40ish - Unfiltered - Jeans, Genes, and Generational dread

Episode Date: June 24, 2025

Today on Unfiltered: Nicole’s midlife meltdown is simply this: teens. Full stop.  Lauren’s in a crisis over a swimsuit return - but the real issue? She’s turning into her mother. (Love you, Jackie). A listener is lost in a denim dilemma and meanwhile, ex supermodel Linda Evangelista tells an interviewer that she won’t date as she doesn’t want to hear anyone breathing, and honestly? We get it.  To buy tickets to our live show click here -  https://cheerfulearful.podlifeevents.com/festival/40ish---live-from-cheerful-earful-podcast-festival-16-oct-2025-tickets?clientside_routing=true Get 10% off Daily30+ today. Go to zoe.com/daily30 and use promo code 40ISH10 We love to hear from you! To share your feedback, dilemmas, rants, funny stories or general complaints about midlife please be in touch at: Email [e-mail] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/40ish.podcast  TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@40ish.podcast Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/share/DVQWb6y2vesgeHEK/?mibextid=LQQJ4d  To order our book HAVE YOU TRIED THIS?” click here  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Have-You-Tried-This-Only/dp/1801293139/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1O7EA4ZF1O5CS&keywords=have+you+tried+this&qid=1699449028&sprefix=have+you+tried+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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you're saying about the 40 ish dilemmas that have happened and we're gonna be discussing our own midlife meltdowns and we're gonna be hearing from you and decide who is the winner and if you want more 40 ish in life because you do of course you do please hit that follow button and become a subscriber exclusively on Apple Podcasts, where we have a club and you get bonus content, you get ad free shows and you get early access to this show and self care club. You can hear it before anybody else. Imagine that all for the price of a cup of coffee. Yeah. So please come over. That's on Apple Podcasts. Yeah. What's your midlife meltdown this week Lauren.

Okay, I've got to because I know you've been very upset that for the last two weeks I've had no meltdowns. None, none. And nothing's been bothering me. It's not I haven't been upset. I just feel like... Life's been too easy for me, hasn't it? Too easy breezy cover girl.

I don't know what that was. What's easy breezy cover girl? Wasn't it makeup? It's like Maybelline. Okay. It was like the 80s version of Maybelline. Easy Breezy Cover Girl. Well it's okay. Things have annoyed me this week. I'm back. I'm back in the world of annoyance. Great. You're over the newborn phase then.

We're past the newborn phase. We're into teething. She's teething. My arms, my face and my back and my legs indeed are covered in little tiny teeth marks and scratches. Lucky she's cute. Damn lucky. Yeah. Anyway, firstly, don't roll your eyes when I say it. Go on.

So you know the M&S hack that happened fucking months ago and then they paused all online orders? Yes, yeah, there was a cyber attack. I think it was. It was a cyber attack. Then I get a WhatsApp message that I feel like I've been waiting for forever from a mum in Josh's class saying, good news everybody, M&S is back online. And I messaged back on the group and I was like, do you know what? This is good news. This is actually the best news I've had in about a week. I am delighted to hear this. So I go straight onto the website. I will. I would never get that message.

This is the kind of stuff that we moms share and I'm grateful for that. Yeah. My friend does message me when Sweaty Betty goes on sale. Same, same thing. No one messages you when sweaty Betty goes on sale. Come on now. I go straight on the M&S website to order. It's not the same thing. Sorry it's not the same thing. I want to order these fucking garden cushions and the thing for the memorial bench spinning the basket since before the cyber attack. No, no you can't. You can only go on a wish list because it's actually only a very few things that you can order. Why don't you just go to M&S Home? Where is M&S Home? I can't even find one. I can't even find it in store. I've looked. It's not in

store. It's online only. I think there's one in Watford. It's online only. Oh, oh. Right. So one, that's what I'm annoyed about. One. Two, this is annoying. It's one of your favorite subjects online returns. Returns. I've got a whole table of returns. I saw those. All right. I was like, what are you doing? Have you opened some eBay shop? I just, you know what? The mental load is so enormous at the moment. I just can't. You hate returns. It's a real bad fair. I'm okay with returns but when I'm okay it's like when I'm not okay and there's too much other shit to do I just almost can't cope with them. Yeah. It's like a

step too far. So I've really for this is a real midlife of thing. Ordered a swimsuit online. Ordering swimwear at the best of times is a motherfucking fucker. I fucking hate it. But I know the brand and I know my size. So it was just an easy thing to do. Anyway, no, apparently since last year, they've changed the design of everything. So now it's like, unless you want literally your crotch to be ripped in half when you put this thing on. Your whole bum on display. Why is, was it so short in the body?

