The FDA Just Updated Sunscreen Guidelines for the First Time in Decades

K-Beauty and french pharmacy lovers, rejoice: The FDA just approved bemotrizinol, an active ingredient that has been used in sunscreens produced in Europe and Asia, to be used in over-the-counter sunscreens right here in the United States. This is the first new active ingredient that's been approved for sunscreens produced in the U.S. since the late '90s.

According to the FDA release announcing this news, bemotrizinol provides protection against both ultraviolet A and B rays. Per the CDC, ultraviolet rays are non-iodizing radiation emitted by the sun and other sources (think tanning beds and certain lights and lasers).

Here's why this is so exciting for many beauty enthusiasts: If you've talked to a skincare guru at all, you'll know that the beauty and skincare communities love sunscreens made overseas. Some of us (it's me, I'm some of us) have even gone out of our way to buy sunscreens during overseas travel or order them via sites that ship products from Asia or Europe. The sunscreens produced overseas have always felt more comfortable and cosmetically elegant, according to many skincare lovers.

The value here? When sunscreen feels more pleasant to apply and actually have on your skin, you're way more likely to actually wear it. I know that I've really struggled to find anything that doesn't leave a nasty white cast on my brown skin among the U.S. sunscreens I've tried, but Asian sunscreens always feel like they blend in so much better.

The value of this FDA approval isn't just about improving user experience, though. According to a social media clip from dermatologist Dr. Scott Walter (@denverskindoc), bemotrizinol is extremely photostable, meaning it doesn't break down as quickly in the sun as other sunscreen filters.

Dermatologist Dr. Dray (@drdrayzday) adds that this ingredient tends to be well-tolerated, which means now that it has FDA approval, US manufacturers have the opportunity to create less irritating sunscreen formulas. And as a sensitive-skinned girlie who has always had a tough time finding sunscreens that are readily available, cosmetically elegant, and non-irritating? This has me feeling very excited for what's to come.

Obviously, it's going to take some time for these formulas to hit the shelves. In the meantime, I'll be working my way through the K-beauty product I managed to score.

Ask Clara:

"How important is daily sunscreen?"

The Summer House Reunion and What Beta Blockers Actually Do

Unless you've been living under a rock (or, like, are just not a reality TV person), you know that Bravo's hit show Summer House has been at the center of mega pop culture drama. The TL;DR? Two of the show's stars, Amanda Batula and West Wilson, recently hard launched their relationship, which is a very big deal because...Wilson broke Batula's BFF's heart (all hail queen Ciara Miller).

Oh, and he was also close friends with Batula's ex husband.

So yeah, it's all very messy, and the drama was so big, the show needed a three-part reunion (plus a bonus episode to go over the aftermath of said reunion) to cover it all.

But when the reunion aired, people couldn't help but notice how...well, emotionless Wilson and Batula seemed. Audiences couldn't detect any real remorse, or even any real feelings. Everyone else at the reunion was emotional, yet the two at the epicenter of the drama seemed...numb? Callous? Disconnected?

Many people speculated this meant they were on some sort of substance that affected their responses, and many people wondered if they could have taken beta blockers ahead of filming the reunion. When host Andy Cohen point blank asked Wilson, he received confirmation: Wilson had, in fact, taken a beta blocker before hitting the reunion stage.

But does that excuse his cold, emotionally removed behavior? Spoiler alert: No.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a beta blocker is a medication that lowers blood pressure by making your heart beat more slowly and with less force. Some people use these drugs to calm themselves down before a major event, and research from Harvard University indicates they may make people feel tired or listless. According to Cleveland Clinic, beta blockers may be prescribed for off-label use to help manage performance anxiety. But popping a beta blocker doesn't explain this level of emotional disconnectedness, according to Ciara Miller (who, in addition to being absolutely central to this story, is also a nurse).

"Just a medical note: beta blockers DON’T remove emotion," Miller writes on Threads. "They work by blocking adrenaline from binding to beta receptors in your heart, blood vessels, and muscles (the receptors responsible for the physical symptoms of anxiety like increased heart rate, raised blood pressure, and trembling). The EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE remains, but the physical stress response can’t fully activate. It’s like putting your 'fight or flight' symptoms on DND…. enough with the beta blocker bullshit."

Well, there you have it. A beta blocker doesn't explain a bizarre emotional reaction (or lack thereof). I have no idea how to explain the incredibly unsettling reactions we saw from these two reality stars. I won't speculate on whether they're on other substances, whether it's a personality thing, or whether this is all just a reaction to extreme public scrutiny. It's not my place.

But I can say this: What we saw was weird...right?

