Writer and beauty-industry critic Jessica Defino joins us to discuss the intersections of wellness/diet culture and beauty culture, how she went from child beauty-pageant participant to working at the Kardashian-Jenner apps to eventually becoming an outspoken critic of the beauty industry, how social media is spreading harmful beauty ideals, the ageism of “anti-aging,” how to change your relationship with beauty standards, and more.
Great episode! It's such an important conversation. I'm a longtime listener who's maybe a little older than your average audience. As I listened to you talk about ageism, anti-aging, and beauty standards, I was filtering through my lived experience with menopause. I think the beauty industry has stepped into the care-void and gender-gap in medicine that has failed aging women (just about anyone with ovaries who's over 40). The "visible signs of aging" are merely a sign of the many ways that perimenopause and menopause affects our whole bodies. But, instead of meeting our medical needs (e.g. genitourinary system, bones, connective tissues, etc.), we are sold cosmetic procedures, lotions, and potions to make us appear as though we aren't aging poorly. Many of us are sold expensive, unregulated, and potentially harmful treatments by alternative practitioners (just like other areas of the wellness industry). We don't necessarily need an individual change in mindset from anti-aging to acceptance. That's an oversimplification that dismisses the need for better medical care. Why should we learn to accept what is unacceptable? Good care is not primarily beauty or anti-aging oriented, but may result in fewer "visible signs of aging." In other words, women are aging poorly because menopause isn't being addressed adequately, and that's not a reality I am willing to accept. I'd love to hear you interview a menopause expert like Dr. Kelly Casperson, as well as your take on how science reporting on the Women's Health Initiative has affected generations of women.
TLDR: What may appear to be ageist attitudes about one's own body, may in fact be efforts to compensate for the gender-gap in healthcare, which has put generations of people out-to-pasture instead of adequately treating the degenerative, painful, and sometimes deadly effects of menopause. This, of course, applies to people of any gender or age who are experiecing menopause, with or without ovaries intact.
This is a really interesting perspective, thanks for sharing! I hadn’t thought of it quite that way before. I’m definitely thinking of doing something on menopause down the line and will check out the source you mentioned!
Relevant to wellness culture and compassionate skepticism, you might also look into the 4-part series on menopause published by the Lancet in March 2024, which asserts that menopause is being overmedicalized, and proposes an alternative "empowerment model"--steering women away from treating the hormone deficiency that defines menopause (first line treatments), and towards CBT, self-help programs, mindfulness, hypnosis apps, better personal routines, improved sleep hygeine, breathable clothing, fans, multiple non-hormonal medications with poor supporting evidence, and a positive attitude toward aging. Fortunately, there are now enough Gen X and Millenial women physicans who are already empowered, and who know that menopausal women are being both vastly under-treated and preyed upon by the wellness industry! A quick search renders rebuttals from many clinical menopause experts, backed by a growing body of scientific evidence (much of which was not included in the Lancet articles).
Great episode! It's such an important conversation. I'm a longtime listener who's maybe a little older than your average audience. As I listened to you talk about ageism, anti-aging, and beauty standards, I was filtering through my lived experience with menopause. I think the beauty industry has stepped into the care-void and gender-gap in medicine that has failed aging women (just about anyone with ovaries who's over 40). The "visible signs of aging" are merely a sign of the many ways that perimenopause and menopause affects our whole bodies. But, instead of meeting our medical needs (e.g. genitourinary system, bones, connective tissues, etc.), we are sold cosmetic procedures, lotions, and potions to make us appear as though we aren't aging poorly. Many of us are sold expensive, unregulated, and potentially harmful treatments by alternative practitioners (just like other areas of the wellness industry). We don't necessarily need an individual change in mindset from anti-aging to acceptance. That's an oversimplification that dismisses the need for better medical care. Why should we learn to accept what is unacceptable? Good care is not primarily beauty or anti-aging oriented, but may result in fewer "visible signs of aging." In other words, women are aging poorly because menopause isn't being addressed adequately, and that's not a reality I am willing to accept. I'd love to hear you interview a menopause expert like Dr. Kelly Casperson, as well as your take on how science reporting on the Women's Health Initiative has affected generations of women.
TLDR: What may appear to be ageist attitudes about one's own body, may in fact be efforts to compensate for the gender-gap in healthcare, which has put generations of people out-to-pasture instead of adequately treating the degenerative, painful, and sometimes deadly effects of menopause. This, of course, applies to people of any gender or age who are experiecing menopause, with or without ovaries intact.
This is a really interesting perspective, thanks for sharing! I hadn’t thought of it quite that way before. I’m definitely thinking of doing something on menopause down the line and will check out the source you mentioned!
Relevant to wellness culture and compassionate skepticism, you might also look into the 4-part series on menopause published by the Lancet in March 2024, which asserts that menopause is being overmedicalized, and proposes an alternative "empowerment model"--steering women away from treating the hormone deficiency that defines menopause (first line treatments), and towards CBT, self-help programs, mindfulness, hypnosis apps, better personal routines, improved sleep hygeine, breathable clothing, fans, multiple non-hormonal medications with poor supporting evidence, and a positive attitude toward aging. Fortunately, there are now enough Gen X and Millenial women physicans who are already empowered, and who know that menopausal women are being both vastly under-treated and preyed upon by the wellness industry! A quick search renders rebuttals from many clinical menopause experts, backed by a growing body of scientific evidence (much of which was not included in the Lancet articles).