Beyond Anti-Aging: Why This Sephora Squad Member is Redefining Beauty Standards for Women Over 50
Show Snapshot:
From beauty industry veteran to silver-haired sensation, model and influencer Claudia Fabian is redefining what it means to age visibly and glamorously. In this week's show, Claudia reveals how going gray launched an unexpected modeling career at 50+ and sparked a mission to change how the beauty industry speaks to women in midlife. Now a Sephora Squad member and one of WWD's top Gen X beauty influencers, Claudia shares candid insights about her journey to embrace gray hair, the must-have beauty products stocking her beauty bag, and why she refuses to use the term "anti-aging." Plus, we explore what to consider before ditching the dye bottle, why makeup is fun at any age, and learn the holy grail mascara Claudia swears by. BRB—adding to cart!
Show Links:
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Claudia Recommends:
Dylan Lex jewelry
Quotable:
Women are so bombarded with messages that aging is something we should avoid, we should try to stop.
Transcript:
Claudia Fabian [0:00]
As women, we're so bombarded with messages that aging is something we should avoid, we should try to stop. "Oh my gosh, here's a wrinkle cream. Here's something to stop that." And as a person working in beauty, I really just started getting so angry about that and feeling so rebellious against those messages.
Katie Fogarty [0:21]
Welcome to A Certain Age, a show for women who are unafraid to age out loud. Beauties, do you hang out on Instagram? Social media gets a bad rap, but I love Instagram for its sneak peek into the creative lives of so many cool women all over the globe. I follow authors, pie makers, English interior decorators. I even follow a woman in the Bahamas who has a business—yes, a business—hot gluing shells into intricate patterns on the walls of her clients' homes. And of course, I follow midlife influencers. These are women who burst out of Instagram's small squares to hook you with their glorious energy, radical openness, and zest for living.
Today, I am joined by digital creator, beauty expert, and silver-haired stunner, Claudia Fabian, who you may know by her Instagram handle @thebeautydebut. Claudia shares style and beauty advice, gray hair inspo, and age-positive content and conversation. If you want pro-age makeup and hair tips, if you're looking for ideas and inspiration for embracing your gray in the new year, or if you are simply curious about what it takes to be a model, to become an influencer, or a voice in the pro-age space, stick around. This conversation is for you. Welcome, Claudia!
Claudia Fabian [1:47]
Katie, thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to have this really important conversation.
Katie Fogarty [1:53]
I am thrilled that you said yes, because I'm always really grateful and knocked out when a perfect stranger drops into someone's inbox and says, "Come hang out." So I'm grateful you said yes, and I have been following you and your content for a while now. I know from what you share on Instagram that you stopped dyeing your hair in 2020, so that's four to five years ago, and I'm curious what came first—your modeling career and content career, or did your transition to gray catapult this new career?
Claudia Fabian [2:25]
It was my transition to gray. If I would have known gray hair was so hot, I would have done it so much sooner. It's just been an evolution. And who would have thought I would embark on a whole new avenue in my career in my late 50s? I mean, I never would have guessed that this would have happened, but it's really been an exciting journey, and you never know until you go gray.
Katie Fogarty [2:52]
Absolutely, it's remarkable. I too feel like when I first hit record on my first podcast, 209 episodes ago, I never would have imagined where it would take me. Sometimes when you try new things and you open yourself up in new ways, for new conversations, you connect to a new community, you connect to just new opportunities. So I'm curious, Claudia, as you said you would have done this years ago had you known it was so hot, but how long were you dyeing your hair? What was the impetus? What made you decide, you know, "I'm tired. I'm tired of the dye bottle?"
Claudia Fabian [3:28]
Well, you know, like many women, as soon as I started seeing gray hairs, you start coloring. And I've worked in the beauty industry my whole career, so working in spa and salon, it's just part of the culture. I mean, I was coloring my hair different colors, doing highlights, changing it up all the time. It was a lot of fun for many, many years, but as the gray started coming in more and more, what happens? Right? You're having to color more and more often.
