Does Facial Acupuncture Have a Point?

plus, Subscriber Appreciation Day

Welcome readers, old and new!

Please tap the ❤️ above for a glimpse of astonishing majesty …and then feel the significance of your worry lines magically disappear!

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I often think of my mom these days; she died at 93 and would’ve turned 100 this year. Increasingly, I see her in myself in surprising ways.

When she was my age (74), I remember her telling me she’d suddenly developed a tummy. Me, too, Mom, like clockwork—and what the hell?

She usually had the television on, tuned to the news, which confounded me, as I—working in an office all day in a constant communal buzz—couldn’t understand why she didn’t find the background noise intrusive. Now, I like the chatter of the radio or a podcast as I putter around my apartment; the voices feel like company.

As do you, Dear Readers, with your chorus of comments and emails.

The HNTFUYF subscriber community is now over 21,000 strong and growing. When I wish I could share some new development with my mother, who had surely seen something similar, I turn to you, so willing to confide your concerns and generously share your solutions. This is just to say I declare today Subscriber Appreciation Day. Thank you for your support of every kind. ❤️

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I’m back in the U.S. for a while, but I read the news every day out of Japan, where it’s not unusual to see stories about centenarians and granny-influenced hobbies (leading, interestingly, to a yarn shortage). Which reminds me of what it means to be seen, a less common experience for older women stateside.

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Because a number of you enjoyed my packing list suggestions enough to consider buying some of them, here are two more places—high and low, as it happens—where I’ve found a few pieces I’m drooling over.

The high, thanks to a fashionable friend who came over for dinner the other night wearing a jacket I admired… wait, I have to tell you this about our evening: Early on, she was describing how she wasn’t loving the way her thighs and tummy (speak of the devil) look at our age. (We’ve known each other since our kids were small.) At a loss for words, she pulled down her trousers and lifted her shirt so I could see what she meant. “Me, too!” I said, also revealing my mid-body. Eyeing each other—Geezus, not so bad, we said—we shrugged and covered back up. We hadn’t even started drinking yet. It occurs to me to ask our thoughtful community: Is this behavior normal? (And if not, why not?)

Back to the clothes.

The provenance of this friend’s jacket was TOAST, a British brand I’d never heard of, but when I went on their website, I wanted almost everything. Those of you looking for a midi-length summer dress like this or this with a few dollars to spare (prices average around $300) will find winning choices here.

The next day I walked by my local Gap store and was transfixed by their window, which featured a panoply of popsicle-colored linen shirts, canvas bags, and flip-flops. The shirts no longer have those dumb little breast pockets, which always made them look kind of cheap; they now sport normal-size, adult pockets. Zac Posen is Gap’s new creative director—and though I have no idea whether the collection I saw is his influence, there were some pretty and comfy-looking cotton gauze barrel pants along with those shirts and bags.

Maybe use the cash you’re saving by avoiding an expensive moisturizer—investing instead in this excellent drugstore version—to treat yourself to a shirt in a luscious color to complement your well-moisturized complexion.

Speaking of fun, if you missed my live chat with Sari Botton, proprietor of the terrific Oldster Substack, watch it here.

After the paywall, a few new thoughts about this question: Does facial acupuncture have a point?

HNTFUYF is a payola-free, reader-supported zone. I get no cut from sales when I mention a product—any kind of product! This means that my recommendations are offered without obligation, making HNTFUYF one of the very few places where you can get unadulterated advice, beauty and otherwise.

This post’s beauty Q&A sits quivering with excitement behind a paywall. For full access to all posts and the extensive archives, please become a paid subscriber at the current rate of $40/year. Can’t afford a subscription? Write to me at valeriemonroe@substack.com and I’ll give you a comp. 🙏