beauty, fashion history, or cultural storytelling, this episode will blow your mind.
00:00 — Astrology Chat
01:10 — NYC vs. LA beauty culture: influencer class, transplants, discovery
05:05 — Fragrance subculture vs. mainstream beauty
05:25 — Is beauty a form of capital? Makeup, money & soft power
10:30 — Chanel’s history: fascism, anti-Semitism & the Wertheimer feud
18:20 — Beauty journalism ethics: conflicts, ad dollars & telling the truth
21:30 — What Arabelle would “burn” from the industry + what they’d save
23:55 — Nail art, immigrant labor & preserving beauty worker history
26:00 — Asian American inheritance, Chinatown, and cultural erasure
28:20 — What Arabelle hopes readers carry from The House of Beauty
29:45 — Rapid Fire: FMK
31:45 — Most repurchased products & drugstore favorites
33:00 — Fragrance talk: Mad et Len, Meo Fusciuni & scent-induced tears
34:50 — What Arabelle would tell their younger self
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