So it really started to take the joy and the fun away from coloring, because I was literally coloring my roots every two weeks to cover the gray that so badly wanted to show itself. And I finally just said, in late 2020, "I'm done." Like, this is just too much. My hair was thinning in the crown, you know, in the hairline area. And I thought it was hormonal, but turns out it was just because I was coloring my hair every two weeks.
So my hair not only has restored its health and is much healthier and thicker, but it also, as we stated earlier, has really catapulted me into this whole new career. I never would have had any of this happen had I not just said I'm done. I'm tired, tired of the commitment of every two weeks. And I know a lot of your listeners can relate that you base your whole social scene on when you're going to get your hair colored. Like, "Oh, I have this trip, let me make sure I book my hair color appointment. Oh, I have this event, let me make sure my roots are touched up." And then it's the sprays and the home powders. And it's just too much.
Katie Fogarty [5:13]
Right? It's like a job. Claudia, I sometimes joke on the show that I'm still pretending I'm blonde, and I can totally relate to getting the appointment booked and making sure that it looks the way you want. So I recognize how liberating it is to say "I'm done with all of that."
Claudia Fabian [5:35]
I think that if it's still something you enjoy, if it's still something that brings you joy, then I am not here to convert people not to color their hair. I think keep doing it. But for me, the joy was really not there anymore when you're having to do it every two weeks and it's a lot of investment, a lot of money, a lot of time. I just said, I just can't, I'm done.
And I never thought I would be that person to say I'm never going to color my hair. I really used to say I'm going to dye my roots until I'm in the grave. So you just never know what areas you're going to change your mind on. And this was one thing that I just said, I'm done.
Katie Fogarty [6:15]
I totally get it. And it's interesting to hear that you were experiencing sort of thinning hair and hair loss because you have such gorgeous looking, thick, flowing, gorgeous hair. And so people who are not yet familiar with Claudia or her account, @thebeautydebut, if you're not driving your car, you need to click-clack over to Instagram and look at @thebeautydebut and see Claudia is absolutely stunning here. So I'm curious, what made you choose the social media name "the beauty debut"? Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Claudia Fabian [6:48]
In 2020 when the world shut down, I, of course, was not working. The beauty space totally shut down. All the salons and spas weren't open. And so I had a one-season podcast, and I wanted it to be about the behind the scenes of the beauty industry. And the tagline was "The Beauty Debut: The Good, the Bad, and the Catty." I really wanted it to be an honest conversation with other beauty professionals about the industry, but what I found is that a lot of people just didn't want to be so open and forthcoming in fear of their boss hearing it, or in fear of getting a bad reputation in the industry.
So the podcast didn't turn out the way I wanted, so I did one season, and that was it. So "the beauty debut" was about debuting the beauty industry. But then, as I decided to start journaling my gray hair transition, the name has taken on a different meaning for me. It means that every decade our beauty evolves, we evolve. So "the beauty debut" now means debuting every decade—you're debuting a new version of yourself, essentially, and that's kind of what it means to me now, that as we age, we become so much more and we debut it every new decade, there's a chance to debut this new version of yourself.
Katie Fogarty [8:22]
I love that theme so much, and that's one of the reasons why I reached out to connect with you. I mean, there are a million silver-haired influencers on Instagram. I enjoy following them all, but so much of your content really spoke to me because it's in alignment with how we feel on this show, that midlife is a time of great possibility. People do not have professional or personal expiration dates. We get to keep going. We get to keep growing. We get to keep evolving and iterating.
