Hi WNVM-ers,<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Cheryl here. First, we want to welcome all the new subscribers who found us via Fawnia\u2019s banger of a <\/span>story<\/a> about how they make <\/span>Gary Oldman<\/strong> look so gross in \u201cSlow Horses.\u201d We hope you enjoy our work here exploring and analyzing multiple facets of the Gen X pop culture experience! And to <\/span>all our subscribers, let me be sappy for a minute and say that we couldn\u2019t do this without your continued support and enthusiasm. Thank you. (From Fawnia \u2014 hi! \u2014 too.)<\/span><\/p>\n Now for this week. I squirrel away little newsy tidbits on my Notes app in case they inspire me for future stories. In August, I did a <\/span>digest of hot takes<\/a> related to some random beauty news I\u2019d saved up (<\/span>Guy Fieri\u2019s <\/strong>lip balm, for example). It was so fun that I decided to do it again with a new batch of beauty news I hope will be of interest to a Gen X audience. Let\u2019s discuss some ridiculous stuff!<\/span><\/p>\n And then in other news, a juicy new MTV read, the best musicians of the last 40 years, and Kea-news x 2.<\/p>\n Per usual, you may need to read the entire newsletter in your browser. Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site and may earn a small commission if you purchase from one of them. And if you\u2019re feeling generous and don\u2019t want menopause gifts, please give us a heart at the bottom of the post.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Whatever Nevermind here!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Has it been a dream of yours for a loved one to give you one (1) single vaginal wipe as a gift? Well, have I got something for you to add to your wish list!<\/p>\n Ulta, the beauty retailer, recently hosted beauty editors at a press event to introduce them to all the holiday gifting sets it would have on offer this season. I wasn\u2019t invited to it this year, but h\/t to beauty and fashion writer <\/span>Lindy Segal<\/a>, who helpfully posted images on her Instagram stories.<\/span><\/p>\n Meet the <\/span>Meno Pause Pack<\/a> ($24), and cue my meltdown. This nightmare in a cheap pouch contains the aforementioned wipe, a vaginal probiotic gummy from a <\/span>Kardashian<\/strong>-founded brand, two wine-themed products (a supplement and eye patches), a \u201cmenopause max\u201d liquid collagen drink, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a>Worst stocking stuffer ever. (Screenshot: Ulta Beauty)<\/div>\n Who would want this? Most importantly, and I know I\u2019m becoming a broken record here, we don\u2019t need all this stuff, especially the supplements. It is a shameless cash grab because our healthcare system does not support women adequately and research about menopause is still woefully lacking. So we are all hoping that some \u201cred wine-inspired tincture\u201d will help us.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n While I\u2019m ranting about this, let\u2019s add Pause & Effect to the list, another new menopause-focused skincare range. This one is founded by <\/span>Kathy Norton<\/strong>, who sold stuff on-air at the QVC-esque ShopHQ for 19 years. She\u2019s reinvented herself as a menopause coach, and says she was inspired by a <\/span>dream<\/a> that told her to start a site called The Menopause Store. The line hasn\u2019t launched yet. Just get some <\/span>InnBeauty Project<\/a> products instead. (I haven\u2019t tried a single thing I don\u2019t love from InnBeauty\u2019s \u201cextreme\u201d line.)<\/span><\/p>\n To round out the trifecta of (low-estrogen) terror, I give you <\/span>Meno Moms<\/a>. Tagline: \u201cMidlife isn\u2019t a crisis. It\u2019s a glow-up.\u201d <\/span>Naomi Watts<\/strong>\u2019 meno-brand Stripes hosted a pop-up in NYC a few weeks ago, and Meno Moms was there with Meno Merch. You can get a hat that says \u201cmidlife queen,\u201d a button reading \u201cMenopause made me do it,\u201d and a pouch proclaiming \u201chormonal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I know we\u2019re all pissed off about how no one really prepared us for this life stage and we want to yell about it and reclaim it, but I don\u2019t know if this is the way. Is this the Gen X midlife equivalent of <\/span>riot grrrl<\/a>, except cringier and more expensive?<\/span><\/p>\n Did you know <\/span>Cindy Crawford<\/strong> has had a beauty brand since the early aughts? It\u2019s called Meaningful Beauty and has been sold at Ulta and QVC, but I think now it\u2019s just available on its own site. The packaging is sort of utilitarian and not very modern-looking. The over-45 crowd has historically been its prime customer.<\/span><\/p>\n Fawnia and I both got a pitch for the brand\u2019s newest products, including body wash, lotion, and a balm stick. The email featured a picture of Crawford \u2014 a supermodel, mind you! \u2014 lounging in a white bathing suit and with the copy reading, \u201cGo beyond mere moisturizers with luxurious and powerful body formulas that visibly lift and firm your skin \u2014 leaving you feeling confident.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, there was a disembodied before-and-after image of some unidentified saggy knees:<\/p>\n <\/a>(Screenshot via Meaningful Beauty email.)<\/div>\n I hate a lot of things about my body, but I\u2019ll admit that even I hadn\u2019t thought to be concerned about my knees. But I sure am now! Fawnia has a friend who keeps asking if Botox works on knees and is now paranoid about her own, especially while staring at her kneecaps in the yoga downward dog position.