Yeah. It was made for like someone with a very short torso. So I try and go on to return it. It's the most complicated returns policy ever. And if it's an exchange, it's free. If it's a return, you have to pay. I've already paid for delivery and now they want me to pay for. That fucks me off.

Right. I wouldn't have fucked me off at 20, but That fucks me off. Right. I wouldn't have fucked me off at 20 but it fucks me off now. So I emailed them. I was like... You weren't doing returns at 20. You're right. I wasn't. I was just going to Topshop buying a size nothing and wearing it if I was even wearing clothes. Yeah. I didn't even wear clothes to return them. Exactly. So I emailed them. I was like you'll wear clothes to return them. Exactly. So I emailed them. I was like, I've paid 295 for delivery. I want to exchange it. You won't let me exchange it. You've now put the price up to a pre-sale price and I've got to pay another £3. I've got a feeling there is absolutely no end or point to the story. We get it. There is. There is. There is. There is. I'm refusing. I'm refusing. I will not. I won't pay for delivery and return for an exchange and now they

won't exchange it for the same price because they want to add another 30 quid on because they put it in the cell and they took it out the sale. No, this isn't acceptable. I don't accept it at my age anymore. What are you going to do? Now you've got something that's too small for you and you can't wear it so then you're just stuck with it. So they're the only ones winning. I've sent an email. I've sent an email an email Nicole I'm waiting for a response and I am telling you to my mother yes I am slowly but surely it's not slow do you want to know what my midlife marketing is?

Just teenagers. Just teenagers full stop. That's it. That is the end of the sentence. Teenagers. And then there's parts of teenagers that I absolutely adore and enjoy and I get so much pleasure of. They're so fun and they're so full of energy.

And then there's parts of teenage life that is just not that. And I'm just exhausted from teenagers. Teenagers are exhausting me. Teenagers are like the thorn in my side. Teenage girls, teenage boys, it's just mainly grunting. Then they go through it, then it's fine. It's a bit of like BO and grunting and then it's done after a year. It's okay. I don't mind. Well, bully for you. I mean, no one likes a fucking show off. I mean, I haven't done teenage girls. We are all delighted for you that you get one year of a grunt. I mean lucky you. For three years because there were three boys. Okay.

But I haven't raised teenage girls. I don't know the merry hell that they wreck. You do. Because you see me doing it. No they don't do it in my house so it's different. It's a bit like being a grandparent. What do you mean they don't do it in your house? Well I'm saying it's not happening in my house so I can just look on from afar, observe it

but then go home to my own house. To your own grunting for three minutes. Yeah. They're past it so I'm out of that. I have to tell you that this hasn't helped. You're not helping. I'm sorry, I have no advice, information. I don't want your advice.

I have nothing to share on girls. I don't want your advice. The only girl I am aware of is a goal and retrieve a girl. I don't know girls. You do know girls because you hear it from me. I know but I can't help with the raising of them. I've never raised them. It looks very difficult and very exhausting and I would just say drink gin. I'm so tired.