And so much of your content speaks to that. When I was prepping for this show, I spent some time on your materials. I saw that on Threads, your bio there says that "age is just a costume change." And I literally laughed out loud because I thought that's so amazing. I've been steeped in the sort of pro-age industry for a couple years now, but I've never heard anyone talk about it like that, like we're just putting on and wearing and showing up in the world in new ways as we age, right? Aging is living. And you had a recent post when you said, "When did the word 'old' become an insult?" I would love for you to share whether or not you see in your community the same kind of excitement for aging visibly, aging out loud, or do you sometimes hear voices of women in your community who are struggling to accept this phase of life?
Claudia Fabian [9:44]
I think a little bit of both. And let's be real, even with all of my positive messages, there are days where I don't feel fabulous about aging. I mean, that's just the reality. As women, we're so bombarded with messages that aging is something we should avoid, we should try to stop. "Oh my gosh, here's a wrinkle cream. Here's something to stop that." And as a person working in beauty, I really just started getting so angry about that and feeling so rebellious against those messages.
And that's really what has motivated me to keep sharing my own journey with aging and really helping to inspire others. But I think overall, women are like, "Yes, we need more of this," and they want to see themselves on social media. They want to see themselves in beauty marketing, they want to see themselves and to be celebrated for this stage in life.
And I have given up doing all of the things that we're told we're supposed to do in regards to Botox and fillers. And believe me, I participated in that in the past, because, of course, I work in the industry, and it's just again, so normalized. But again, I just one day just said, "When is this enough? When can I just be? When can I just stop fighting this and just enjoy where I'm at in life?"
And that's really what I want to share and impress upon other women, that if you want to do those things and it brings you joy, then do it. But if you're kind of feeling like "I'm just tired of it," there is another way. You can just embrace every decade, every year, every line, every wrinkle, and celebrate it and not worry about it. There's so much more to life than a fine line and wrinkle.
Katie Fogarty [11:45]
There's so much more to life, and we get to choose. Claudia, we're heading into a quick break. When we come back, I want to have a conversation with you for the listener who is thinking, "I'm ready to make a transition. I'm ready to maybe embrace my wrinkles, I'm really ready to embrace gray." I know that you have some thinking on how a listener can decide if they should take that plunge. We'll be back in just a minute.
[Break]
Katie Fogarty [12:55]
Claudia, we're back from the break. When we went into it, you reminded us of what we all know internally: We get to choose, right? We get to choose whether or not we're participating in certain beauty rituals or traditions, we get to get to the point where we say, "You know, enough already. I'm ready to choose a new adventure," and I really want to embrace aging, both internally, in terms of my spirit, but also maybe more visibly. I have many friends who have made the transition to going gray. I've had many friends who sort of struggle against it. What is some coaching that you would offer a listener who's on the fence right now? What should they be considering before they take the plunge? Because it's not for everybody. What's your thinking on this?
Claudia Fabian [12:55]
Yeah, it is not for everybody. And as I said, like you just shared, when you really don't have a lot of gray, that's great. I mean, you don't have to not color your hair. That's not what this is about. This is about if you're ready to just be done with color, and let's say you have dark hair, I would just say there's two things that have to happen.
You have to be ready for negative response and not let it bother you. You have to get to a point where you're so sure about this decision that really nothing like that is going to deter you, because it's not an easy grow-out process, and there's no one quick way to get there. Some women cut their hair really short to make that transition way quicker. I wasn't really wanting to do that. I really don't like having short hair, so it was cold turkey for me, and that was very painful.
For the first six months, I would catch myself in the mirror and think, "What are you doing? This looks awful." You really feel like everyone is staring at your roots. And really they're not. No one really cares. But you know, it is a tough transition, but there are so many ways now that have come to light. You can highlight the hair as light as it can get to make that demarcation less noticeable. I lived in hair turbans and scarves and hats for the first six months, but there is no right or wrong way to get to the end result. However, you really have to have a strong mental mindset that this is what you want to do. And when you get your first compliment, it really motivates you. So six months in, you'll start to get compliments like, "Oh my god, I love that grown-out ombré look, who does your hair?"
Katie Fogarty [14:46]
You’re like — mother nature.
