The Universe is Made Of Stories, Not of Atoms

In the Roman era, women found that they would look paler by painting their skins with lead paste. Fair skin, at the time, marked status, and was a symbol of feminine beauty. And so I'm fascinated by the construction worker, clasping a subway pole with plaster-white hands. His hands are large, and work-worn. They are highly unlikely to be adorned with bracelets, or to wither away from lead poisoning.