Drink gin. I'm so tired. Come and see the puppy and drink gin. And then my eldest Tina, she said to me, what's wrong mummy? Why are you so tired? I said, I just... You, you, you're making me so tired she's she's so sweet and she's so lovely and I'm just so tired she is sweet she she babysat for me I know today with her boyfriend yeah and then during the interval I got the sweetest text because I left I was like very concerned so I'd like she's very

communicative yeah I'd made like soup and I'd like put out this big basket of snacks and I wanted to make sure they were all snacked up and everything. I was like saying, Josh, don't touch the snacks. They weren't allowed to eat them. Why? I said to Josh, these snacks are not for you and your friend. They are for Daisy and Daniel. Oh my God. I get this very sweet text during the interval because we went to the theater saying, is it okay if me and Daniel order some food? I was like, of course it's okay. How sweet to ask. Oh, she's so sweet. So sweet. And then we got home and they were, they were on the sofa. I said, is everything, was everything okay? And Daniel, who's Daisy's boyfriend, he said, you know, I thought it was going to be a really easy evening just looking after a puppy. It was actually really hard work. Puppies are hard work. I was like, yeah, I know. As I said

to both of them, puppies are a lot of work. A lot of work. It's like this is the first time I've been out of the house in three weeks. She's a lot of work. She's very distracting. Very distracting. But very cute. Yeah. Yeah. A bit like teenagers. They're not always cute. Sometimes they're cute. Yeah. They're very, they are very teenagers. They're not always cute. Sometimes they're cute. Yeah, they're very, they are very distracting. Very distracting. Yeah. Okay. Teenagers, full stop. Yeah. Okay. I don't think anyone is going to beat that, especially not your turning into Jackie. I think the meltdown should be turning into Jackie, not the, not you will turn not turning into Jackie because I really like Jackie. I'm gonna stop talking now.

What you mean is my meltdown should be about the fact that I'm turning into my mother not really about the ins and outs of the swimwear exchange slash returns because nobody cares not even me. Let's get some feedback. Okay, here we go. You're ready. Yeah. Hello again, Nicole and Lauren. I'm currently listening to your furry four-legged heartbreak and the over familiar friend episode and you're discussing whether different genders can be friends with each other without it ruining marriages. I believe totally and utterly that you can as long as the married couples are totally honest with each other. I have more male friends than female friends and I've even had a male friend staying overnight. I was totally honest with my hubby and he went to one of his female friends parties and stayed overnight with her too and that was fine with both of us because we trust

each other totally and utterly. As long as you're honest with your partner there shouldn't be a problem right? Lisa. Wrong Lisa. Wrong. I think, well I think it's nuanced. I think if you are friends with them before then totally. So if Adam rings you up tomorrow and says I'm going to blah blah blah's party this woman and I'm sleeping over at her house you'd just be totally chill with that would you? Adam travels with a woman regularly. Yes but she works with her, that's not a friend it's different. I know they are friends. They are friends, but they are also work colleagues. What difference? I'm just saying he has a very close woman in his life that he travels with. I mean, they shared, they did an Airbnb together.

But he has a professional relationship with her. He does have a professional relationship with her. Let's not use her for an example. Why? I think it's a good example. I don't because he... Well because it's not proving your point. I'm saying I'm absolutely, and she's a good friend of mine and she's around the house a lot and she stays over at our house because she's living in Newcastle at the moment. Like I am, I could not be more fine with it. Just couldn't be more fine with it. But also you don't shit where you eat. So it's just, but they have more of a brotherly sisterly relationship. They just don't have

that relationship. I just don't know. But she still works with him. So it's different. It's not different. They still have a close relationship. I don't think it's different regardless of what the circumstances are. I am not okay with Ollie sleeping over. I see what you mean because there's what you mean because it because there's reasons of why they're going away together. Yeah. Yeah, okay. They have a professional working relationship.

I'm just putting it out there. No, I'm totally not okay if Ollie's like I've gone to a party with and it's at this woman's house and I'm sleeping. No, no, you're not getting in a fucking Uber and you're coming back to our bed. I wouldn't be okay with that. No, sorry. I wouldn't be okay with that. No, and I don't think he would be particularly delighted if I went and stayed with some man in his house overnight. No, but what if they stay at your house with both of us together? Yeah, that's completely different. We're both there. That's what I'm saying. That's fine. That's not the same. That's what it's nuanced. See, it is nuanced. Trust is trust. You sleep in your

own bed with your own husband or wife. Nah, I'm not into non marital sleepovers. Sorry. No, you and I have had lots of sleepovers. We're heterosexuals. We're both women. So it's okay. I don't think these think I'd be a penis. It would be very different. Do you? Yes. I do. Because two women can cheat with each other. They can. But I don't think that Ollie or Adam had any issue with one of us walking around the bedroom

in Wales or Paris in a bra. Don't you remember that first summer that we'd met? And we were the first summer we met. Where did we go? We'd had no we weren't together. I was on holiday. Yeah. And we'd had some headshots done.