Claudia Fabian [14:49]
I used to get that a lot. "Oh my God, I love that, like, who does your hair?" And it was like, okay, but you'll start to see that it looks intentional at some point, and you'll get through it.
Katie Fogarty [15:05]
Society still has conditioned us to believe that people, particularly women with gray or silver hair, are old or perhaps potentially open to criticism.
Claudia Fabian [15:21]
What's pretty astonishing to me, Katie, is that men do not get this same criticism. Men embrace their gray and it's like, "Ooh, Silver Fox. Look how distinguished he looks." And women are seen as grandma, old, aged, ugly, a witch. I mean, I've heard it all, believe me, there are some negative comments on social and you just have to let it roll off, because it's just our brainwashing of society messages.
I mean, you look at evil characters, you know, Cruella de Vil, right, gray hair. You look at the Wicked Witch, gray hair. Women are seen again, it's that we live in such a youth-obsessed culture that we've all have our own internalized ageism. We all have it. If you've grown up in this society, you have it.
Katie Fogarty [16:16]
Claudia, I have to tell you a quick story. I was at a wonderful dinner the other night. It was organized by three people, and the theme of the dinner was disrupting ageism, and it was terrific. They had maybe 10 tables of 10 people apiece. We were all assigned a table, and at each table there's a table captain, and we were going to all come up with ideas, sort of collectively led by the table captain for how we disrupt ageism.
And so we all kind of went around, did a quick brainstorm, and I shared that the tagline of this show is "age out loud," and that I believe we should be aging out loud in our professional and personal lives. And so I invited the table—I said, "I think we should all just simply, before we kick off our brainstorm, go around and share our ages." And I said, "I'll start. I'm 54." And we went around the table, and this is a table of people who are there to combat ageism. And after everyone shared their ages, which ranged from like 34 to maybe 68 or 70, I said, "How did that feel?" And like three of the people were like, "I feel really uncomfortable," even though they're here to combat ageism, it was still hard for them to publicly admit their age, even to a table of like-minded peers.
So I think I totally hear what you're saying. We have self-imposed ageism sometimes, and that needs to be the first, I think, line of defense about sort of cracking the code on ageism. We need to work on our own inner voice. But to me, it's astonishing that you're getting outer criticism from people because you were saying people need to recognize that gray hair is not associated necessarily with just being older—people go gray when they're in their 30s, right? And gray hair is not just associated with evil villains from cartoons, but what's confusing to me is that people feel entitled to publicly criticize somebody on social media. How do you react to that? How do you not let that get to you?
Claudia Fabian [18:19]
Well, you know, sometimes it stings only when it comes from other women, because I think it is so disheartening that women would feel free enough to take time to comment something so negative on another woman's post. To me, that's... I guess mean girls live forever? I don't know, but it just always surprises me, because I think as women, we just need to always lift each other up.
Especially when people are sharing a positive message trying to inspire other women, to have some negative comments thrown in is just par for the course. I've let it roll off of me because it doesn't affect me or what I'm doing, and the positivity and the community that I've built far outweighs any random negative comment. But I think it says more about them. I think sometimes seeing women, mature women, showing their true skin, showing their true aging process, really triggers some people. And I think it says more about them, their own—again, getting back to what we were saying about your own ideals about aging, and it's very triggering for some people.
Katie Fogarty [19:39]
That's really interesting. People want everyone to think and be exactly like themselves, and so when they see somebody living differently or expressing themselves differently, I think there can be resentment—not for most people or not for the people that I choose to hang out with, but it's just kind of astonishing that you sort of open yourself up.
I do feel that there's a lot of sisterhood in the silver community. I have featured Katie—I'm forgetting her last name for a minute now—but she has the account "Katie Goes Platinum," and she shared with me that she had such a welcome from other women that she met both online and that she met, you know, would sort of bump into in coffee shops or the street. There's sort of a feeling of community for people who are making this transition together. Has that been your experience?
