Georgia May Jagger, Charly Sturm on Their Mom’s Best Beauty Lessons
What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than to ask two young women involved in the beauty industry for what they’ve learned from their successful moms?
Here, WWD talks with Georgia May Jagger about her mother, Jerry Hall, and Charly Sturm about her mother Dr. Barbara Sturm.
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Georgia May Jagger, Bleach London investor, on her mother, Jerry Hall
WWD: How did your mother shape/influence the way you define beauty?
Georgia May Jagger: The biggest thing she taught me was the importance of acceptance and paying as much attention to your sense of self as your image. It sounds cheesy but this has allowed me to define beauty for myself and not feel too much external pressure. She was a great example for me. She is known for being very glam and she loves to dress up, but she is also just as comfortable in jeans, plaid shirts and cowgirl boots. I think that’s influenced how I think about beauty and fashion, a way to play and express myself in lots of different ways. Her love of sustainable and homemade beauty products also fueled my beauty passion and my business ventures, including my investment in Bleach London, which is 100 percent vegan and PETA approved, and my new skin care brand May is a product of years of mixing oil hair masks and face creams in my kitchen with my mum.
WWD: Did you ever go against beauty advice that your mom gave you? And if so — how did it turn out?
G.M.J.: Yes, she didn’t enjoy my teenage years; my ripped tights and green eyeliner raised an eyebrow or two over the years. She also hated my high-tops and fake tan but gave me space to figure it out. As I grew up, I realized how much she influenced me and how the years of playing with her clothes and makeup helped shape my style. My mum always championed DIY beauty; she dyed her hair and made beauty products in her kitchen, which has been passed on to me. I remember the first time I dyed my hair against her wishes — pink, blue and green patchy stripes (I didn’t spread the color). Luckily, my work with Bleach London has meant that over the years my technique has improved. Now even mum has started experimenting with her hair too. It’s nice that we can now share advice.
Charly Sturm, executive director of Dr. Barbara Sturm Molecular Cosmetics, on her mother, Dr. Barbara Sturm
WWD: How did your mother shape/influence the way you define beauty?
Charly Sturm: My mom has always encouraged me to love and be confident in my skin, and that hasn’t always come naturally for me. She never wore much makeup and instead focused on taking care of her skin. That stuck with me, and although I have had struggles with my own skin, I’ve always tried to do the same. I take care of my skin very diligently and our line works wonders for me. When I was younger, I made the classic mistakes of applying too much eyeliner or powder and now I try to take a much more natural approach. I keep my use of makeup as minimal as possible — unlike my mom, I do like to wear it more frequently but in a way that’s subtle and makes me feel more confident.
WWD: Did you ever go against beauty advice that your mom gave you? And if so — how did it turn out?
C.S.: When I was in my mid- to late-teens and my mom had already launched her line, she always urged me to start using the products. At that point, I was going through a tricky phase with my skin, a lot of breakouts and unevenness and I was convinced that only pharmacy products that felt like they were “working” by burning or tingling would fix it. My mom taught me to take a healing approach instead. I finally listened to her advice, stopped using harsh products and switched to her line instead and my skin calmed down and improved. Since then, I try my best to listen to her, especially when it comes to intriguing new beauty trends.
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