Ask Clara:

"How does anxiety manifest physically?"

The Fatphobic Rage Bait is Actually Unhinged

Does anyone else feel like it's suddenly become impossible to log on to social media without encountering some sort of blatant fatphobia? This type of content is all over my feeds — granted, most of the content I'm seeing is stitches or reaction videos from people who are calling out the fatphobia, but regardless: This type of Internet content is getting a ton of attention right now, and we need to unpack that.

Make no mistake: This is rage bait (which is a social media tactic that creators use when posting extremely controversial messaging in order to provoke people to leave comments and engage with their content, which in turn boosts its visibility and virality).

Arguably the most relevant example of fatphobic rage bait? That uber viral take about how girls "need to start acting their weight". If you haven't come across this one (or any of the reactions to it), consider yourself lucky. Here's the gist: the video features a woman speaking to the camera to deliver this absolutely bonkers message: According to her, your weight determines...how you're allowed to behave, apparently?

"If you are 160 pounds, I don't want to see any attitude. I want to see you giving all that attitude to the treadmill. Give it to your nutritionist. Give it to that pilates class," she says. It gets worse, trust me — but we don't need to get into all that.

Of course, the video itself has over a million views, because that's what happens on the Internet. The most controversial, inflammatory things gain traction, while the nuanced, thoughtful takes land with a whisper. Enter: The era of fatphobic rage bait.

This particular viral video is certainly not the only one of its kind. Across my feeds, I'm seeing countless similar pieces of content. Undoubtedly, people are drawing inspiration here: They're seeing other people go viral and copying this particular brand of rage bait for one simple reason: They know that the more outlandish your message, the more offensive you get, the more you pop off on the apps. But like…is it worth selling your soul for a viral moment?

The problem, of course, is that this type of content has a big impact. And yes, I realize that I'm amplifying it in some way by writing this very piece, but I guess the thing here is this: The attention economy doesn't always reward the things that deserve our attention, and we have to accept the reality: We live in a time in which problematic messages spread like wildfire, and we can tamp some of that wildfire down by commenting on how utterly ridiculous and harmful this type of messaging is.

In some ways, fatphobic rage bait feels like the very intersection of some of the biggest issues we're facing in the wellness world. Not only is skinny supremacy back in a big way, we're also very much in the thick of the misinformation era — which is fueled by our algorithms and their prioritization of shock value over credibility. With those two factors at large, are we even surprised by the rise of fatphobic rage bait?

Here’s what we need to remember when taking in this type of content: It exists just to elicit a response from people. It may get a lot of attention, but it doesn’t deserve to take up space underneath your skin. So don’t let it get there.

Ask Clara:

"How is fatphobia rising in 2026?"

Is Money Talk Gauche…or Have Women Just Been Conditioned to Think of it This Way?

Recently, an acquaintance asked me a question that stopped me in my tracks.

I mentioned that I used to live in a high-rise building in a large city, and she asked me how much I paid in rent during my time there. I was completely caught off guard by how directly she asked the question...and my first instinct was to think "wow, that's kind of tacky."

But...it is? Or have I just been socially conditioned to find those very direct questions about money to be...well, gauche?

I'll admit it: I have always been uncomfortable with money talk. Ironic, I know: I write this newsletter about how women need to stop whispering and start talking, especially about "TMI" or "taboo" topics. 

Yet when it comes to money — undeniably a taboo topic for women — I immediately freeze up. 

I know I'm not the only one who finds money talk awkward. This is common, and I understand why. Money is emotional. Societally, we tie our net worth to our personal worth. As such, money can be a source of shame, pride, embarrassment...there's just so much wrapped up in it. For women, it goes deeper: It goes back to a lifetime of social conditioning that tells us it's not "ladylike" or "polite" or "in good taste" to talk about money. Money is treated like yet another taboo topic: We’re shamed if we talk about it too much…and so we stay silent.

But it doesn't have to be like this. Just like millennial women are breaking stigmas around women's health issues, we have the opportunity to normalize conversations about finances too. 

Part of my shame around money comes from the fact that I don't really feel confident in my own knowledge of finances. There's no excuse, though: With tools like SoFi Checking and Savings, staying on top of our own finances — truly understanding what things look like in our accounts — has never been simpler.

I may not yet be comfortable talking to my inner circle about the realities of my finances, but I am comfortable sharing the tools that are helping me get a handle on them. For example: SoFi Checking and Savings has no account, service, or maintenance fees – and who doesn’t want to earn up to $400 for signing up for something?

Trading those types of money tips among friends can help all of us become more financially savvy. And that’s the value of talking money with other women: Even if we don’t tell them our exact financial pictures, we can trade these tips and share these tools with our circles. 

