Pretty Hard

Zoe is a Nike yoga teacher and integrative psychotherapist. She is the founder of Loop Wellbeing, which aims to bridge the gap between between the current system and the demand for a new approach to mental health care. We discuss her own journey through therapy and understanding her internal family system, and how it has impacted her perception of self and definition of beauty.

Find Zoe via @zoekleinyoga and @loopwellbeing

A quick note on content - this conversation covers a range of topics including disordered eating, mental health, and family of origin.

Mon is founder of Sabi the label. She’s also a writer, model, and casual advocate for all things sexual wellbeing, which we get stuck into - no filter. 

Find Mon via @mons.monday @sabi_thelabel @nakedhungry

A quick note on content - this conversation covers a range of topics including sexual assault, rape, pornography, and issues relating to body image. If you find these topics triggering we recommend skipping to the next episode.

Chantelle is a Psycho-Sexologist whose work is centred around empowering people to feel good about their sexual health, self-esteem, communication and education. We discuss the impact of having one’s private life so public, the expectations of a professional within the sexology space, and the issues that come up in a session for many clients - spoiler, it’s so much more than sex.

A quick note on content - this conversation covers a range of topics including disordered eating, sexuality, and identity.

Ellen and Erika discuss how the last five months have been, and our theme for season 2: beauty under the lens of sexuality and identity. It's everything mating, monogamy, masculinity, matriarchy, and meaning, as well as talking to the highs and lows of running a business in the ever-evolving sex space. As a tangent, we discuss current influencer pricing models and whether it’s possible to calculate ROI.

We discuss how growing up in Australia in the 90's and attending an all girls school drove a certain kind of defiance against convention. We look at the differences between teens now and 15 years ago, going grey at 30, seeing ourselves the way other people see us, and the conflict of feeling comfortable internally but not in front of a camera. We talk to her role as designer of Jewellery brand Cleopatra's Bling, about beauty as an action or a manifestation in what we do - our careers - as opposed to external validation. We look at concepts of feminism in different countries and cultures, the aspirational qualities of French women who enhance rather than alter their appearance, and misconceptions around anti-feminism. And finally, we talk about the importance of being curious about beauty and fashion references and origins, and how living overseas cultivates an insatiable desire to learn through experience, so as to develop your own sense of style, be it minimalist or maximalist.

We discuss growing up in Germany without access to a shade range, the pros and cons of having an internet persona, the stereotypes and systems at play for women and queer individuals in comedy, and the joys of a simple makeup and skincare routine.

We discuss the influence of an anti-beauty mother, the physical and emotional journey of experiencing cystic acne and using makeup as a crutch, how dating in your 30s impacts your sense of self, interrogating why we consider anti-wrinkle products in our 20s, and the exciting but exhausting role of being a fashion editor and writer. 

We talk about the importance of personal values and being stubborn in the beauty industry. How no product is a must-have, Gemma’s reputation for being difficult, and accepting you can’t make everyone happy.

We discuss the concept of choosing when to blend in or stand out, the pressures of conventional beauty vs natural skincare (is it all just a lie?), whether trends becoming mainstream are in fact a good thing, and the impact of a mother's projection of beauty.

We talk about the magic of our industry, or lack thereof at present. Does meaning matter anymore? How the business of beauty is as interesting as the expression of identity, and the often exhausting expectations of being a founder.