Claudia Fabian [20:31]
Absolutely. I think when you're thinking about going gray, going back to your question from earlier, get on social, start following people that are going through the process. It really keeps you motivated. It's a community of women just really sharing their experience together. And on days that I doubted my decision to go gray, being on social and connecting with people really helped me get through those first—I always say the first six months are the worst, just so you know, it's a year to your ear. So it's going to take you a year to get your gray to your ear. It took me about four years to keep my length and to go gray, just as a side note. But yes, the community online is incredible.
Katie Fogarty [21:18]
"A year to your ear." That's a great tip and a great measuring stick for anyone who's thinking about this. Speaking of community, you have also a wonderful community around beauty. I know that you're part of the Sephora squad for 2025, which is super fun. I want to hear a little bit more about that. The fashion bible Women's Wear Daily has called you one of the top 10 Gen X beauty influencers. In a minute, I want to dive into your beauty products and recommendations, but I actually want to ask you, before we do that, how do you feel about the word "influencer"?
Claudia Fabian [21:50]
I'm not bothered by it anymore. I really call myself a content creator because I think I'm creating content for a certain demographic. But "influencer"—I know sometimes it gets a bad rap, but it's a career, it's a business, and there's really no shame in the game.
Katie Fogarty [22:10]
One hundred percent. And I introduced you as a content creator when we started this conversation—that you're a digital content creator. I think you're a conversation curator also, because you are having conversations about what it means to age, what it means to be and feel beautiful. I love this notion—I'm so glad I asked you the question about why your social media name is "the beauty debut"—that we reveal different facets to our beauty and our identity and ourself as we move through time. Aging is living, and I'm glad I asked you the question. So I want to hear a little bit about the Sephora squad for 2025. What does that entail?
Claudia Fabian [22:50]
Well, it's a year-long contract with Sephora, so I will be collaborating with them, creating content, as well as doing collaborations with the many wonderful skincare and makeup brands at Sephora. And it's a really coveted position. Somebody on Threads had said that they described the Sephora squad announcement like the NFL draft for the beauty industry. I couldn't think of a better way to describe it—it is a coveted position. Thousands and thousands of people apply every year. There's only so many spots available, and it's really an honor to be a part of it.
It's not only great for our community of mature women, because not many mature beauty influencers get selected. So I just feel such an honor and such a strong responsibility to represent women over 50 in this space, and I'm really honored to do so. So I'm looking forward to creating content and showing up as a woman over 50 and showing that again, glamour never expires. We don't stop loving hair and makeup products just because we're in our 50s. And so this is really, really exciting for me.
Katie Fogarty [24:09]
Claudia, congratulations. That's so exciting. I cannot wait to see what you do with this in 2025. So let's talk a little bit about beauty. You shared that your early career was in beauty spa, esthetician. You are somebody who knows your way around a beauty bag. Are you using different products now, different moisturizers or blush or contouring products now, at the age of 56, than when you were younger? What is a peek into your everyday beauty bag look like?
Claudia Fabian [24:41]
Well, I just want to share that in regards to makeup, what I see a lot of on Instagram, there are things targeted at women over 50, telling them where they should be placing their blush, and this is how you should contour. I do not follow any of those rules, and I encourage people not to listen to that. Makeup should be fun and it should be a choice. If you don't want to wear makeup, don't wear it. But if it's something you enjoy and it brings you a moment of peace—I love it, it's a whole ritual for me sitting at my beauty counter. It's a time where I kind of go inward and think. I always call it a makeup meditation. I enjoy the process of it.
So because I enjoy beauty, I don't let it stop me from trying trends, from branching out and trying something new. And if I can give one piece of advice, we kind of do get stuck in some ruts. I think we get in our comfort zone with eyeshadow colors or lipsticks—branch out, try something new. The beauty of makeup is it washes off, so it's not a big commitment. If you don't like it, you can chuck it. But I encourage women, especially over 50, to express themselves and don't listen to the bullshit. Don't follow those rules. Wear a bold eye if it makes you happy.