Because money talk isn't about comparison or competition. It's about financial wellness, which is actually a lot like physical wellness: While there are no one-size-fits-all solutions, there are things we can do to make the best of the situations we find ourselves in. Trading these tips can help all of us manage our money so we wind up with more of it (an account with a high annual percentage yield, for example? It may help you earn more down the line. SoFi offers up to 3.80% APY).

Just like we are passed genetics, which affect our health, we're handed financial circumstances...and it's up to us to learn how to take care of our finances, just like it's up to us to take care of our bodies.

Disclosures: 

Annual percentage yield (APY) is variable and subject to change at any time. Rates are current as of 5/28/26.. There is no minimum balance requirement. Fees may reduce earnings. Additional rates and information can be found at https://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet

SoFi does not charge any account, service or maintenance fees for SoFi Checking and Savings. SoFi does charge a transaction fee to process each outgoing wire transfer. SoFi does not charge a fee for incoming wire transfers, however the sending bank may charge a fee. Fee policy is subject to change at any time. See the SoFi Bank Fee Sheet for details at sofi.com/legal/banking-fees/.

Ask Clara:

"How have women been discouraged from talking about money?"

The Feminine Urge to Volunteer (and Then be Shamed for It)

I grew up with a stay-at-home mom who used her privilege to help others. She didn't do paid work, but she worked unpaid shifts in soup kitchens, she organized to help refugees get on their feet, she cooked countless meals for our community center.

She did something we finally have a name for: Unpaid labor. A lot of it.

And according to much of the world, that's not good enough. I recently came across a podcast clip in which men were talking about how they'd feel about a woman who is "a catch" but is a volunteer worker and doesn't earn any money. Both men said they wouldn't be on board with this.

"I believe you should water your own grass first before you go and water someone else's," one man says.

And all I could think while watching this is..."well, easy for you to say."

Men, after all, have been raised to think about their own grass first. Women, on the other hand? We've been told in a million different ways that the things that make life worth living are the things we do for other people.

I believe people with the resources of time and money, the people who have theIr ability to donate their time, should do so. I also believe women are constantly exploited for their unpaid labor...whether within their own homes, or outside of them. And I can't really figure out where one thing ends and the other begins. Here's what I do know: Women aren't just the ones doing the unpaid work, we are also the ones doing the work of figuring out where exactly altruism bleeds into exploitation.

This is an issue worth examining: We were were raised to believe nobility was our ultimate calling. We were encouraged to go into "helping" professions. To put the work into our friendships and relationships and communities. We're expected to do this volunteer work, yet we're also expected to bring in fantastic incomes…and however we configure the balance, we’re told we aren’t doing enough. Enter: A millennial career crisis.

I don't see anyone shaming men for not volunteering for, say, their kids' field trips, but I do see people shaming women who "never show up for anything" all the time. Yet if you're a woman who does show up for everything, who chaperones the field trips and plans the neighborhood get-together and sits on the advocacy committee? Well, then it "must be nice" for you to "not have to work".

TL;DR? Volunteering is just another example of how we put women in impossible position after impossible position. We're shamed if we do, shamed if we don't. We're expected to do the unpaid work, plus the paid work too...and nobody ever stops to consider that there are only so many hours in a day.

Ask Clara:

"How much unpaid labor do women perform?"

Is the Millennial Career Crisis Actually a Women's Issue? Hot Take: It Kind of Is

I can't seem to log on to social media without seeing content about the "millennial career crisis". It stands to reason: The job market is in shambles, everything is wildly expensive, and many of us did all the things we were told to do...only for it not to pay off (literally) in today's conditions.

There are a lot of factors at work here, but here's my hot take: The millennial career crisis is, in many ways, a crisis of millennial women. Because in order to fully dissect what we're working through now, we have to go back in time a bit to fully understand how millennial women and our ideas about career were truly formed.

Many millennial women grew up with advice like "work a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life!". We were taught to prioritize helping others, professional fulfillment, and passion in our careers. People rarely told us to seek out high pay — and that, coupled with this notion that it is "distasteful" for people, especially women, to talk about money, sent us a pretty clear message. Careers shouldn't be about financial prosperity or even stability. They should be about this nebulous sense of purpose and personal identity we ought to derive from our work.

Many of us bought it into that message, and now we're working to pull ourselves out from underneath it. Those industries that rely on women and their passion? They're either woefully underfunded (and underpaid) or just straight up dying (see: The magazine industry). While you can love your work (and I love mine!), the reality is this: It's really hard to love your work work when you hate the conditions under which you are doing it. When you're underpaid, undervalued, and constantly feeling like you're disposable.

