In 2006, Damon Young had just met a woman on MySpace. Their traffic was witty, frivolous and easy. They went to Barnes & Noble on their first date, where they read books and continued to vibrate.
Damon thought things were going well. That is, until she cancels the second date.
Damon was confused, but had a premonition of what fueled her sudden indifference: his teeth.
Damon’s teeth have always been a source of shame and anxiety for him. “I know in America that good, strong, bright, straight teeth show good, strong, bright, straight money,” he wrote in his Modern Love essay. “My mouth is a memoir. About an orthodontist’s appointment that was canceled when his parents couldn’t pay the premium.”
Today, Damon shares his story about his complex and evolving relationship with his teeth, and his self-esteem. Then he hears a little love story about a woman who looks back on the ritual of his mother trimming her hair as a child. She finds it a sign of her love.
Damon Young He is the author of “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker” and a columnist for The Washington Post.
Organized by: Anna Martin
Produced by: Julia Botero, Hans Buetou, Chelsea Daniel
Edited by: Sara Sarason
Executive Producer: Wendy Doll
Designer: Dan Powell
Theme song: Dan Powell
Original music: Dan Powell and Marion Rosano
Writing and reading essays: Damon Young
Little love story: Jackie Ostrowick
Founder of Modern Love: Daniel Jones
Editor, Modern Love Projects: Miya Lee
Special thanks: Mahima Chabrani, Renan Borrelli, Jeffrey Miranda, Julia Simon, Lisa Tobin, Sam Dornick, Ryan Wegner, Anna Diamond (Audm).
idea? Please email us at modernlovepodcast@nytimes.com.