In regards to skincare, I would say what's really important is keeping the skin nourished and hydrated. I refuse to use the term "anti-aging." And in fact, when I collaborate with brands or skincare brands, that is part of my stipulation—I am not going to promote something that is deemed anti-aging. It's hard to do because so many of the wrinkle creams and so many of the things out there are anti-wrinkle, anti-age.
Katie Fogarty [26:44]
So shift the conversation honestly, because there are a lot of brands—you know, I think of Kari Gran, who's been a guest on the show. I love her products, her essential serum is like a big part of my everyday and one of her taglines is, "aging is living."
Claudia Fabian [26:59]
I love that. And I think brands are starting to kind of wake up and realize that this is really antiquated language. And women of my generation, Gen X, like, we're tired of that.
Katie Fogarty [27:11]
Plus we've got it. We've got, like, a bullshit meter. It's like, yeah, we also know that none of that stuff's true, you know? I mean, we're not turning back the clock. We want to nourish and take care of our skin. We want to look its best. We want, you know, whatever that looks like across your own personal beauty standards. But we don't want to be lied to either.
Claudia Fabian [27:37]
The beauty industry has always been about selling a dream, right? So selling the hope that this is going to make you look younger is, again, very antiquated, and I think there's a new way forward. And as an esthetician, my piece of advice is the focus should always be about skin health, not so much about wrinkle prevention. We can have glowing, healthy skin at any age if our skin is healthy, and that also means internally as well—good skin starts in the gut, so it is more than just topical creams.
So while we probably don't have time to dive into my whole philosophy, I would say just keep the skin hydrated is key. And of course, if you're going to be out in the sun for a prolonged time, protect your skin with sunblock and a hat. Really simple. I think less is more. I don't think we need all of these 10-step skincare routines. But again, if those things bring you joy, and it's kind of like your time to chill out and go within, I'm here for it. So I kind of live in both worlds.
Katie Fogarty [28:46]
I believe in hydrated skin—it's something that we really... I always look and feel my best after I've come out of, like, Bikram yoga class, and I don't have a stitch of makeup on because I've worked out, I've exercised, you know, I'm taking care of myself, and my skin is glowing. So I think that skincare is the foundation of beauty. We can look and feel our best at any age or stage.
I love your joyful approach to makeup. I love the fact that you're willing to stock your beauty bag with new products. I also see from Instagram that you also are very fond of some NARS eyeshadow colors that you've been using since the '90s, which cracked me up because I am using my Clinique Black Honey lip gloss. It's still in my handbag. It's been there since high school. You know, we can have things that we love. We don't have to buy new things to feel great and beautiful. Is there a new product that you have added to your routine that you feel like it's so special that you should let us know about though?
Claudia Fabian [29:40]
Oh my gosh. Well, that is like, oh, like, you know, Sophie's Choice. How am I going to pick one?
Katie Fogarty [29:49]
How about this? Your eyes always look amazing. Is there a mascara that you love?
Claudia Fabian [29:54]
Yes, okay, so I recently—well, there's two options for mascara. One is from Aléph Beauty. They are a New Zealand brand. They are one of the cleanest makeup brands. So if that's important to you, if you have sensitive eyes, if you have to be very careful of ingredients, check out Aléph Beauty. [Spells it out] It's A-L-E-P-H. Women-owned small business, beautiful products. I have featured them several times and have gone live on Instagram with the founder. I really believe in this brand, but their mascara, for a clean mascara, is stellar. You won't find better. On the other side, one that I've loved is the YSL mascara. It's waterproof. I was sent it gratis and it literally is one of the best mascaras I've ever used.