Speaking of feeling disposable, here's another piece of the equation: We are indispensable at work, but not at home — and since women are unequivocally carrying more of the domestic weight, we are feeling the burnout of holding both paid and unpaid work. Many of us are questioning whether it's even worth it to be giving so much energy to the same workforce that has routinely failed us. Particularly for millennial women, who tend to be at this phase of life when they're juggle both parenthood and elder care, as they are also reaching that point in their careers when they start to plateau...it's a lot to manage. And so, a career crisis ensues.

This is, of course, a gross oversimplification of a large issue that encompasses many other large issues. But I think it's a piece of the conversation we're not having: Because a career crisis isn't just about a moment in time. It's about a whole generation of women and how we've been conditioned...and what happens when we finally realize how many lies we were told.

Ask Clara:

"What is the millennial career crisis?"

Why Doesn't Anyone Talk About Anticipatory Grief?

For the past six years, I've been living with a bit of a secret...and lot of anticipatory grief. I won't go into the details, because while I believe in talking about the taboo stuff, this is ultimately not my story to tell.

But here's what I can talk about: My own experience with this particular situation. And the reality of my experience is this: I've been grieving someone who is still alive. Someone who I know I will lose in the most ultimate sense of the word, maybe in a matter of weeks or months or years. I have no way of knowing when it'll come; I just know that the sadness is already very much here.

This isn't an uncommon experience. Dementia, ALS, cancer...there are so many conditions that come with a period of anticipatory grief, for both the patient and their loved ones. Yesterday, I interviewed a grief expert for the podcast I co-host, and she said something that kind of blew my mind: Anticipatory grief can be two-fold. It may not just feel like you're anticipating this loss, it also feels like you're grieving a version of that person that is already gone.

Even though I've been living this reality for a while, I hadn't heard it laid out like this, and I think that's because people just don't talk about anticipatory grief — even though so many of us are experiencing it.

Part of it, I guess, is that we live in a world of "it could always be worse". With anticipatory grief, a lot of us probably feel like "well, the person is still technically here", and so we fear that the world will invalidate our feelings. Because, well, "it could be worse". You could be firmly in the non-anticipatory grief stage.

But things don't have the be the worst case scenario in order for them to be hard. Anticipatory grief is real, it's heavy, it is both incredibly sad and deeply uncertain, and it deserves more attention. Because it can feel really isolating, even when you know you aren't the only one feeling it.

Ask Clara:

"What is anticipatory grief?"

The Demonization of Snacks is Here

Years ago, when I was a writer for a major parenting magazine, an article by a colleague of mine made major waves. The gist of the article? It told us that differentiating between a snack and a treat is incredibly important. A snack is something like an apple or a piece of cheese. A cookie or a cupcake or a bowl of ice cream, on the other hand? Those are treats, and we need to make that very, very clear for even very young kids.

And then the pendulum swung, as it so often does. All of a sudden, I couldn’t log on to social media without feeling the finger wags from registered dietitians who told us we need to stop labeling food.

 “Don’t call it a treat!”

”Serve dessert with dinner!”

“If your child is hungry, let them eat! There’s nothing wrong with a snack right before dinner!”

…And now, we’re back. Or at least we seem to be: Over the past few weeks, I am seeing so much content about how snack culture is out of control. How we need to stop allowing our kids to nibble so much between meals. 

This feels like a story about parenting, and it sort of is. But it’s also…sort of not. Because this type of content is indicative of what’s happening in the wellness world — and on social media in general. The demonization of snacks? It’s here, and not just for kids. It feels like this exists at the intersection of parenting advice and diet culture’s current position. And like so much health and nutritional advice, it feels like the target is constantly moving. One day, w’ere told to focus on protein intake above all else. Next, fiber is the thing we’re encouraged to prioritize. And then someone tells us to try intermittent fasting…and someone else tells us it’ll wreck our metabolisms. It’s exhausting.

The demonization of snacks is very much a part of all this. Because it’s not just directed at parents. On social media, influencers frequently tell you “you don’t need a treat; you’re not a dog” or ask you if you want to “eat a snack or be a snack”. Meanwhile, not that long ago, we were told that eating frequent small meals or snacks was actually the ultimate wellness and weight maintenance hack. Now, snacking is being treated like some gluttonous thing we do, like the only snacks we can possibly eat are highly processed and horrible for our health…and like something that only happens due to boredom or lack of discipline, not because we may simply get hungry between meals. 