Yeah. And the photographer had just said them through. Yeah. And I was on holiday and I'd woken up early and I was in bed and I was on my laptop looking through the photos. And Adam woke up to me, like trawling through all these photos of you.

And he said to me, like, do I need to be worried about it? Like, do you really, are you missing her that much? And I was like, no, no, I'm choosing headshots. He thought I was pining over you. And then you woke up in bed looking at photos of me. Yeah. It would have been so sweet if you did. Well no it wouldn't. I'm weird. Weird and sweet. Yeah and it would have ruined our relationship Lauren.

It would have done. You don't shit where you eat. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. Hi says anonymous. I've just listened to yesterday's unfiltered podcast about the lady who had a meltdown about the light bulbs. And all I can say is yes. Yeah. This came in on Instagram. Yeah.

That's currently me now, but I've bought it all online and I haven't got the foggiest clue what I'm doing. I've currently got four deliveries of various light bulbs and I've given away three more because they either haven't fitted, they're the wrong type or they're unusable because their LED and not traditional or something like that. Is it really too much to ask for a dimmable bayonet light bulb to work without giving me a migraine and feeling like I spent thousands of pounds on light bulbs that are unusable? Yeah. Well, yeah, it is too much. It is obviously too much to ask. It's not possible. It doesn't happen. No, it doesn't exist. But we are allable. Yeah. Well, yeah, it is too much. It is obviously too much. It's not possible.

Doesn't happen. No, doesn't exist. But we are all sat in lights. So we, James can manage it. James manages light bulbs. Beautiful. Yeah. Like a pro. And also I'm sure your household is not in the dark. I'm sure you have light bulbs. Yeah. Again, blue job. I can deal with them. I can buy them. Don't want to light bulbs or wankers as discussed. Yeah. Yeah. Standing by that firmly. On to gray eyebrows and the chickpeas. This was part of your whole medley of things. I've got a meltdown. Oh yeah. It's new. Oh wow. Yeah. My meltdown is that with the gray eyebrows before you go into it. Yeah. I went to Benefit. They do a lovely colored eyebrow wax. It's really expensive. Yeah.

And it lasts you about a year. And I've been like, you know, really digging out the old one because I really didn't want to get anywhere. I got a new one. And I've got a slightly lighter color, which was better for me. So I'm so happy with it. It disappeared. I used it twice, fell in love with it, it's disappeared. It's in one of your daughter's bedrooms. I said to my daughter, she went on a school trip, the mascara disappeared the same day she did. She swears blind that she has not used it. I have literally checked her whole room. I did all of her unpacking unless she

is like really stashing it somewhere. She has absolutely point blank promised me that she has not taken it. Anyway, it's been now two weeks and I miss it. I'm going to bought another one. That's my meltdown. That's so annoying. Look fantastic has just emailed me has been dispatched, but I am not happy about it. I'm not surprised. So great eyebrows can do one. Can't you just dye them?

And then you won't have to colour them. You can dye them. But you just have to keep dying them. Okay, you've got to keep dying your hair. Why can't you just dye your eyebrows? No, no, no, no. Why? Why?

Because what the mascara does is it fills it in. Yeah. And it shapes it. Well, I know I do that anyway, but I'm saying just for color. Can you just don't need to? What's the point in then do it? You don't have to then it's two jobs. I don't need to only have to do one. I see. I see. Okay. That's the beauty of this product. It's an amazing product. It sounds great. It's a colored eyebrow wax. Wonderful. Yeah. Well, people, people have things to say about this. Lou said, wow, how spot on is this? Where have my damn eyebrows gone? Cheryl said, OMG, this is me. Yep. Lucy read 38 said I'm in my fifties. There are numerous things that I can't eat anymore because you were talking about the chickpeas. I have no idea what is okay and what is not. And it's

driving me crazy. And at Nina says, Oh my God, not the chickpeas. So it's, it's a problem. Chickpeas, it annoys me because they're so healthy and it's so good for you. They are great. Yeah. That's what annoys me so much about it. I understand. I want to go to a break and then come back with some midlife news. Okay. Oh, great. No Frills delivers.

