SELF Magazine

What do you call postpartum anxiety, plus cancer, plus five surgeries? Oh—and two babies? Just ask Olivia Munn. The actor, who stars in Apple TV’s ‘Your Friends & Neighbors,’ was diagnosed with multi-focal, multi-quadrant, Stage 1 Luminal B breast cancer in both breasts in 2023. After undergoing procedures to remove her uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, she welcomed baby Méi, her second child with husband John Mulaney, via surrogate in September 2024. “The surrogate is still in our life,” Munn says. “She was a better pregnant woman than I ever could have been.” For SELF Magazine’s April cover, the mother, actor, and cancer survivor opens up about finding the perfect surrogate match and fighting for her health. Read the profile by Danielle Pergament here: https://lnkd.in/expzKE_D Photographer: James Emmerman Wardrobe Styling: Kat Typaldos Makeup: Archangela Chelsea Hair Stylist: Bok-Hee Meixner Manicurist: Kim Truong

When SELF editor in chief Jessica Cruel took on her new position in January, she had one niggling question: Can SELF be size-inclusive and still talk about weight loss? “I think it can,” she writes in a new editor’s letter, which we’re publishing today along with a feature on Remi Bader and an investigation into the complex relationship between weight and health. “While we are fully committed to self-love at every size—and equitable, discrimination-free health care for all—we also need to address where the world is in 2025. Because here’s the truth: We live in an era where GLP-1s are a large part of our medical and social zeitgeist, whether we like it or not. In my mind, completely ignoring that conversation—the social, mental, and public health implications of it—is doing a disservice to our readers, many of whom probably know someone taking a GLP-1 medication or have considered doing so themselves…if they’re not already on one.” “I don’t want to live in a world where women who are curvy disappear from conversation and sight,” Cruel writes. “But I also don’t want a world in which we judge or shame people for making autonomous decisions about their own bodies. And I definitely don’t want to run a publication that follows that ethos.” To read more about the next era of SELF magazine, and the promises we’ll make—and keep—to our readers, always, tap here: https://lnkd.in/efNYrgvD

Remi Bader estimates she went on her first diet at around 10 years old. The endless cycle “only got worse over time,” and she was diagnosed with binge eating disorder in 2019. So began an onslaught of mental, physical, and medical hurdles that brought her to where we are today. “I loved being curvy my whole life; I just did. It was who I was,” Bader says. So when her health issues came to a head, she felt like “it was a battle” with herself. “I will always believe that you could be a bigger size and be healthy and happy. I was for a while, that wasn’t a lie. But there was a point when it shifted, and I became really unhappy.” It is almost impossible to decide what is right for your body when everyone around you has an opinion on it—particularly when it comes to why, how, or whether to lose weight. How do you separate a desire for positive health outcomes—for feeling better—from the cultural and social insistence that the size of our bodies reflects our well-being, character, and worthiness? Bader grappled with this tension. She never just wanted to lose weight—and she certainly didn’t want to do it for anyone else. She was ready to get off the Ferris wheel: She wanted to feel better. But nothing could have prepared her for what was to come: a surgery, a breakup, a harrowing recovery process, and, ultimately, a sense of healing that brought her back to herself. Tap here to read Bader’s story: https://lnkd.in/erRt8UBb Photographer: Sofía Alvarez Stylist: Virginia Ray Hair: Jerome Cultrera Makeup: Natalie Lageyre Producer: Melissa Kramer Writer: Samhita Mukhopadhyay

In a tearful September 2023 TikTok, Remi Bader told her million-plus followers that she would stop speaking openly about her body and health. Since then, Bader, who rose to social media stardom as a plus-size influencer, has lost weight—seemingly a lot of it—without acknowledging how or why. A quick look online makes it clear that her fan base has noticed and wants answers. While she is uninterested in responding to bad-faith commenters criticizing her every move, Bader understands that people find her silence alarming: “I get the frustration there.” After all, she is known for sharing everything with her community, and has spoken openly about her mental health, struggles with binge eating, and a failed Ozempic attempt. At the same time, she’s tired of onlookers who insist that losing weight must equate to her happiness. “No, you're literally f–cking wrong,” she says. Bader’s story is much more complicated than that, and what we see on social media only scratches the surface. The truth is that Bader survived one of the scariest, most transformative years of her life. Struggling with a host of health issues that made the career she loves nearly impossible, Bader entered a cycle that included binge eating, weight-loss drugs, debilitating gastrointestinal issues, more than one wellness retreat, therapy, and finally, a harrowing procedure that left her bedridden for weeks. Now, on the upswing of recovery, Bader is ready to tell her story on her own terms. Tap here to read the SELF exclusive: https://lnkd.in/erRt8UBb Photographer: Sofía Alvarez Stylist: Virginia Ray Hair: Jerome Cultrera Makeup: Natalie Lageyre Producer: Melissa Kramer Writer: Samhita Mukhopadhyay

