"How Not to Look Like Shit": Bobbi Brown on Makeup, Aging, and Being Scrappy Forever

"How Not to Look Like Shit": Bobbi Brown on Makeup, Aging, and Being Scrappy Forever

Author: Jo Piazza September 8, 2026 Duration: 44:03
Bobbi Brown started Bobbi Brown Cosmetics out of her garage while pregnant in 1990. Four and a half years in, Estée Lauder called and said we want to buy you, and she said okay, mostly because she did not really know what a brand was yet. She stayed on for 22 years as an employee of the company that owned her own name. When she finally left, she still had four and a half years left on a non-compete, which meant she was legally not allowed to make a single beauty product. So she renovated a hotel, sold vitamins at Walmart, did an eyeglass line, and then launched Jones Road in October 2020, one week before the presidential election, when everyone told her she was out of her mind. Bobbi is a force of nature and her memoir Still Bobbi: Lessons on Building a Beautiful Life is a book club must read. We talk about the lab screwup that turned into Miracle Balm, what she does instead of Botox and which laser she will never touch again, why the phrase anti-aging makes no sense to her, and what 38 years of marriage plus running a company with your husband actually looks like. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER The Parisian Heist here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Under the Influence with Jo Piazza, journalist and mother Jo Piazza pulls back the curtain on the multi-billion dollar world of social media influence. This isn't just another show about viral trends; it's a critical exploration of the aspirational marketing that haunts our feeds, where perfectly posed lives in spotless homes mask a complex economy. Jo examines how this ecosystem fundamentally reshapes our culture, our families, and our personal sense of self, especially for parents and kids navigating this curated reality. Each episode of this podcast digs into the forces that brought us here, asking what it means to live, parent, and consume under this constant, monetized influence. You'll hear specific stories and analysis that connect the dots between the content we scroll past and the larger societal machinery at work. The conversation naturally extends beyond the screen to question the real-world impact on our journals, our relationships, and our understanding of value. Under the Influence with Jo Piazza provides the context often missing from the comments section, offering a necessary perspective for anyone who has ever scrolled and wondered about the true cost of that airbrushed perfection.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Under the Influence with Jo Piazza
Podcast Episodes
Sunday Nice Things: Did Emily Ruin Paris? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:55
Today we're sharing an episode from another podcast I think you'll enjoy: The Global Story from the BBC. The question they’re tackling is a great one: Did Emily Ruin Paris?Whether you love Emily in Paris, hate-watch it,…
The Tradwife Era Is Over. So Why Are We Still Obsessed? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:50
Why are smart, progressive, left-voting women are still watching tradwife content? Even after the trend has peaked? Author Claire Swinarski has also written a tradwife novel entitled The Supper Club Saints. Today we're c…
An OBGYN's Cheat Sheet for Getting Taken Seriously [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:11
Dr. Tracy Shevell is an OBGYN who has spent 25 years in women's intimate spaces, and she has watched the system fail women over and over. Her goal is to help women get them better care by telling them how to work within…
Pour Yourself a Cup of Ambition: Remembering Dolly [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:49
Dolly Parton died on Tuesday at 80, and she may have been the last thing Americans agreed on. We're replaying this episode in her honor. Our conversation with Will Bonfiglio, the WashU lecturer behind a wildly popular co…
Why We Need Paid Leave Right Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:55
The United States is basically the only country in the world without paid family and medical leave, and we are not okay with it. This week, Dawn Huckelbridge of the Paid Leave for All campaign joins us to break down what…
Sunday Nice Things: A New Book You'll Absolutely Love [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:14
This week on Under the Influence Sunday Nice Things, we have a book rec you will LOVE. Jennifer Herrera’s Siren Says, a magical, sexy, gloriously witchy novel about embracing your power and finding your confidence as a w…
Why We Keep Underestimating Conservative Women [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:37
For years we've been laughing at tradwives. We've mocked the prairie dresses, the sourdough starters, the "submit to your husband" content, and the endless parade of blonde influencers telling women to embrace traditiona…
The Joy of Giving Fewer F*cks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:49
What happens when good girls grow up and stop apologizing? For generations, women have been rewarded for being agreeable, being accommodating and being grateful for what they have instead of asking for more. And yet many…
The Dark Side of Being a Good Girl [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:06
For years, women have been told that success means being chosen. Chosen by a partner. Chosen for the promotion. Chosen by everyone except ourselves. This week we're joined by Sabrina Bendory, author of The Feminine Code,…
Grudges, Revenge, MLMs and Book Recs with Emily Paulson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:40
This week on Under the Influence, bestselling author and recovering MLM insider Emily Paulson joins us for a rage-filled chat about revenge fantasies, influencer culture, tradwives, motherhood, social media lies, and the…