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Related, that Ulta meno-gift also includes a small tube of <\/span>Womaness: The Works<\/a>, which is \u201call-over toning body cream.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This all feels like a rebranding of the cellulite creams of yore, like Bliss\u2019 terrible \u201cFatgirl Slim,\u201d which it relaunched as \u201cFabgirl Firm,\u201d and now seems to have blessedly retired again.<\/p>\n Heavy, heavy sigh.<\/p>\n Out of respect for Fawnia, who loves <\/span>Jennifer Lopez<\/strong>, I\u2019m going to tread carefully here<\/span>. The multi-hyphenate launched a beauty brand called <\/span>J Lo Beauty<\/a> in 2021. Almost immediately, she got backlash for it, mostly because she was saying frequently in <\/span>interviews<\/a> that her skin looks Like That because of olive oil, which is a component in her products.<\/span><\/p>\n It just didn\u2019t read as authentic.<\/p>\n J Lo is glam incarnate. She is shiny lip gloss personified. She is bouncy hair encapsulated. She is not the type to be smearing organic olive oil on her face and calling it a day, and THAT IS OK. We love our divas. We want them to use 39 products at once and do secret things with dermatologists. So people didn\u2019t really buy her messaging, and they also didn\u2019t buy her products.<\/p>\n J Lo Beauty <\/span>languished<\/a> at Sephora and eventually quietly exited the retailer in mid-2024. Now, over a year later, her brand released a new product and is apparently still fighting for its life. She appeared on her Instagram wearing rose gold-colored hydrogel undereye patches. <\/span><\/p>\n One eagle-eyed <\/span>Allure<\/a> writer noted she was wearing them over her makeup, an\u2026unconventional way to use them. Are the ingredients penetrating? This is none of my business. J Lo probably does not want to appear online without her makeup, and who can really blame her? The internet would rip her makeup-free 56-year-old face to shreds because people are assholes. (Fawnia tells me she was pretty makeup-free in her 2024 documentary. But there are no comment sections to contend with there.)<\/span><\/p>\n But \u2014 it also doesn\u2019t help the narrative that maybe she doesn\u2019t actually use these products. It may be time to hang up the beauty entrepreneur hat, Jenny. I will say, this video is very cute, though:<\/p>\n An in-the-weeds aside for the beauty-heads: J Lo Beauty and Crawford\u2019s Meaningful Beauty are both co-owned by Guthy-Renker, the direct selling company founded in 1988. It was famous for its infomercials for brands like Proactiv. It also makes <\/span>Victoria Principal\u2019s skincare brand<\/a>. (Remember her??) And its founder, <\/span>Bill Guthy<\/strong>, is married to another legendary Victoria, <\/span>Victoria Jackson<\/strong>. This <\/span>woman<\/a> coined the term \u201cno makeup makeup\u201d in the \u201880s and sold $1 billion worth of her products via infomercials. And she is <\/span>back<\/a> with a new brand, called, fittingly, <\/span>No Makeup Makeup<\/a>. And yes, it\u2019s aimed at the over-40 contingent.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Getting signed as the face of a beauty brand can be very lucrative. So I\u2019m happy when I see the over-50s getting some of that bag, because there are way too few of us on billboards.<\/p>\n Recently, Charlotte Tilbury <\/span>tapped<\/a> <\/span>C\u00e9line Dion<\/strong> to star in its very sparkly holiday campaign. Now this is good brand\/muse synergy. I\u2019m so happy that Dion is looking happy and healthy. (She was diagnosed with neurological disorder Stiff Person Syndrome a few years ago):<\/span><\/p>\n In other \u201cpay us\u201d news, Est\u00e9e Lauder named <\/span>Nia Long<\/strong> as its first brand ambassador for North America. She\u2019ll be all over different mediums for the brand. This is another super-inspired hire. This woman is STUNNING. Lately, I\u2019ve been having more fun with makeup and trying to figure out how to look glowier. She is a masterclass in it on a recent clip of <\/span>Jennifer Hudson<\/strong>\u2019s show. (Also she tells an amazing <\/span>Prince<\/strong> story.)<\/span><\/p>\n It would be remiss of me not to mention here that Est\u00e9e Lauder has recently been hyper-promoting its classic skincare franchise in the brown bottle, <\/span>Advanced Night Repair<\/a>. <\/span>Jenna Lyons<\/strong> has been <\/span>shilling<\/a> it, along with <\/span>Pauliza Porizkova<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n The brand also got a lot of negative attention for its egregious product placement on \u201cNobody Wants This.\u201d Apparently <\/span>Kristen Bell <\/strong>works with Est\u00e9e Lauder, which I didn\u2019t realize. (Read <\/span>Kirbie Johnson<\/a> for a deeper analysis of the issue.)<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve tried this product on and off, but it smells kind of weird and sometimes that\u2019s a deal breaker for me because I\u2019m superficial that way. I\u2019m curious: Do you use this or have you used it or who could convince you to use it?<\/p>\n We love <\/span>Amy Poehler<\/strong>\u2019s podcast here at WNVM. So I wanted to steal one of the things she does every episode, which is to ask her guests what they\u2019re watching that makes them laugh.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Mine is <\/span>Clayton Hawkins<\/a>, a hair stylist and self-described \u201chair historian.