By now, you’ve seen enough headlines to be sufficiently freaked out about microplastics. They’re everywhere: Our water bottles, our brains, our bones—they’ve even infiltrated the waters of the Arctic, where no humans even live. The latest culprit that really hits close to home? Your cup of tea. A recent study found that brewing tea with polymer-based teabags causes a “significant release” of microplastics. Is nothing sacred, anymore?! If you’ve had it up to here with the microplastics mayhem, we got you. https://lnkd.in/eYcf3r-H

I am proud to know so many Autistic women that have contributed to improved screening and diagnostic criteria specifically for women, including Jennifer Cook and Carly Ott. I'm grateful for journalists like Cassie Shortsleeve that highlighted this important topic in a publication like SELF Magazine, that focuses on empowering women. Lastly, I'm glad the Autism Society of America could support this article, and bring in Wendy Ross and her depth of experience. 🙌

If you’ve been to the supermarket recently, you might have noticed many shelves that were once filled with cartons upon cartons of eggs are now bare. If you’re lucky enough to find them in stock, you might be met with a surprising form of sticker shock: Organic, cage-free, free-range, and pasture-raised eggs are often now actually on par with—or even *cheaper* than—the regular options, which have skyrocketed in cost. And the United States Department of Agriculture predicts that egg prices will rise an additional 20.3% in 2025. Tap here to learn more. https://lnkd.in/gyUj43y3

✨ Honored to be featured as one of SELF’s Everyday Athletes of 2025! ✨ In the article, I shared: "Fitness isn’t about shrinking yourself; it’s about finding what makes you feel alive and connected. For me, it’s about creating spaces where all bodies are celebrated." And that’s what my work is all about—helping plus-size folks find a fitness journey that feels like home. One that’s rooted in community, joy, and self-love. Through Power Plus Wellness and my classes, I aim to show that movement isn’t about fitting into society’s mold—it’s about freeing yourself to move, breathe, and live authentically. Huge thanks to SELF Magazine for spotlighting this mission. Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/enBsx7af

Lili Reinhart is SELF’s January 2025 cover star. SELF sat down with the actor the day after the 2024 election was called: “I was going to say to you the moment I walked in, ‘I hope you’re okay with crying,’” she told writer Julia Sullivan. “In my private life, when I cry, I really cry. That’s not something that’s very socially acceptable, as we know as women. We don’t cry in public because it’s uncomfortable. But I knew I was going to cry today, and I didn’t feel nervous about it.” At the time of this interview, Reinhart’s grandmother had recently been diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer after months of uncertainty and self-advocacy. Fighting for care has been something Reinhart found herself recently consumed with too: She’s been privately dealing with a debilitating, hard-to-pin-down health issue over the past four years. She says her doctors suspect that she has an autoimmune disease (though they’re not sure which one exactly) that’s causing several painful symptoms, or she may be dealing with the aftereffects of a previous infection. Reinhart has long been an influential mental health advocate, and now she is ready to bring her physical health into the conversation. “This is where the emotions are going to come out,” she said as her eyes started to well. “I’m here and I’m talking about my health because of my grandma.” To read the full cover story—including Reinhart’s personal health journey and why she’s speaking up now—tap here: https://lnkd.in/eUV4hjVn

Curious about drinking a little less alcohol but don't feel ready to ditch it entirely for the month? There’s a less restrictive, possibly more mindful option you could try: Damp January. Cutting out booze completely might be intimidating, whereas a damp lifestyle meets you where you are and allows for a flexible environment to take a closer look at why, when, and how you drink, ideally setting yourself up for a healthier long-term relationship with alcohol. We asked experts to explain the pros of reducing your intake, and how you can make a low-liquor month work for you. Tap here: https://lnkd.in/e2gJB9zv