Get groceries delivered to your door from No Frills with PC Express. Shop online and get $15 in PC optimum points on your first five orders. Shop now at NoFrails.ca. What is happening in midlife news? I will tell you what is happening in midlife news. Former supermodel extraordinaire Linda Evangelista admits she is not interested in dating and I quote. Oh I saw this. I don't want to hear somebody breathing. Linda. I loved this quote. Linda we feel you. How old is she? 50 something. Linda I hear you. I get it. Get it. You know

when Ollie used to tell me that he was going away on business, my heart would sink a little. I would miss him. I would think, Oh no, three nights without him. And now when he tells me he's going away on business, I'm like, Oh wow. Three nights, full sleep. Three nights is the cutoff though. I've decided because Adam's away a lot in June and now we're on night, I don't know, six, five, I have absolutely no idea. It's too many. Three is amazing. Yeah, because you're getting that beautiful, very, very full, settled sleep. Yeah. It's really nice. Yeah, it is. But then you're like, Oh, actually, I really miss you. After some nights is too many nights. It's three nights. I've banked the good sleep. Yeah. And also my dog doesn't like sleeping with us when one of us isn't there. Oh, she

likes the pack. Yeah. I see. I see. I get it. I feel her. And why would you have to? Like if I, if I was single, I also wouldn't want to have someone breathing anywhere near me. I quite like the idea of like how they used to run things with like bed chambers. So you'd have your bed chamber, you know, like kings and queens, you have your bed chamber, they have their bed chamber. You can wander into each other's bed chambers. Great. But the thing is, I have thought this through and I've decided I would definitely be the wanderer. I definitely wouldn't want the other person wandering into my bedchamber because I don't want to sleep in the wet patch. So I will wander into theirs and then go back to my nice clean bedchamber. I've already thought this

through just in case I'm ever in a bedchamber, palace situation. Do you know what I mean? You needed to use the term wet patch? Yeah, it's the quickest most descriptive term. It really was quick and descriptive. Correct, because no one wants to sleep in it. Someone's got to... And also no one heard anything after those two words. So you could have said anything. Sorry, this is the reality of life. Someone has to sleep on it and no one wants it to be them. So that's the only solution. Know what I mean? So maybe Linda could do that. Then she wouldn't have to sleep in the wet patch

or listen to the breathing. Maybe she doesn't want to have to the point of a wet patch. Maybe she's just done with it all. Maybe. I don't know. I haven't asked her. We've got a listener meltdown. Oh no, we've actually got another bit of feedback. Go on.

Hello ladies. Huge fan of both shows. Great. Thank you. Lovely. We love that. When I was listening to one of your recent episodes where Nicole registered Lauren as a professional numpty. Ah yes, this was at the podcast show when my lanyard said Lauren Mishcon professional numpty all day long. Now it sits in my kitchen on the kitchen door. Josh saw it the other day and he went, that is so funny, mom. Is it a joke? And I said, no, no, I wore that

all day. Yeah. I had to write in and tell you a similar story from my own life. Many years ago, my husband and I had been training for some road races. He ran a marathon and myself a half marathon. The night before the race we went to pick up our packets and when I received my bib it said, it said peanut butter on it instead of my name. My husband is the one who registered us for the races and decided to have my bib customised to say peanut butter. When I confronted him, he had completely forgotten that he had done it and I was furious, but he of course found it hilarious. The next day during our race all my frustrations melted away because it was in fact hilarious to hear people's

reactions and to hear- Well they were probably calling her peanut butter. They were! To hear spectators cheer for peanut butter. It's still a joke in fact hilarious to hear people's reactions and to hear... Well, they were probably calling her peanut butter. To hear spectators cheer for peanut butter. It's still a joke in our house to this day. When I rewound the podcast and had my husband listen to your story, he cracked up knowing, he cracked up laughing knowing exactly why I had him listen. Thank you for all you do. I absolutely love the pods, Nikki.

