Julia Fox Says Protein Is for Women, Too

There are currently three billboards in Lower Manhattan plastered with a bold declaration: “Men disappoint.” Featured in them, reclined across a leather sofa in an open, pin-striped blazer is none other than Julia Fox—actor, writer, and someone who hasn’t shied away from publicly vocalizing her disappointment in men. As she says to me over the phone, “I think it’s kind of just a universal feeling at the moment.”

The campaign’s copy suggests that while men may fall short of expectations, “David satisfies.” Surprisingly, this is an ad for a new line of protein bars by the brand David, which is beloved by prominent guys’ guys like Andrew Huberman and Peter Attia (both investors in the company that makes the bars).

It is no secret that we are in the midst of an inescapable protein craze. A casual stroll past any household-name national coffee chain—Dunkin’ or Starbucks, for instance—makes that alarmingly clear on a regular basis. Dunkin’, for one, has simply taken to sticking decals onto their storefronts’ windows that dizzily scream, “PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN.”

“It just feels so overwhelmingly pointed at the male gaze,” Fox says of the broader marketing approach to the macronutrient. The cheeky, potentially alienating messaging attached to the launch of David Protein’s new bronze bar—which is supposed to be more girl-coded, given the chocolate-covered, candy-bar experience and slightly decreased protein content (20 grams compared to the brand’s flagship gold bar’s hulking 28 grams) it provides—offers a reprieve from, or at least a counterpoint to, the daily assault of hypermasculine protein advertising.

It forces one to think beyond gains. Men are sometimes disappointing, it’s true. But as Fox explains in an interview with GQ, the conversation doesn’t have to end there. We spoke with Fox about protein-maxxing, the importance of pleasure, and how her views on gender politics inform her parenting.

GQ: Thank you so much for making the time to speak with me and GQ today. It’s been so fun, having conversations around the office about the tagline of this campaign, which is that men disappoint. It obviously hit a sore spot for some of the men here.

Julia Fox: Mission accomplished.

Could you elaborate on that part of the tagline?

I think it’s kind of just a universal feeling at the moment. That’s just where we’re at right now culturally. What can I even say about it? It’s so obvious.

Do you have any advice perhaps, on things that men are overlooking in their behavior that could be amended?

I dread having to ask a man to do something because then I have to explain how to do it. And by the third time I’ve explained it it’s like, I’ll just do it myself. Back in the day, they could fix broken things. They were just so much more handy and useful. Nowadays, it’s kind of like, what do men bring to the home besides a video game console?

I hear so many stories of burnt-out women who [feel like] single moms in their marriage. Their husbands just let the baby cry while he puts his headphones on. He’s supposed to be watching the baby, and instead he’s playing video games all night. I think men need to man up a little bit.

You have a young son, Valentino. How is this perspective informing the way you’re raising him?

I’m teaching him how to fold his clothes and wash his plate when he’s done with it—just doing things for himself. Not waiting around for someone to do it, not to be lazy. So many men just know that their partner will do it, so why should they?

Protein feels almost inescapable right now—it’s very guyish. Thoughts?

My thoughts on proteinmaxxing or whatever, [is that] it just feels so overwhelmingly pointed at the male gaze, and catered to a male audience. What I loved about working with this brand is that they’re so unapologetic. Most brands, they wouldn’t want to alienate anybody in their slogan—aside from American Eagle, but whatever. What was really cool about David is that they were like, ‘No, we know who we are. We know who we market ourselves toward, and we don’t need everybody to like us.’ I love that, and I think moving forward, that kind of marketing is going to just land so much more because if something’s for everybody, it’s for nobody. It’s okay to know who you want in your orbit. This [campaign] is totally for the girls, and the gays, and the theys, and everyone but the cis hetero male. I mean—they can have it, too, because it is actually really, really good. But marketing is just so important.

Two huge themes in the video for this campaign were indulgence and pleasure. And the way in which we restrict ourselves, or tend to feel bad about being indulgent. What do you find satisfying these days? What’s bringing you pleasure?

My idea on ‘guilty pleasures’ is that it’s a load of shit. If it makes you happy, do it. Don’t feel bad. I don’t believe in diets. I just find them oppressive. It’s totally within our nature to seek pleasure and want to be good to ourselves. Life sucks, hold on tight to any little thing that makes you feel good.