Appearance Matters: The Podcast!

The Centre for Appearance Research

Appearance Matters: The Podcast! Is the official podcast of the Centre for Appearance Research - a world leading research centre investigating body image and appearance psychology research, based at the University of the West of England in Bristol, UK. Hosted and produced by Nadia Craddock, Bruna Costa, Maia Thornton, and Abbi Mathews. New music by: https://toplinefilm.com

  1. Episode 104: Family planning when you have a heritable visible difference

    30 NOV

    Episode 104: Family planning when you have a heritable visible difference

    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 Centre for Appearance Research, about the STAR Project. Kerry’s work explores how people with conditions that affect appearance and that can be passed on to their children make decisions about starting a family.  They talk about research Kerry has carried out with prospective parents who have visible differences and genetic counsellors. Please be aware that this episode contains discussion of pregnancy, family planning, and termination, which might be sensitive for some listeners.  If you’re interested in hearing more about the Centre for Appearance conference, Appearance Matters 11 (9th – 11th of June 2026) click here:  https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/centres-and-groups/appearance/news-and-events/am-conference Photo by Warren Umoh on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/a-chain-link-fence--qycBqByWIY?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink

    41 min
  2. 103: Weight-Inclusive Physical Activity

    30 OCT

    103: Weight-Inclusive Physical Activity

    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 (Western University, Canada) about weight bias and weight stigma in sport and exercise settings, and how to make physical activity spaces more inclusive for all bodies. Dr Eva Pila: https://www.uwo.ca/fhs/kin/about/faculty/pila_e.html Body Image & Health Research Lab: https://bihlab.com/, @bihresearch (Instagram) Dr Luciana Zuest: https://www.towson.edu/chp/departments/kinesiology/facultystaff/luciana-zuest.html Weight-Inclusive Thinking for Fitness Spaces: https://www.weightinclusivethinking.com/ If you’re interested in hearing more about the Appearance Matters Conference, hosted by the Centre for Appearance Research (9th – 11th of June 2026), click here:  https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/centres-and-groups/appearance/news-and-events/am-conference Appearance Matters 11 abstract submissions are now open and the deadline is the 7th of November! Cover image by Trevor James Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com Episode developed and produced by Kat Schneider

    41 min
  3. 102: The Visible Difference Support Hub

    30 SEPT

    102: The Visible Difference Support Hub

    Welcome back to Appearance Matters: The Podcast! In this month’s episode, Maia speaks to Prof. Di Harcourt about the development of The Visible Difference Support Hub, a brand new website that is aims to provide easy access to evidence-based support for people with visible differences and their families which has been developed at CAR. Di and Maia talk about the research that has gone into creating these support resources, the development process of the support hub, and the kind of materials people can find on the website. If you’d like to explore or share The Visible Difference Support Hub please follow this link: https://visibledifferencesupporthub.com/ If you’ve spent time on The Visible Difference Support Hub and would like to provide us with some feedback, please click here: https://uwe.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_57m45grMC7LHeWa If you’re interested in hearing more about the Centre for Appearance conference, Appearance Matters 11 (9th – 11th of June 2026) click here: https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/centres-and-groups/appearance/news-and-events/am-conference Appearance Matters 11 abstract submissions are now open and the deadline is the 30th of October!

    26 min
  4. Summer Short Series: Visible Difference Parenting Toolkit

    28 AUG

    Summer Short Series: Visible Difference Parenting Toolkit

    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! In this episode, we are joined by Dr Maia Thornton, Senior Research Fellow at CAR, who tells us about her recent paper entitled: The Visible Difference Parenting Toolkit: development of an ACT-based intervention to improve the well-being of parents and caregivers of children with appearance-affecting conditions and injuries. Maia discusses a support intervention for parents of children with visible differences, which she developed during her PhD. In this episode, we also introduce two new podcast hosts. Dr Kat Schneider and Dr Ella Guest are both Senior Research Fellows at CAR who will be joining the podcast team. Read Maia's open access paper: https://academic.oup.com/jpepsy/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jpepsy/jsaf054/8205549 Find out more about the Visible Difference Support Hub https://visibledifferencesupporthub.com/ Cover image by Trevor James Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com Episode developed and produced by Maia Thornton & Ella Guest