Oh, that's so lovely. Thank you, Nikki. That's lovely. That's lovely. That is lovely. How funny. Yeah, I mean, look, it was the best part of the day. It actually was the best part of the day. It really was.

Yeah. It was the best. It really tickled you, didn't it? Well, it was very funny. Come on. When she handed it to me, it was just one of the greatest moments of my life. I don't think she saw it. The woman who was moments of my life. I don't think she saw it, the woman who was sitting behind the desk. I don't think she saw it, but it was like,

it was just classic. Absolutely classic. Right. Give us the listener meltdown, please. Hi ladies. I want to rant about jeans. Okay. Yeah. It started with optimism, which as we all know is the gateway to a middle age nervous breakdown. Yeah. I've been wearing the same two pairs of jeans since about 2014. No, then it's time to change them. They might even now qualify as vintage. Yeah. All I wanted, she says all I wanted was a pair that fit well, look flattering and don't cut into my liver when I sit down. Totally. I mean, you say that's all you want, but that's a lot to ask for. It shouldn't be. It shouldn't, but it is. I went to a department store with a huge jeans selection. That was my first error. Every brand too much choice. Second

problem. Can I just say, right, I have a way of cutting through all of that. Because if you go to like the Selfridges denim department. I can't, I've been there. It's a mindfuck. I had to leave immediately. I'm going to talk you through it in a minute. Okay. Second problem. The music was thumping. It is not a club. I was totally overwhelmed. Yeah. Third error. I asked a girl who looked the same age as my daughter for assistance. She showed me some mom jeans. Yeah, it's not good. I am a mom, but is this now my default option? I tried on six pairs. The lighting in the changing room was disgusting. I hated myself even before I tried any of them on. The first three pairs wouldn't do up. The fourth pair had deliberate thigh rips. No, I'm sorry. No. The fifth pair cost 240 pounds. What the fuck?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I swear. Topshop ones were 40 quid. Yeah. The sixth pair were fine. But at that point I was too emotionally damaged to care. I left empty handed, I bought a coffee and I've decided that my old jeans have plenty of life in them and anyway on zoom calls no one can see my bottom off. I mean all of that, yes a big yeah. I asked my friend who used to be in denim distribution why certain jeans because they used to be in very high end denim and so a pair of jeans would be like five six hundred quid. What? And they were like from Japan, like this Japanese denim. And I said to her, what qualifies? Why are these jeans so expensive? And she said, it's something to do with the wash. The what? The wash. Do you mean the wash? The wash, what they've been washed in and how they wash. Fucking liquid gold? Yeah. That kind of vibe.

Caviar. Yeah. That's what she said. I'm just giving you the answer. Don't shoot the messenger. What's the, what is the right when you go to the self just denim department, first of all, can I just caveat all of this with I have never actually bought a pair of jeans in the self just denim department. Because they're too expensive. So expensive. So overwhelming there. But also a lot of the gene like you go in knowing pretty much what shape you want. Ish, but sometimes you think the shape is going to be good on you. You put it on, you look like you are from a 1982 sitcom. But firstly, right, so you've got to keep the shape in mind. You've got to keep the

wash in mind, the colour. So if you're going in for a dark blue pair of jeans that are like a straight fit, you know what waist you want. Whether you want high waist, low waist, mid rise. So that's cutting it down. It's a process of elimination. So it's shape, it's color, it's size, and it's waist. And then it's length. And then it's length. Yeah. Yeah. And then it's price point. So then by that point, your options are about two pairs of jeans.

Yeah. So true. Yeah. So it is a process of elimination. So it looks very overwhelming, but you've got to have an idea of what kind of thing you want. You see, if you were back in the days of the bedchambers, you'd just have a tailor make them for you. So you wouldn't have these problems. You know you don't live in Bridgerton, don't you? Bridgerton, they don't tend to wear jeans. Skirts. So you wouldn't need a tailor, would you? Or you don't actually live at Buckingham Palace. Not yet. So the whole jean thing, I just buy cheap jeans now. Actually, no, buy cheap jeans now. Actually, no, that is not true. The last two pairs of jeans I bought

are slightly more high end. Oh, have they now? These were, I got these in the sale. Get you. I got them at Free People. They're quite a good price point, Free People, and they have all the shapes. And they're a really nice soft denim.

