I agree with everything you’ve said here and want my adult girls and granddaughter to be free of all these supposed beauty standards. It is laughable that already Ann Hathaway is being complimented for how well she is aging, at the ripe old age of 40. 🙄. Never mind what she is able to access to achieve that look.
I’ve struggled with body image over the years, and at 64 your articles are giving me the fortitude to resist the temptation to chase after things to try to look younger. It isn’t easy in a world where women are still valued for their looks and are considered hags when they reach a certain age, but I’m so frustrated by how ramped it all is now that I want to set an example for my girls.
It's SO important for young girls to grow up around women who have a healthy mindset around aging, bodies, beauty, etc. It sounds like you've thought about these issues deeply and are setting an excellent example xx
Did we just magically forget that long stretch where everyone inexplicably HATED Anne Hathaway? It's true, though, she's not the problem. The collective beauty-rabid culture definitely is.
"This is some made-up Disney movie messaging. “Beautiful”/young-looking people aren’t inherently good. “Ugly”/old-looking people aren’t inherently bad."
Idea for Disney: since we're all about the reboots now, do a movie celebrating our awesomest Disney villains (Yzma! Ursula!) and actually cast someone old to play them. Not just showing their sympathetic backstory so they can cast someone young and hot (i.e. Emma Stone, Angelina Jolie) to play them! I'd get excited about a live-action Adventures of Yzma and Kronk movie.
oh my god thank you for addressing the Anne Hathaway thing -- I have seen that line floating around about her for a long time. Meanwhile, no one ever acknowledges the era of Hathahate (circa what, 10 years ago?) when writers at BuzzFeed wrote whole stories about how she annoyed them, citing things like -- I shit you not -- her FINGERS.
It's like how I saw Nicola Coughlan being praised for believably playing characters much younger than her real age
"This is how you age when you don't waste time chasing thinness." She's not thin....But that isnt a moral success. She didn't achieve good karma by not being thin and therefore has the virtue of looking young. Looking young has nothing to do with how good we are.
Yes! I remember when that tweet went viral. Such a great example of how rejecting diet culture, in many instances, actually strengthens beauty culture. When we focus on accepting a specific trait (fatness, for example) instead of dismantling the underlying ideology that demonizes said trait (the false morality attached to physical appearance, for example) we're doomed to repeat the same mistakes!!
The tweet at the end made me think of Gossip Girl (hear me out!!!) and specifically, Nate Archibald. His character is modeled from extremely old money political families. If the show had the same overall plot beats and was made today, Nate would have been taking over a crypto startup or new-age tinged "health" scheme and not a culture-driven publication. Thanks for your work, as always!
One of the many things I love is that 75% of what you says is SASSY AF (in the best way possible), and maybe 10% is blahblah to my hippie liberal upbringing, the rest I wanna "fact check you on" BUT THAT IS A GOOD THING. It means I am not letting *YOU* be "THE STANDARD" which is literally your point. MUAH! I believe I canceled my other patreon things and you're the only paid thing that gets me intrigued to open my emails.
It kinda irks me that whenever anyone talks about Anne Hathaway (or ...Vanessa Hudgens, Gillian Jacobs, Emma Watson, Emilia Clarke....) there's commentary about how great their aging.
They literally just have to turn 30, still look conventionally hot, and the dialogue begins. None of these women are old, but as a reader it used to make me feel pressure to age like them and guess how they did it (theres a million articles and product placement about how they did it) and then invest time and money in keeping up.
Anne Hathaway used to just be an actress you either loved or hated, and pretty objectively a talented woman. Now shes a queen because she looks young. I hate this culure.
EDIT: I was reading with one eye open and asked a question that was already answered. Leaving comment up because my question and Jess' respond might be helpful to someone.
Pause. The clean beauty girlies say the 'bad chemicals' in traditional skincare cause cancer and disrupt endocrines.
But Rob Robinson is saying it mostly goes nowhere?
Is the middle ground the majority of what you use goes nowhere because skin flakes but daily long term use it builds up?
This is addressed in the article! A small portion of cosmetic chemicals can and do absorb into the bloodstream (or cause other surface-level issues), and they have not been sufficiently studied for long-term safety in most cases.