Katie Fogarty [30:52]
Okay, I'm so happy I asked this question because I'm always in search of a good mascara. I sometimes joke that like, if my house were on fire, I'd apply mascara before I, like, you know, scampered out to be rescued by the firefighters, because that's the... for me, it's like, the one thing. My eyelashes have disappeared in midlife, and it's the one thing that makes me feel like, awake and not like a little baby rabbit with, like, no eyelashes.
Claudia Fabian [31:17]
Right? And mascara is so funny. It's such a personal choice that people, like, will never change. Like, once they find a good mascara, it's the Holy Grail for them, and they'll never cheat on that mascara. It sounds so weird, but it is one of those things that—and foundation. Once you find those two things that work for you, it's so hard to, like, pull yourself away from those.
Katie Fogarty [31:43]
Absolutely, and that's why I wanted to also ask about mascara, because it's something that it doesn't matter what your skin color is, your skin tone or your taste in like lipsticks, some people like neutral some people like brights, you know. But mascara is, you know, a great mascara can be used by anyone in the different colors.
Claudia Fabian [32:00]
Katie, it's because I always say it fits. No matter what size your pant size is, makeup fits, and it's something you can just put on and it's going to bring you joy, whereas, you know, as we age, sometimes, you know, we put on a little weight, I always say makeup always fits. Makeup and jewelry, they always fit.
Katie Fogarty [32:20]
Okay, so I'm so happy you said jewelry, because anyone looking at your Instagram is going to see that you have a gorgeous, glorious style and that you love statement earrings. And so I was looking at this, and I'm like, "Where does she get all this cool jewelry?" This is like, beyond makeup. But, you know, is there a place that you turn to again and again for your super cool statement earrings?
Claudia Fabian [32:42]
Yeah, there's another female-owned brand out of LA called Dylan Lex, and she makes—every time I wear these big statement earrings or necklaces, nine times out of 10, it's from Dylan Lex. I love supporting women-owned brands on my platform. So many of the clothes or outfits that you see, I really do try to support women-led brands. I think it's so important.
Katie Fogarty [33:10]
Yeah, we need to vote with our wallets. So I agree with that. Claudia, I want to switch gears for a minute, though, and ask you a little bit more about how you produce your content, because social media is, you know, an increasingly important communication tool across careers, across fields, across industries.
Katie Fogarty [33:10 continued]
I have featured a number of authors on the show. They are guests on the show, they are listeners. Instagram and BookTok on TikTok are very important ways of reaching readers. I have featured dozens and dozens of menopause doctors who use social media to share information, build their brand, but really also connect with women who need their expertise. And honestly, I use Instagram to connect with podcast listeners, so I feel that these are important information tools, sort of a skill set for a range of different women who are listening to this show. So I'm curious, do you produce your own content? Do you shoot your own reels? Do you take your own pictures? Do you work with outside photographers? How do the images get created?
Claudia Fabian [34:12]
I do it all myself. I have just learned by trial and error. I have invested, finally, in a professional camera. You know, it didn't start that way. I was just using my phone for so long. And that's what's the beauty of social media. You can have a whole career just using your phone.
Katie Fogarty [34:36]
Pretty hot, I have to tell you. On year two, my husband bought me like a tripod—not a tripod, not a tripod, but whenever you attach your phone, I guess it's a tripod, because he was sick of me shooting reels like stacked up at like 19 books, like toppling over. He's like, there's like, a $20 thing on Amazon that you can have. And it was literally my birthday present. My kids were like, "Oh, look, Mom got an iPhone tripod for her birthday."
Claudia Fabian [34:59]
I love it. I do share all of my favorite things at my Amazon store, so you can always check there for some basic tools to get started. But yes, I do shoot all my content. It's not always easy when you have nobody to help you or follow you around. I think maybe in this next year, I'd like to have an assistant, perhaps start to help a couple of days a week, just helping me film. It's so hard to film yourself always when you're just doing it alone, but right now that's where I'm at. I'm a solo creator.