    16 min
  5. Summer Short Series: Appearance-Inclusive University

    6 JUL

    Summer Short Series: Appearance-Inclusive University

    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! In this episode, we are joined by Emma Waite, Research Fellow at CAR, who tells us about her recent paper entitled: “Make sure that everybody feels there is a space for them”: Understanding and promoting appearance inclusivity at university." Emma discusses this qualitative piece of work and what it tells us about how we can improve appearance inclusivity in universities in a meaningful way. To read the full paper follow this link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1740144524001311 Cover image by Nada via Unsplash Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com Episode developed and produced by Maia Thornton

    12 min
  6. 101: Appearance, Sexuality, and Gender

    29 MAY

    101: Appearance, Sexuality, and Gender

    Welcome back to Appearance Matters: the podcast! In this episode, Maia speaks to Ginny Ramseyer-Winter, an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, and Savannah Roberts, a PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh. This episode focuses on appearance and body image through the lens of sexuality, sexual health, and gender. Tune in to hear a great discussion reflecting on the role of appearance ideals and body image in the context of sexual health and relationships, appearance norms across different sexualities and genders, and the importance of intersectionality. To find out more about the Centre for Appearance Research, follow us: • On Instagram: www.instagram.com/car_uwe/ • On Facebook: www.facebook.com/AppearanceResearch Cover image: Igor Rand via Unsplash Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com Episode developed and produced by Maia Thornton

    39 min
  7. 100: Blippi's Wonderful Talent Show

    13 MAY

    100: Blippi's Wonderful Talent Show

    Nadia, Kirsty and Harriet from CAR talk about an exciting project focused on boosting young children's body image. Links: Blippi's Wonderful Talent Show on Neflix https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81910281 Blippi's Wonderful Talent Show on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h281Ojvs0Bc Research Papers Protocol: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20869-z Outcomes: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2025.101851 Nadia's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadia.craddock/ Nadia's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-craddock/ Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com Episode developed & produced by Nadia Craddock

    35 min
  8. 99: Cleft Youth Camps

    1 APR

    99: Cleft Youth Camps

    Welcome back to Appearance Matters: The Podcast! This month’s episode focusses on a project aimed at providing peer support for young people with cleft lip and/or palate. Abbi is joined by Kenny Ardouin, a speech language therapist and lecturer at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. As part of his PhD, Kenny has been involved in running a youth camp for children with cleft aged 10-18. In the episode, Kenny discusses his research background, how this project came about, the practical implications of running a camp and evaluating the camp’s impact on the campers’ wellbeing. Thanks for listening! Episode links: • Kenny's website: www.kennyardouin.com • Paper (open access): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10556656251329297 • Camp resources (freely available): https://kennyardouin.com/supplementary-materials/ • Previous episode featuring Kenny: 58. Expanding Support for Adults with a Cleft Lip and/or Palate https://soundcloud.com/appearance-matters/expanding-support-for-adults-with-a-cleft-lip-andor-palate To find out more about the Centre for Appearance Research, follow us: • On X: x.com/CAR_UWE • On Instagram: www.instagram.com/car_uwe/ • On Facebook: www.facebook.com/AppearanceResearch Please share, subscribe, rate and review. It really does mean a lot. Thank you! Music by Sian Evans & John Landau: toplinefilm.com Cover photo kindly shared by Kenny Ardouin. Episode developed and produced by Abbi Mathews

    43 min
See All (153)

5
out of 5
66 Ratings

About

Appearance Matters: The Podcast! Is the official podcast of the Centre for Appearance Research - a world leading research centre investigating body image and appearance psychology research, based at the University of the West of England in Bristol, UK. Hosted and produced by Nadia Craddock, Bruna Costa, Maia Thornton, and Abbi Mathews. New music by: https://toplinefilm.com

Information

  • Creator
    The Centre for Appearance Research
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2025
  • Episodes
    153
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Appearance Matters: The Podcast!