“No one really knows what blood-penetrating beauty ingredients do once they’re in the body. Take chemical sunscreens. The FDA recently found that six of them — avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate — not only absorb directly into the bloodstream, but they do so at “toxic” levels. What does that mean for human health? No idea! “Further studies” are needed “to determine the clinical significance of these findings.” Other blood-surfing skin-care ingredients include retinol (it’s listed on California’s Prop 65 for potential “reproductive toxicity” for this reason), sodium lauryl sulphate (or SLS, found in cleansers), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (aka PAHs, possible contaminants in petrolatum and mineral oil and suspected carcinogens). A study from 2009 found over 200 additional chemicals in infants’ umbilical cord blood, some from beauty products presumably worn by their mothers. “Some of these chemical molecules actually look like hormones, and then the blood system distributes them throughout the body,” Dr. Altman elaborates. Parabens (a preservative), phthalates (maybe hidden in fragrance), butoxyethanol and methoxydiglycol (both glycol ethers), and the aforementioned octinoxate all fall into this category. Studies show they may mess with fertility and sexual function, and even contribute to hormone-related cancers like breast cancer. Parabens specifically have been found in breast tissue and breast tumors. “Recent data points to parabens’ potential to cause harm,” Robinson confirms, but again, “more research is needed” to determine the extent of said harm. BreastCancer.org recommends avoiding parabens and phthalates altogether, just in case. The real questions, Dr. Altman says, are these: Where does all the skin care go after it’s in the body? Is it filtered out by the liver, only to be reabsorbed with the next nighttime routine? Could chronic chemical exposure from cosmetics have long-term health implications? “In truth, this is not an area in which scientists have done much research,” Romanowski agrees. “The topic of the life cycle of ingredients … has not been investigated.””
This is why I generally advocate for using fewer beauty products overall. Most products do nothing but disturb the skin barrier and microbiome, and the few ingredients that *do* penetrate the skin aren’t advisable.
Thanks for doing this additional labor, Jessica. I promise I don't take it for granted. I've taken my time to read your very generous recap. Under your influence, I am using fewer product.
Context/excuses: I read your article in full when you shared it a few weeks ago. Granted, it was probably at 3 am (like now) with one eye open or in segments throughout the day with my babies screaming at me. #newmomstruggles.
When I realized I'd already read it, I decided to skim as a refresher. I'm trying to be more critical and mentally engaged with my media. So when I thought I had a question, I stopped reading because I'd already read it in full weeks prior. Then I held on to the question with my last two brain cells until I posted in the forum. I wasn't trying to do a bad faith argument (not that you're accusing me). I didn't read further because I was afraid I would have more questions and TLDR here we are.
Now you've written this lovely recap. and It's taken me almost a week to respond because #momlife. I haven't read that article in full for a second time because #momlife. Maybe I will when you re-share.
I apologize for making you do triple work. Onward. Upward. Thank you for your service <3
Jessica once again showing me that my paid subscription is far and beyond the best $ I spend on a newsletter. I live for it. I love you!
Ahhh thank you this means so much to me!! <3 <3
Same here 💗
I agree with everything you’ve said here and want my adult girls and granddaughter to be free of all these supposed beauty standards. It is laughable that already Ann Hathaway is being complimented for how well she is aging, at the ripe old age of 40. 🙄. Never mind what she is able to access to achieve that look.
I’ve struggled with body image over the years, and at 64 your articles are giving me the fortitude to resist the temptation to chase after things to try to look younger. It isn’t easy in a world where women are still valued for their looks and are considered hags when they reach a certain age, but I’m so frustrated by how ramped it all is now that I want to set an example for my girls.
It's SO important for young girls to grow up around women who have a healthy mindset around aging, bodies, beauty, etc. It sounds like you've thought about these issues deeply and are setting an excellent example xx
Did we just magically forget that long stretch where everyone inexplicably HATED Anne Hathaway? It's true, though, she's not the problem. The collective beauty-rabid culture definitely is.
Right?? How quickly things change!
"This is some made-up Disney movie messaging. “Beautiful”/young-looking people aren’t inherently good. “Ugly”/old-looking people aren’t inherently bad."
Idea for Disney: since we're all about the reboots now, do a movie celebrating our awesomest Disney villains (Yzma! Ursula!) and actually cast someone old to play them. Not just showing their sympathetic backstory so they can cast someone young and hot (i.e. Emma Stone, Angelina Jolie) to play them! I'd get excited about a live-action Adventures of Yzma and Kronk movie.
I'd watch!!
oh my god thank you for addressing the Anne Hathaway thing -- I have seen that line floating around about her for a long time. Meanwhile, no one ever acknowledges the era of Hathahate (circa what, 10 years ago?) when writers at BuzzFeed wrote whole stories about how she annoyed them, citing things like -- I shit you not -- her FINGERS.
Nooooo! OMG. I must find this article.
You’re wrong about did a great ep about it recently!
“Or do they just not care?”
That one.
Chefs kiss of a newsletter thank you
Thank you for reading!!
And she does it again another great 👍 unpublishable Jessica. Thank you.
Thank YOU!
It's like how I saw Nicola Coughlan being praised for believably playing characters much younger than her real age
"This is how you age when you don't waste time chasing thinness." She's not thin....But that isnt a moral success. She didn't achieve good karma by not being thin and therefore has the virtue of looking young. Looking young has nothing to do with how good we are.
Yes! I remember when that tweet went viral. Such a great example of how rejecting diet culture, in many instances, actually strengthens beauty culture. When we focus on accepting a specific trait (fatness, for example) instead of dismantling the underlying ideology that demonizes said trait (the false morality attached to physical appearance, for example) we're doomed to repeat the same mistakes!!
