In a world where periods, pregnancy and fertility take centerstage in the news when it comes to women’s health, there’s an undeniable dark shadow cast on menopause. It is, after all, a natural transition understandably viewed as “the end” for some women who are beyond the childrearing set; let alone an epoch to be celebrated.

But wellness brand Stripes Beauty begs to differ.

It’s 2025, and longevity is king, (or in this case, queen), and pro-aging is all the rage. To bring menopause into the spotlight it deserves and to show the transition can be a beginning for women to embrace midlife as a reawakening over a crisis, Stripes took menopausal awareness to the streets of New York City on the first day of summer. The activation — the brand’s first guerrilla marketing campaign — included a series of attention-grabbing images serving as a bold reminder for the women in menopause or going through it that they are “hotter than ever.”

Traffic-Stopping Activation

Stripes Beauty Founder and Chief Creative Officer Naomi Watts worked with British photographer Ben Watts. Six large-scale posters depict the actress in a “Hotter Than Ever” hat reading the campaign manifesto in a newspaper challenging outdated aging narratives, which she fans herself with in another, to lounging poolside in the serenity of nature’s beauty of lush lavender and still water. The images – which include catch phases, “It’s the Age of Being Hotter Than Ever” and “It’s Hot. It’s Midlife. It’s Now” — aimed to strike meaningful dialogue, kindle brand awareness and reframe midlife as a reawakening to thrive over a crisis to feel hopeless about. The images were strategically placed in three high-traffic locations across Manhattan’s SoHo district from June 17-24.

“‘Hotter Than Ever’ is more than a campaign – it’s a cultural movement,” said Watts in a news release. “With this launch, we’re taking the conversation to the streets, putting our manifesto front and center, and showing up for women in a way that’s unapologetic, visible and fun.”

“Our ultimate goal is to start a cultural shift and be a catalyst for change,” Stripes Beauty President Cara Kamenev told Happi. “This campaign is about visibility, yes, but it’s also about validation. We want women to feel seen, heard and valued in a way that is long overdue. Our hope is that women of all ages walk away from this feeling inspired to embrace every stage of life with boldness and pride. If we can spark one conversation that helps a woman feel less alone, more informed, or more empowered, then we’ve done our job. Because menopause isn’t the end of the story, it’s the beginning, and it’s hotter than ever.”

Watts, an Oscar-nominated actress and mother of two in her 50s, was 36 when she first noticed changes related to perimenopause, the time around menopause. She created Stripes in 2022 with the hopes to educate women of all ages about menopause, its symptoms, and offer a variety of plant-based solutions from supplements to hydrating gels and moisturizers to keep women’s bodies healthy, from scalp to vag. The brand celebrated its second birthday last fall in New York City with Watts in attendance and two doctors specializing in menopausal support and education.

“For too long, the dominant narrative around aging, and especially around menopause, has been rooted in invisibility, shame and inevitable decline. At Stripes, we fundamentally reject that,” said Cara Kamenev, Stripes Beauty president. “The ‘Hotter Than Ever’ campaign was created to challenge the idea that midlife marks the beginning of the end. Instead, we see it as a powerful, vibrant chapter that deserves to be celebrated. We’re spotlighting the confidence, wisdom, and energy that women gain – not lose – as they age. Menopause isn’t a moment of loss, it’s a rite of passage into something even more empowering, self-assured and unapologetic. We’re not here to ‘fix’ menopause – we’re here to normalize it and to give women the language, tools and support they need to navigate this transition with ease and confidence. We believe that education is power, and community is everything. So, whether it’s through our expert-backed content, science-forward products, or campaigns like Hotter Than Ever, we’re framing the conversation around menopause as a moment of evolution for the modern woman.”

SoulCycle and Influencer Partnerships

Apart from Watts applying her acting skills to stage a variety of eye-catching, attention-grabbing campaign imagery, Stripes Beauty partnered with fitness company SoulCycle in The Hamptons in the promotion of the brand’s bestseller, Vag of Honor, a hormone-free gel for intimate moisture that contains Ectoine, hyaluronic acid and plant-based glycogen, to provide up to 24 hours of relief.

“Our partnership is focused on Vag of Honor, not only because it’s an incredibly empowering product we should all be using to hydrate down there – but because quite literally, cycling is one of the many physical activities that can feel uncomfortable as we age that can feel uncomfortable as we age and get drier ‘down there,’” said Kamenev.

Stripes also recruited 10 women cherry-picked by Watts to share personal stories across Stripes’ digital platforms that embody the campaign ethos. These included actress Chelsea Handler, Australian Journalist Laura Brown and others in addition to menopause experts and women who are thriving in midlife.

“They feel like a mirror for the women who have been underserved and underestimated by the beauty and wellness industries – as well as society at large,” said Kamenev. “We are tied of airbrushed images of women far younger who claim they can turn back time, and erase wrinkles and our stories along with them. It’s time she sees herself not only represented, but celebrated.”