Hollywood's Magic Pills

The booming supplement industry provides the perfect landing pad for actresses looking for relevance, respect, and the sweet sound of a ka-ching. Plus: News + Trends!

Updates:

Dr. Jonathan N. Stea

, author of the new book Mind the Science (which I wrote about here), included my work for a thought-provoking analysis of the latest issues plaguing the wellness industry. From his piece in The Walrus:

In her book The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, and the False Promise of Self-Care, journalist Rina Raphael laments how there’s no agreed-upon definition of wellness, noting that it’s one reason the industry has grown so big. “Wellness has devolved into an ambiguous marketing term that can just as easily mean activated charcoal toothpaste as it does mindfulness.” It has seemingly ballooned to include anything and everything. Ask one guru what they mean by wellness and receive a different answer from the next. The term has drifted from Dunn’s definition and morphed into dollar signs…

Read: The Multi-Trillion-Dollar Wellness Industry Is Making Us Sick 

And For My Next Act—Menopause!

Did you know that Judy Greer has a supplement brand for women aged 40 and up? 

You might remember the actress for a string of movies in which she played the plucky best friend. Now, as a founding partner of Wile, she sells pills that supposedly reduce the severity, frequency, and duration of hot flashes, and “support” mood, focus, and sleep for those dealing with menopause and hormonal issues. 

There’s also a “burnout relief” tincture and a product called “Un-Anger” which—I shit you not—promises fast-acting relief for irritability and stress. And what would a wellness line be without a slimming product? Wile’s Stave the Crave claims to reduce sugar cravings and stress-eating. (Ozempic-lite!)

Surprise, surprise, these products were formulated by a “naturopathic physician.” And they are now available in CVS and Whole Foods stores.

wilewomen

A post shared by @wilewomen

When I asked Wile’s co-founder to substantiate product claims, well, the answer was rather underwhelming. It’s all in my latest feature for Graydon Carter’s Air Mail. This time around, I analyze why more and more actresses are establishing themselves as “menopreneurs”—and the thinking behind their business and marketing strategies. Wellness has become a second career, a reinvention of sorts, especially for actresses 45+. 

Wellness has quickly but decisively become the industry du jour, with actors jumping on the green-juice-fueled bandwagon. However, menopause is potentially the most surprising sector to join forces with Hollywood. Not too long ago, an actor wouldn’t admit, let alone discuss, this phase of life (owing in part to Hollywood’s entrenched ageism). Today, as health permeates all aspects of life and culture, menopause, too, is going mainstream.