![There's Something About Julie](https://cdn.magzter.com/1357654597/1717055600/articles/yaJVsix0N1717068619807/Julie-Schott.jpg)
Two women’s hands extend toward each other, gripping the treasure on the shelf they both covet. We’ve seen this trope before, but this time, the women aren’t sparring over a Manolo Blahnik, but rather a Julie-brand morning-after pill in colorful packaging. In the commercial, written and directed by comedian Esther Povitsky, the strangers engage in the opposite of one-upmanship (one-downmanship?) to prove who needs it more. “My boyfriend has a podcast about crypto,” one laments.
You’ve probably never seen a pharmaceutical ad like this—which is exactly why the brand wanted to make it. “Why can’t an ad sound like the group chat? Why does it have to go through the pharma filter of seriousness?” asks Julie cofounder Julie Schott. Amanda E/J Morrison, another cofounder, tells me that when they first took the script to their compliance team, they were told, “‘That’s not how a pharmaceutical commercial goes.’ And I was like, ‘Well, show me the language where the FDA says that.’ The reality is, that language didn’t exist. It was just, everybody was doing what everybody thought they were supposed to do.”
“There’s a way to laugh your way in,” Morrison says of the brand’s approach. That could mean anything from selling merch (a “Dump Him”–style baby tee that reads “Sex Happens”) to billboards with slogans like “When you’re not ready to be a mommy influencer.” When asked to distill the Julie sense of humor, Schott says, “Go on TikTok. Everyone’s hilarious. I don’t want to make it about generations, but millennials are so self-serious, and like, ‘Story time, this is what happened.’ And that’s not it.”
This story is from the June/July 2024 edition of ELLE US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June/July 2024 edition of ELLE US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![On Pointe](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2241/1716446/2VE22boHQ1717065265405/crp_Gabriela-Hearst-San-Francisco-Ballet.jpg)
On Pointe
Gabriela Hearst lends her design ingenuity to a Latin-powered production of Carmen that provides a fresh twist on the classic.
![There's Something About Julie](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2241/1716446/yaJVsix0N1717068619807/crp_Julie-Schott.jpg)
There's Something About Julie
Whether it's acne products or emergency contraception, Julie Schott is upending industries and erasing stigmawith her trademark sense of humor.
![Hollywood Rising](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2241/1716446/x1fJVj1lN1717068977787/HOLLYWOOD-RISING.jpg)
Hollywood Rising
Our annual mustknow list of emerging talents we'll all be watching (and obsessing over) this year.
![Goodnight Meme](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2241/1716446/mtTgEv4Hr1717068532976/GOODNIGHT-MEME.jpg)
Goodnight Meme
An internet It Girl logs offfor good.
![SCENTS OF PLACE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2241/1716446/bkFZOXmrE1717068302594/SCENTS-OF-PLACE.jpg)
SCENTS OF PLACE
For Fendi, a major move into fragrance meant looking inward.
![SEEING INFRARED](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2241/1716446/uy5h5OTLI1717068232571/SEEING-INFRARED.jpg)
SEEING INFRARED
The celeb-favorite treatment claims to grow your hair and youth-ify your skin. Could it outshine LED?
![FOLLOW THE STARS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2241/1716446/13LxytL971717068049573/FOLLOW-THE-STARS.jpg)
FOLLOW THE STARS
With the northern lights peaking this year, celestial-obsessed travelers can watch the skies in luxury.
![MUSIC OF THE SPHERES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2241/1716446/OZjmUlp_M1717067764553/MUSIC-OF-THE-SPHERES.jpg)
MUSIC OF THE SPHERES
Van Cleef & Arpels's Perlée collection is a continuation of a long-standing house motif delicate, playful beading that dates back more than a century.
![The Language of Flowers](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2241/1716446/CZWri5JzO1717064999496/THE-LANGUAGE-OF-FLOWERS.jpg)
The Language of Flowers
Young designers are falling for the subversive power of a classic motif.
![THE MAX FACTOR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2241/1716446/ijT9hMh_k1717064793628/THE-MAX-FACTOR.jpg)
THE MAX FACTOR
Ferragamo creative director Maximilian Davis is carrying on the brand's Old Hollywood legacy with some of New Hollywood's biggest talents.