Marisa Meltzer

Now that Glossier ship internationally, it didn’t take me long to place an order. I’ve really liked most of the products I’ve tried so far (Balm Dot Com, Cloud Paint, hand cream). I saw this book and thought I’d enjoy it too, as well as understanding a bit more about why people are so eager for Glossier hoodies, water bottles etc. This book is a bit of a mixed bag, shifting its focus from Glossier the brand to the founder, Emily Weiss. Sure, Weiss should play a big role in this book being the founder but I felt it zeroed in on the minutiae at times.

The story started with Weiss’ background and her work on the leadup to Glossier’s creation (seen on The Hills, Into the Gloss blog). It’s interesting, but I felt it could have been condensed more without linking back to her privileged upbringing so often. It seems that Weiss was a bit of an oversharer at times in her youth (who isn’t?) but is now more private. This makes getting the ‘inside story’ into Glossier and Weiss all the more difficult as an older and wiser Weiss is more guarded in the few interviews she had with the author. (And why shouldn’t she be?)

The insight into the building of Glossier from product design to marketing and hype was much more fascinating. They really knew their market and how to lean into the ‘no makeup’ makeup look as well as savvy marketing to seem like they were your best friend. As Glossier grew bigger, the scrutiny got closer. As times it seemed like the focus of the book was how Glossier and Weiss screwed up. There didn’t seem to be any leniency for Weiss’ youth and inexperience (although some allegations were 100% valid in my opinion) and the rapid growth of the company. Plus, I feel that looking at some of Glossier’s business practices through a post-pandemic lens makes them seem a bit odder than they were at the time (like staff camps or some items only in store/at a particular store). There wasn’t anything incredibly shocking here in my opinion. In fact, it increased my wishlist items for my next Glossier order.

The last section on the downfall of multiple ‘girl boss’ CEOs felt out of place to me. Sure, they made mistakes but I’m certain other male or older bosses did too over the same period. This made the book feel padded out at this point. Sure, it’s no Bad Blood but that’s because it’s about a company that continues to be successful with reputable products (although the reformulations didn’t get as much page time as I’d have liked). I enjoyed the story about the creating of Glossier, but the opinions over fact at times detracted away from the story.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com… (altro)

Chapters that offer the biography of WW founder Jean Nidetch alternate with the author's own "My Year of Doing WW" and meditations on being fat and diet culture in general.

Nidetch was a self-described "Former Fat Housewife" from Queens who founded Weight Watchers International in the early 1960s. Meltzer doesn't have an awful lot of material to work with, but makes the best of what she has; after Nidetch stepped down from the presidency after a decade or two, the second half of her life seemed kind of sad coda. She divorced, gambled, lost a 49-year-old son (tumor? addiction? the jury seems to be out). She never gained back the fat; yet here's proof that thin is not sufficient to make for a happy life.

Meltzer's own life musings are a cut above those found in many other of the "My Year of" genre. I love the scathing attacks on 'wellness' culture - dieting by another name; "such a performance of loving yourself, of health, of fun, of flattering angles and good light and tight cropping." "Wellness has become an excuse for doing what was once considered superficial; under the banner of wellness, the same activities are important, necessary, maybe transformative."

Reminds me of points made in this newspaper clipping I still carry around:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/08/opinion/sunday/women-dieting-wellness.html

My favorite line being, "Nobody is telling men they need to love their bodies to live full and meaningful lines." It was really a "I could have had a V-8" head-knocking moment for me to read that.

My own wellness goals entail being so busy pursuing my fulfilling life that I honestly no longer notice my tummy or butt size. Note this is still in the 'goal' stage.… (altro)