Stacy London Noticed TV Didn't Want Her After What Not To Wear
Stacy London is an American stylist that's best known for her role as co-host on TLC's series, "What Not To Wear", which featured fashion makeovers and helpful styling tips that taught us how to dress better. After the last episode of the series was aired in October of 2018, London found herself spending the next few years waiting to land another job opportunity in the media, until she realized her opportunities were no longer what they once were.
London tells InStyle: "The more that I started to think about this — and by the way, every channel was like, 'No, thank you. We're not interested in middle age, it's not sexy.' — it also felt like a real personal attack on me." London isn't the first to experience the harsh realities of ageism in our society. Hollywood is known for being a ruthless place for women who age, with many women realizing that as they get older, their window of opportunity shrinks. From Anne Hathaway to Maggie Gyllenhaal and even Meryl Streep, many noteworthy actresses and TV personalities have experienced the harsh ageism that comes along with careers in the media. Unbeknownst to Stacy, she would find a new career path from her hardship.
Stacy London struggled with her sense of self
After struggling to deal with the devastating loss of her father and the physical symptoms she chalked up to grief, Stacy found herself dealing with menopause. According to the National Institute on Aging, menopause is a time that marks the end of a woman's period cycles, with symptoms leading up to menopause ranging from hot flashes and nausea to brittle nails and dry hair. She found herself lost and confused. London tells InStyle: "And so here I had experienced perimenopausal symptoms in a way that made me feel an incredible loss of identity, an incredible loss of agency, and the loss of my sense of self. I thought, 'Well, it can't just be happening for me.'"
While struggling to find her new identity, Stacy was asked to beta test products from State of Menopause, a company made for those who are in menopause. After testing and loving the products, she became the CEO of the company.
She continues to educate her audience
Stacy London continues to advocate for normalizing menopause. In an Instagram video she uploaded, she tells her audience that rather than continuing her venture into selling products, her interest lies in sharing stories and connecting with others. In the video, London says: "[Menopause] is still a very stigmatized topic, very problematic, whether it's a medical issue or a life transition ... There's a lot of complication and confusion around it that I really think can be solved with more communication and bigger communities and, certainly, most importantly, education."
Today she continues to educate her audience about the behind-the-scenes struggles of menopause that are rarely spoken about in the media. She shares her message through interviews with doctors, as well as by shining a light on brands and companies that work to de-stigmatize menopause and educate women about their hormones. "It's hard, but it isn't hopeless, and you're not helpless. And that is truly the message that State of Menopause wants to impart," she tells InStyle.