Listen, do I think we should be eating packaged snacks all day long (or allowing our kids to do so?) No. I don’t. But I also think we need to stop being so extreme about every single thing. Sometimes a kid needs a snack. Sometimes an adult does. Sometimes that snack is an apple, other times it’s a bag of chips. Either way, it’s a part of life, a part of our culture, and something that doesn’t need to be demonized on our feeds.

Ask Clara:

"Is snacking good for you?"

Let's Debrief the 'Sport's Illustrated' Swim Week Runway Show

So my entire TikTok feed is just clips from the Sports Illustrated Swim Week runway show.

I’ve seen the Dancing With the Stars queens turning the runway into a dance floor. I’ve seen Lizzo command the entire room. I’ve seen Ilona Maher bring the best energy to the runway.

There’s just something about the show that feels…I don’t know, infectious? Like every single person on the runway is just feeling herself, embracing her body, and having a fantastic time.

I’ve seen commentary that this runway show included women of all body types. I don’t know if that comment quite hits the mark, but it does point to something important: This particular runway show does showcase a range of body types beyond the typical “Victoria’s Secret model” build we often see on swimsuit runways or in catalogues…and that progress is worth noting, especially as skinny supremacy rears its ugly head back into the culture.

Casting someone like Ilona Maher, for example? She’s a hot, strong, amazingly gorgeous woman, but more importantly she stands for something so important (see this recent TikTok — obsessed, no notes). Including Bethenny Frankel also speaks volumes: Having a 55-year-old model a bikini shows there’s no age limit on sexy, there’s no outfit that’s “off limits” to women of a certain age. And giving Sports Illustrated swimsuit vet Katie Austin a turn on the runway while she’s pregnant also feels like a bold step in a better direction: For so long, we’ve been fed messages that tell us pregnant women should hide their bodies away and sink into invisibility, yet this is a totally different (better!) approach.

I don’t even think it’s about the range of body types or the casting here, though. I think this show and what it means in a larger sense is all about the vibes.

For so long, runway modeling has been all about stripping personality from the models, framing them as blank canvases meant merely to showcase the clothes. And also for so long, swimsuit modeling has been performatively sexy in a very male gaze-y way. But this show took things in a different direction: The models, many of whom are familiar, famous faces, lead with personality. They were obviously encouraged to have fun, to show their playful sides, to be the main characters of the runway, rather than just the things needed to showcase the suits or to cater to male gaze. 

And you know what? I’m into it. Because it sends us a message about what putting on a swimsuit should feel like: It should feel fun and freeing and like an expression of who you are.

Ask Clara:

"What is skinny supremacy?"

Not Everything is Perimenopause

Recently, I was chatting with a few friends about how stressful this particular season of life has been. We’re all moms of multiple kids who are navigating the wild thing that is Maycemeber (iykyk), we all have parents who are aging and need some extra support, we all have busy careers…and we’re all feeling the strain of it all. One admitted that she asks herself every single day if what she’s experiencing is stress or perimenopause, and the rest of us all chimed in to say we do the exact same thing. 

But then, one friend added something. “Don’t you feel like perimenopause is becoming the go-to explanation for everything women are dealing with?”. We all agreed: Perimenopause went from being something we never discussed at all to something we’re chalking everything up to, especially for women aroung my age.

Here’s what is so complicated about all this: I recently interviewed Dr. Noor, a physician who treats many perimenopausal women, and she pointed out that there’s really no test to determine if someone is in perimenopause. She also explained that many women don’t notice that this is what is happening with their bodies: They assume that they’re dealing with the stress of carrying too many responsibilities and chalk up their symptoms (like mood changes, irregular periods, and sleep disturbances, per Mayo Clinic) to stress.

But maybe it works the other way around too: Maybe we collectively are hearing so much about perimenopause, we’re assuming that this is what we’re experiencing even if the reality is that we are tired, overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed out because we have too many responsibilities on our plate. 

This is what is so frustrating about being a woman: Our bodies are so complex, and there’s just so much overlap when it comes to symptoms. Some symptoms appear with multiple conditions, other are just related to lifestyle factors. Either way, it feels pretty much impossible to make sense of what we’re experiencing.

On top of that, there are so many trending topics in the world of women’s health — and I hate chalking any health issue up to a “trend”, but that’s really what this feels like: It feels like one women’s health issue gets its place in the spotlight at a time, and we all wonder if that could be the thing that explains what we’ve been feeling thanks to all this cultural attention it is receiving at any particular moment in time. 

So are you experiencing perimenopause? Am I? Who knows? A chat with your doctor is always a good idea if you feel like things are just…off, but the sad reality is, answers aren’t always promised.

Ask Clara:

"What are the main symptoms of perimenopause?"