All of the shapes and all of the sizes. They have got all the shapes any shape you want. I bought a pair of jeans yesterday I've just realized. M&S? No they weren't actually M&S because M&S online. Are they from Hennis? No they weren't they're actually from Zara and they're actually a pleated wide leg so that's what okay pleated. I was with Josh. I was with concerned about the police. No, they're not pleated like a pleated skirt. It's just one dart like where the pockets are at the top. I saw them online. I thought they look fucking great. I'm going to try them on. I was like, Josh, Josh, come in there. Women's changing rounds. And he was like, mom, they are cool

because they have a very wide leg, very wide, not even a flag. I want a very wide leg. I'll show you them. Okay. I mean, you could almost, it could almost be a skirt. They're very wide. Nice. He was like, mom, they are cool. I was like, are you sure? Do you think I'm too old for these? And I was wearing a dress. So I was like, hang on, let me put on a t-shirt to show you the full look. I had to grab because it was the only thing right by the changing room, a cropped t-shirt. I wasn't wearing a bra because I was wearing a summer dress. So I just put on this cropped t-shirt with the jeans. I came out the changing room and Josh went like this, mom, and then covered his eyes. I said, I'm not buying the t-shirt. Don't worry. And I know I'm not wearing

a bra. Just look at me from the waist down. Don't look at the boot. Yes. And he literally was like this with half his eyes covered. Yep. They're cool. And then this woman who was outside the changing room, so she means I absolutely love that you get fashion advice from your teenage son. Yeah. I said he is discerning. He is the only one to ask. No, that would be good. That would be good. Anyway, I think I like them. I need you to see them because if you laugh at me, I'll take them back. I won't laugh at you. You might. I won't. They're very wide. Anyway, I get her point about jeans. They're expensive and it's a minefield. And also, as you get older, it's a case of what actually suits me now. Yes. And also, where are we with the

skinny? No, we're done with the skinny. Are we? Yes. For ever though. For a while. Kate Moss said they're back. Okay. Well, I'm not wearing them and you're not Kate Moss and neither am I.

No, but I don't want to throw them away just in case. I haven't thrown them away. I haven't either. I might put them in a high cupboard though. Jeans are a mind fucker. They are. Who's winning the meltdown? It's not my mascara. I don't think I'm winning. Yours wasn't mascara. Yours was teenagers. Full stop. And eyebrows. I mean jeans. It is a problem.

I think the jeans might win. Jeans is a problem. Because the teenage thing is like, anyone with kids is going to deal with a teen eventually. Or you're not apparently. Yeah true, we're not to that extent. I really get the jean thing. I've also experienced the jean thing. You've experienced it. I've saw every woman listening has experienced the jean thing.

I think she's the winner. You can have it. Have it. I don't know her name. She hasn't put her name. But we're giving it to you, je's lady. Jean, you have won. Love that. Yeah. You love that?

Yeah, I do actually. Thank you, Jean. Thank you for writing in, Jean. We appreciate you. Imagine if her name was actually Jean. Oh, Jean, let us know. Here's up. Let us know what your name is, Jean. You will forever be known as Jean. You will. Please be in touch with all of your meltdowns, your comments, your issues, your rants, your dilemmas. Hello at 40ish.co.uk. We love hearing from you. And we'll be back on Thursday with

a brand new episode of 40ish. See you then. Hello, I'm Sarah Cox. I'm Claire Hamilton. We became besties as teenagers and now we're parenting five teens between us. Twice a week we commiserate and laugh as we tackle the issues affecting teens now and then. This is Lesson Advice Pod, more of an audio panic room.

Join us every Monday for the main ep and Wednesday for your turn where we hear your teen tales, past and present. Teen Commandments, find us where you get your podcasts. T.S. teenagers, pick up your wet towels. And don't call us bruh.