💌 Dear Darling #002

“Is It Too Late to Completely Change My Life at 24?”

From: “Existentially Exhausted 💅”

“I feel like I’m going through a quarter-life crisis and no one else around me is panicking?? I’m 24, I hate my job, I don’t even know if I picked the right career, and I feel like everyone I know is either thriving in their dream job or faking it really well. Meanwhile, I’m literally Googling ‘Can I become an aesthetician at 25’ at 2AM while spiraling on Pinterest. I used to think I wanted to be in marketing (I majored in it, did internships, etc.), but now I don’t even know who that girl was?? Like yes I love branding and visuals and vibes, but working for tech companies that want to ‘revolutionize cloud workflows’ is not my vibe. I want a creative life, but I’m scared to start over. I feel like I’m falling behind. Also — side note but maybe not really? — I feel like my style is having an identity crisis too. One day I want to be a ‘clean girl,’ the next I want to live out my indie sleaze rebrand. Maybe the real problem is I have no clue who I actually am?”

Dear Darling,

First of all, hi, I love you. Second of all? You are not crazy, and you are definitely not alone. The way you described studying marketing, landing a job, and then realizing it’s not just cute neutrals and aesthetic fonts? Girl. I felt that in my soul. When I finally decided to start The Whispered Edit, it was during a full-blown “I can’t do this anymore” moment. Like yes, psychology is fun and I’ll always love playing therapist to my friends, but spending 10 years chasing a doctorate just to maybe feel fulfilled at 35? That wasn’t going to cut it. I wanted more now. I wanted this.

So let me let you in on the ✨truth✨ — some of those people you're comparing yourself to really are thriving, sure. But most? Most of them are also spiraling silently, editing their own LinkedIn bios while crying into a matcha latte. You’re not behind. You’re not broken. You’re just aware, and that’s honestly kind of iconic.

Now, the aesthetician thing? Not even a pipe dream. That is so real and so doable. You can take classes on evenings or weekends, get certified, and slowly transition your life without giving up your entire safety net. Plus, your marketing background? That's literally your golden ticket. One thing about a girl who knows how to build a brand? She’ll always eat. Imagine promoting your own aesthetician biz with actual social strategy while the others are still stuck on Canva tutorials.

But if you want to stay in marketing? That’s cute too — you just need to find your people. Send that resume to Princess Polly. Pitch yourself to skincare brands. Manifest your way into the Glossier team if you want. There is nothing wrong with sliding into a company’s inbox like it’s a DM. You’d be surprised how many jobs are quietly filled by girls who just asked.

And babe. Babe. Twenty-four is not old. You are not expired milk. You are still in your intro era. If anything, this is the time to get delulu, start over, and reinvent. And if the old version of you is holding you back? Kill her. Bury her next to the LinkedIn headshot. You’re in your renaissance era now.

On the style crisis — I hear you. Your aesthetic feeling like a chaotic Pinterest board probably has less to do with your closet and more to do with your brain. When life is scattered, style tends to follow. But here’s a tip: stop trying to cram yourself into one trend or TikTok core. You are the aesthetic. Build your own vibe. Mine? It’s vanilla girl meets coquette meets vintage doll meets “would you like another glass of rosé, darling?” It didn’t exist, so I made it up. You can too.

Your life doesn’t need to make perfect sense right now. You just need to start moving toward anything that excites you. You’re not falling behind, you’re just waking up.

And baby? That’s powerful.

Keep them guessing, Always.

xoxo, Bella James💋

The Patron Saint of Quarter-Life Crises