From Seventeen Mag to IG: Why Everyone’s Lying to You📱

Hi friend!

If you’re new here, I’m Kristyn — Co-Founder of Rescripted, and a millennial woman who’s spent most of my adult life trying to make sense of my own health. Between fertility treatments, two pregnancies, postpartum recovery, and the hormonal chaos of PCOS, I’ve learned one thing for sure: women’s health information is often confusing, stigmatized, or buried somewhere you only stumble on at 2 a.m.

That’s why I created Girlhood: a space to get real about our bodies, our health, and the culture around it. No sugarcoating, no shame, just honest stories, science-backed insights, and the things we wish someone had told us sooner. From mood swings to cramps, bloating to headaches, this space is for you.

Here’s what we’re diving into this week:

💡 Influencers’ Lives Aren’t Real

I remember sitting in my middle school bedroom in the ’90s, flipping through Seventeen magazine, staring at the models with perfect hair, perfect clothes, and perfect lives, and thinking: Why can’t I be like that? Fast forward to now, and instead of glossy magazines, it’s Instagram feeds filled with women who somehow bake sourdough, run DIY projects, do yoga, and post it all before 10 a.m. — while I’m over here trying to find my kid's matching sock and drink my coffee before it gets cold. The caption? “Just living my best life, so grateful!” I often put down my phone and think: Yeah, right.

That’s exactly the point Jo Piazza makes in Everyone Is Lying to You. The book dives into the influencer world, exposing how much of what we see online is carefully constructed. Every “spontaneous” post, every “authentic” video, is designed to grow a following — and sell something. Your feed isn’t lying to you because you’re imagining things; it’s lying because it’s literally built to.

And yet, Piazza doesn’t just dunk on these women. She admires them. These influencers are running six- and seven-figure businesses, managing marketing, content, partnerships, and a relentless schedule, all while keeping up appearances. That takes brains, grit, and strategy, whether or not the life behind the lens is “real.”

So what’s the takeaway for the rest of us scrolling at 11 p.m.? Admire the hustle, yes, but don’t compare your messy living room or leftover takeout dinner to a perfectly staged highlight reel. Your life is real. Your wins are real. And your self-worth doesn’t need a filter.

🔎Ask Clara: How do I stop comparing myself to others?

🩷 Not Just TMI: Why Your Pelvic Floor Matters

I didn’t think twice about my pelvic floor until after I had my twins. Honestly, before that, I wasn’t even sure what the pelvic floor was. But I’ll never forget being at a wedding a few months postpartum, dancing barefoot in the reception hall, and suddenly realizing I couldn’t jump. Or more accurately, I shouldn’t jump — because if I did, I might pee a little.

Fast forward to life after baby number three, and I was dealing with the opposite problem: sometimes I couldn’t pee, even when I needed to. That’s when I realized something we don’t talk about enough: pelvic floor dysfunction isn’t always about leaking. Sometimes it’s about retention, pain, or even constipation.

Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles and ligaments that support your bladder, urethra, vagina, uterus, and rectum. When those muscles are weak, symptoms can include leaking, heaviness, or pain during sex. When they’re tight, issues might look like incomplete bladder emptying or pelvic pain. Sometimes, both can happen at once.

In a recent Rescripted survey, 30% of women said they’ve never done pelvic floor exercises, and nearly a quarter weren’t even sure what they were. Only 2% learned about them from a provider. That has to change.

Pelvic floor health matters at every stage of life. If your symptoms don’t make sense, you’re not imagining things, and you’re definitely not alone. The right support, like pelvic floor physical therapy, can make all the difference.

🔎 Ask Clara: How can I tell if my pelvic floor is weak, tight, or both?

🌸 Lupita and Mandy Making Health Talk Feel Normal

I caught a feature on Lupita Nyong’o and Mandy Moore talking about women’s health research, and I felt both inspired and oddly comforted. Inspired because they’re using their visibility to highlight gaps in research that affect women every day. Comforted because, honestly, they’re just like us: navigating health struggles, advocating for their families, and figuring it out as they go.

Lupita shared her experience with fibroids, a painful condition where noncancerous growths form on the uterus. Symptoms like heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, and back discomfort can be debilitating. “I was so stunned by how little my doctor could tell me about this condition,” she said. “I felt so helpless… I felt very isolated in my condition.” That frustration lit a fire: normalizing women’s pain is unacceptable, and she’s determined to advocate so future generations don’t face the same casual ignorance.

Meanwhile, Mandy — our A Walk to Remember girl-next-door turned This Is Us mom — opened up about her fertility journey, including a misdiagnosis of endometriosis, and being told something was “wrong” with her reproductive health. Raising her children amplified her drive: “Since becoming a mother, it’s so much easier to advocate on behalf of myself and my children and the future generations,” she explained.

It’s wild to think women weren’t included in clinical research until 1993, and today only 8% of research funding goes to women’s health, despite women making up 51% of the population. Even as stars, Lupita and Mandy are showing that visibility, advocacy, and courage can turn personal struggle into progress — and that women’s health deserves attention every day, not just when it’s trending.

🔎 Ask Clara: What is the gender research gap?

✨ Supplements: Where Do You Even Start?

If you’ve ever felt like women’s health is one big guessing game, you’re not alone. I’ve walked out of the doctor’s office more times than I can count with a head full of questions and zero clear answers. Between the hormonal ups and downs of birth control, the exhaustion that comes with postpartum recovery, and the fatigue of Hashimoto’s, I’ve learned that sometimes the only way to figure out your body is to experiment, track what’s happening, jot down allll your questions… and yes, maybe try supplements along the way.

That’s why I turned to Derek Flanzraich, founder of HEALTHYISH and the popular newsletter 5HT, who’s spent years cutting through the noise around supplements. Here's his take:

"I’ve had enough people (including my wife) ask, 'I don’t take any supplements — where should I start?' so here’s my take. (Quick disclaimer: I’m not a doctor — think of me more like a friend with health benefits.)

Step one: get a blood test. Companies like Function can help out-of-pocket, plus most basic labs are covered if ordered by your doctor (or simple digital options like General Medicine, where I'm an advisor).

Buuut let’s assume you eat a pretty standard diet and just want the basics. After years of experience (and being obsessed with Examine.com), I most often recommend the following:

~ Vitamin D: Nearly half of U.S. adults are deficient. It impacts mood, energy, and muscle health. Aim for 1,000–2,000 IU of D3 daily.

~ Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Great for heart and brain health. Unless you eat fatty fish 2–3 times a week (spoiler: most of us don’t), you’re likely low. Look for EPA + DHA combined.

~ Probiotics: Good for digestion and immune support, but focus on the right strains; not the most strains. A delayed-release, multi-strain formula with 10–50B CFUs is ideal. (I take Seed and highly recommend it.

Next tier: B12 (for energy and cognitive support) and Magnesium (for recovery and brain health). Beyond that, consider Iron, Calcium, Iodine, Zinc, fiber — but only if your bloodwork shows you need them."

🔎 Ask Clara, 'What supplements can help support PCOS?', and don't forget to subscribe to 5HT for more smart tips from Derek!