Katie Fogarty [35:37]
I love that, and you're doing really well with it. Okay, so do you have a—so your Amazon store will help us figure out maybe your ring light and the other tools that you use. So are you working off of any kind of editorial calendar? Is Instagram your main platform? Are there others that you would share? Where would you recommend our listeners get started?
Claudia Fabian [36:00]
I would say that again, you can start with your phone—that goes for Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. Right now I have just focused on Instagram, although I am going to be starting a YouTube channel, because I do like longer form content for makeup and conversation, it's just a different way to connect, because Instagram is, you know, they like the little, short little clips, and people's attention spans are very, very short on there.
But I think what's most important is not to get stuck in perfection and comparing yourself to maybe more established accounts or content creators. I think we get in that comparison mode and we think, "Oh, this isn't good enough." I think we forget the whole reason of what social media is, and it's to be social, so it's just showing up as your authentic self as much as possible, and not worrying about perfection. The more you record, the more you start creating content, the better you get at it. You know, if you scroll all the way back to the beginning of mine, it's not always the best, right, but now it looks more curated. I've kind of found my niche. I've kind of honed into what speaks to me and what I want to convey. So I think you have to start somewhere and one step at a time.
Katie Fogarty [37:20]
Yeah, fabulous advice. Just get in action, get going, and put one foot in front of the other, and you'll be amazed by where it's taken you. So here's a question that I ask many people on the show: Could you have done this in your younger years? Could your younger self have imagined where you are today? What role if any did aging play in your willingness to share yourself so vulnerably, so confidently, so openly with others?
Claudia Fabian [37:50]
I think life experience plays a big role. And as we age, I think we all know we become more of our truer selves. We become more confident, we care less about the opinions of others because we know who we are, and I think that really makes a big difference in being vulnerable and being okay with that and not knowing that it doesn't always have to be perfect. I think that's really, really the key is just trusting in yourself and your intuition. I think maybe when we're younger, we don't always listen to our inner voices. We kind of ignore it or push it down, but now I've really learned to tap into that—my inner knowing always guides me, and when I follow my heart, I'm never wrong.
Katie Fogarty [38:37]
I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it. Where is your heart and career taking you in 2025, Claudia? My last show of 2024—I know that I'm so honored. I know it's a fun way to close out the end of this year. I know that you were recently in Mexico working on a documentary about gray hair and aging. I would love to learn a little bit more about that project, and where you see 2025 taking you.
Claudia Fabian [39:03]
Well, you know, my career is not slowing down. I'm going to be 57 in January. I'll be on the Sephora squad. This is really just very exciting—that's going to, of course, include some travel and great collaborations. The "White Hair Don't Care" documentary is being edited and made, and I'm hoping, fingers crossed, that it'll be debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, which will then be taking me to France in June, I believe, for that. So it is a passion project, and I'm just so hopeful that it does get picked up, because I think again, thankful for your platform and many other platforms that are highlighting mature women, highlighting that life is not over when you turn 40—it continues and it gets better. If that's the message I can carry into 2025, is that life will continue to blossom and get better, and we become better each and every year.
Katie Fogarty [40:09]
One hundred percent. I so agree. I've so enjoyed this conversation, and you have a remarkable 2025 in front of you, as do we all. I loved hanging out with you today. Claudia, thank you for being with us.
Claudia Fabian [40:19]
Oh, thank you for having me. It was such an honor, and I just love what you're doing on your podcast. Thank you so much for elevating our voices.
Katie Fogarty [40:30]
This wraps A Certain Age, a show for women who are aging without apology, and this wraps our 2024 shows. Thank you for being a friend of the podcast all year long. I appreciate every download, every DM, every Apple podcast review. Thank you for making A Certain Age part of your year. We have incredible shows lined up for 2025—we are back the first week of January, so get ready for even more episodes that spotlight incredible women and offer expert advice for thriving in midlife. Until then, happy holidays, Beauties. See you in 2025!