The tweet at the end made me think of Gossip Girl (hear me out!!!) and specifically, Nate Archibald. His character is modeled from extremely old money political families. If the show had the same overall plot beats and was made today, Nate would have been taking over a crypto startup or new-age tinged "health" scheme and not a culture-driven publication. Thanks for your work, as always!
and of course from the direction of diana payne! 😆 esp for the health scam/scheme
One of the many things I love is that 75% of what you says is SASSY AF (in the best way possible), and maybe 10% is blahblah to my hippie liberal upbringing, the rest I wanna "fact check you on" BUT THAT IS A GOOD THING. It means I am not letting *YOU* be "THE STANDARD" which is literally your point. MUAH! I believe I canceled my other patreon things and you're the only paid thing that gets me intrigued to open my emails.
It kinda irks me that whenever anyone talks about Anne Hathaway (or ...Vanessa Hudgens, Gillian Jacobs, Emma Watson, Emilia Clarke....) there's commentary about how great their aging.
They literally just have to turn 30, still look conventionally hot, and the dialogue begins. None of these women are old, but as a reader it used to make me feel pressure to age like them and guess how they did it (theres a million articles and product placement about how they did it) and then invest time and money in keeping up.
Anne Hathaway used to just be an actress you either loved or hated, and pretty objectively a talented woman. Now shes a queen because she looks young. I hate this culure.
I’m getting old and I don’t rule the world and I love it.
EYEahuasca. gtfouttahere.
thank you!!!
Re: where do all the beauty products go.
EDIT: I was reading with one eye open and asked a question that was already answered. Leaving comment up because my question and Jess' respond might be helpful to someone.
Pause. The clean beauty girlies say the 'bad chemicals' in traditional skincare cause cancer and disrupt endocrines.
But Rob Robinson is saying it mostly goes nowhere?
Is the middle ground the majority of what you use goes nowhere because skin flakes but daily long term use it builds up?
This is addressed in the article! A small portion of cosmetic chemicals can and do absorb into the bloodstream (or cause other surface-level issues), and they have not been sufficiently studied for long-term safety in most cases.
“No one really knows what blood-penetrating beauty ingredients do once they’re in the body. Take chemical sunscreens. The FDA recently found that six of them — avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate — not only absorb directly into the bloodstream, but they do so at “toxic” levels. What does that mean for human health? No idea! “Further studies” are needed “to determine the clinical significance of these findings.” Other blood-surfing skin-care ingredients include retinol (it’s listed on California’s Prop 65 for potential “reproductive toxicity” for this reason), sodium lauryl sulphate (or SLS, found in cleansers), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (aka PAHs, possible contaminants in petrolatum and mineral oil and suspected carcinogens). A study from 2009 found over 200 additional chemicals in infants’ umbilical cord blood, some from beauty products presumably worn by their mothers. “Some of these chemical molecules actually look like hormones, and then the blood system distributes them throughout the body,” Dr. Altman elaborates. Parabens (a preservative), phthalates (maybe hidden in fragrance), butoxyethanol and methoxydiglycol (both glycol ethers), and the aforementioned octinoxate all fall into this category. Studies show they may mess with fertility and sexual function, and even contribute to hormone-related cancers like breast cancer. Parabens specifically have been found in breast tissue and breast tumors. “Recent data points to parabens’ potential to cause harm,” Robinson confirms, but again, “more research is needed” to determine the extent of said harm. BreastCancer.org recommends avoiding parabens and phthalates altogether, just in case. The real questions, Dr. Altman says, are these: Where does all the skin care go after it’s in the body? Is it filtered out by the liver, only to be reabsorbed with the next nighttime routine? Could chronic chemical exposure from cosmetics have long-term health implications? “In truth, this is not an area in which scientists have done much research,” Romanowski agrees. “The topic of the life cycle of ingredients … has not been investigated.””
This is why I generally advocate for using fewer beauty products overall. Most products do nothing but disturb the skin barrier and microbiome, and the few ingredients that *do* penetrate the skin aren’t advisable.
Thanks for doing this additional labor, Jessica. I promise I don't take it for granted. I've taken my time to read your very generous recap. Under your influence, I am using fewer product.
Context/excuses: I read your article in full when you shared it a few weeks ago. Granted, it was probably at 3 am (like now) with one eye open or in segments throughout the day with my babies screaming at me. #newmomstruggles.
When I realized I'd already read it, I decided to skim as a refresher. I'm trying to be more critical and mentally engaged with my media. So when I thought I had a question, I stopped reading because I'd already read it in full weeks prior. Then I held on to the question with my last two brain cells until I posted in the forum. I wasn't trying to do a bad faith argument (not that you're accusing me). I didn't read further because I was afraid I would have more questions and TLDR here we are.
Now you've written this lovely recap. and It's taken me almost a week to respond because #momlife. I haven't read that article in full for a second time because #momlife. Maybe I will when you re-share.
I apologize for making you do triple work. Onward. Upward. Thank you for your service <3
I feel like this Anne Hathaway joke comes round every year, and it never feels to smack of icky moral qualities.