Menopause: A huge percentage of the population has or will experience it, but there’s still a tendency to tiptoe around the topic and to speak about it in broad, vague, or negative terms. But the conversation is about to change—at least, if Naomi Watts has her way.
Watts, 56, founded Stripes Beauty in 2022 to normalize conversations around menopause and provide holistic, thoughtful solutions that address a range of symptoms women face in midlife, from skin changes to hormonal shifts. In the new ad campaign (dubbed “Hotter Than Ever,” a partial wordplay on hot flashes, a common menopause symptom) for the beauty brand, Watts aims to challenge outdated clichés that frame the women’s passage into their forties and fifties as an inherent crisis, and to encourage seeing this stage as a powerful new chapter of growth and self-discovery.
The campaign, which can be seen online and on the streets of New York City, features posters starring high-profile women in media, including comedian Chelsea Handler and journalists Laura Brown and Tamsen Fadal.
“When our hormones stop functioning the way they used to, it’s like we become redundant, expected to disappear,” Watts told People. She notes that her motivation for the campaign came from her experiences navigating perimenopause—and the confusion, embarrassment, and shame that often accompany it—in her mid-thirties. The realization that she was not alone in these struggles, along with research prompted by her own “agitated and irritable” on-camera complexion, led Watts to found Stripes.
“I started sharing my story little by little and began connecting with women who wanted to talk, but just felt afraid to,” Watts told People. Now, who’s ready to bring new meaning to the words “hot girl summer”?
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