\u201d He will flip through old Sears catalogs and those hair style magazines that used to be in salons, from the \u201880s, \u201890s, and \u201800s. He makes up rapid-fire backstories for all the models. Here is a sample:<\/span><\/p>\n Step aerobics<\/a> instructor with a secret!<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you for reading my *thoughts* this week.<\/p>\n We are two Gen X journalists who explore stories and trends defining our generation, celebrate Gen X-ers doing cool things, and analyze all the \u201880s and \u201890s nostalgia in current pop culture, fashion, and beauty. Read more stories like this one <\/span>here<\/a>!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n As MTV <\/span>gasps its last breath<\/a>, there is a new juicy memoir hitting book shelves. An excerpt: \u201cExotic dancers would be sent over by the music labels. Bands passed through all the time. <\/span>Lemmy<\/strong> from <\/span>Mot\u00f6rhead<\/strong> might wander by with a bottle of tequila. We had one receptionist who sold cocaine. Many of the staff found that convenient.\u201d We\u2019re in! (As a companion, I highly recommend reading the 2012 <\/span>oral history<\/a> of the channel, <\/span>I Want My MTV, which I couldn\u2019t put down.) <\/span>-CW [<\/span>Vulture<\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Spin has been sharing its list of the 40 greatest musicians of the last 40 years. They crowned <\/span>Depeche Mode<\/strong> as number 15, which I would argue is 14 spots too low. The magazine is also<\/span> teasing<\/a> out a concert featuring artists from the last four decades. <\/span>-CW [<\/span>SpinMag Instagram<\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Kea-news! <\/span>Harper\u2019s Bazaar is doing a series about obsessions, and Keanu is correctly included. \u201cReeves has also become a kind of folk hero of decency,\u201d writes Stephen Mooallem. Indeed. <\/span>-CW [<\/span>Harper\u2019s Bazaar<\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n During <\/span>Aziz Ansari<\/strong>\u2019s visit to \u201cParks & Recreation\u201d co-star and friend Amy Poehler\u2019s podcast, the <\/span>Good Fortune writer\/director\/star confirms that Keanu is \u201cthe sweetest\u201d and \u201cthe best.\u201d Ansari also drops a vivid anecdote about Keanu\u2019s real life <\/span>John Wick-like habits around the 43 minute mark. <\/span>-FSH [<\/span>Good Hang with Amy Poehler<\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n My new nepo baby obsession: <\/span>Emma Thompson<\/strong> and <\/span>Greg Wise<\/strong>\u2019s actor\/model daughter, Gaia, who looks just like mom \u2014 <\/span>I mean \u2026<\/a> <\/span>-FSH [<\/span>Gaia Wise\/Instagram<\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!jh6r!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7a091f6-d540-4c1d-a411-89de060d6a2e_2000x1600.png\")
<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!7uJQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7db12d76-35d3-4e0d-a3a5-112e6c12d119_1027x478.jpeg\")
<\/div>\n![\"Don\u2019t](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!nRJz!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc85de8e8-6262-4e30-974b-b48d8167f8d3_1200x800.jpeg\")
<\/div>\nDon\u2019t Buy What the Hollywood Menoposse Is Selling <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!x4yw!,w_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DQUhd8rifAU.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!xt_s!,w_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DL07fmfRxkk.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!_wr5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc28ca0a-92c0-4123-8e6e-acbb98cbcf46_956x400.png\")
<\/div>\n![\"Gen](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!WbYs!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a80ea01-b64b-44b9-a796-5272b15f5203_1200x960.jpeg\")
<\/div>\nGen X Will Never Escape Diet Culture <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!t7uP!,w_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DQKFfttkRJx.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!wpVu!,w_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DPcpBy3kf8I.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!_TOW!,w_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DQes4JOCdrc.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!NQTs!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50578129-4da4-4b4d-9009-8315d2ebe445_1456x1048.png\")
<\/div>\nThe Beauty Industry Is Suddenly All-In On Gen X<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!khqB!,w_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DPlwoi7Dorh.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!CT0d!,w_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DPRjIVFDPEL.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!aP0m!,w_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DQUz9VWjrpa.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Big](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!Ty3I!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e3ff5b-2f2b-40b9-8d7f-26cb0af376bf_496x356.gif\")
<\/div>\nBig News. Big. Huge! + 9 Great Gen X Podcasts<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!U8K-!,w_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DNoO5xJypbY.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n\n
![](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!Jfem!,w_640,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F__ss-rehost__IG-meta-DPOruFOjiDE.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n\n
\n