Author Marisa Meltzer reflects on fame, feminism and Jewish identity ahead of Sydney visit

New York-based journalist and author Marisa Meltzer has built her career exploring women the world too often flattens into symbols, from the founder of Weight Watchers to Jane Birkin, the actress, singer and style icon. In each case, she digs past the caricature to reveal the vivid, complicated human story beneath.

Speaking to JWire ahead of her visit to Sydney next week, Meltzer reflected on the path that led her here, her Jewish roots and the figures who continue to shape her work. She will appear at Emanuel Synagogue’s ‘Champions of Change: International Women’s Day 2026’ program on Sunday, 8 March.

Writing, she said, was never part of a deliberate career plan. “It’s kind of essentially been the only job that I’ve ever had,” she said. “Writing has kind of been the only thing that I’ve ever really been good at in my life.”

The signs were evident early. At age 10 she was voted “best reader” in her class.

Always interested in writing, she did not pursue journalism methodically. In the 1990s she studied French and briefly considered translating film subtitles, a job she now laughs probably no longer exists, and expected to “stumble into something”. That early interest in French culture later proved key: living in Paris and falling in love with Serge Gainsbourg’s music in college drew her to Birkin decades later.

Her first book, ‘How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time’, written in her mid-20s, examined ‘Sassy’ magazine, the American equivalent of ‘Dolly’, a short-lived but influential publication that shaped teenage readers and launched writers.

Raised in Northern California, Meltzer describes her upbringing as culturally Jewish rather than religious. “I didn’t grow up with parents that were religious at all,” she said. “It was more of a cultural Judaism.” She did not have a bat mitzvah, though her psychoanalyst once suggested she could still do it later in life, an idea she jokes about: “Nothing would be more fun than throwing a bat mitzvah in my 40s or older.”

She explains that her connection to Judaism came through atmosphere and taste rather than ritual. “My sort of extent of it was just a sort of my taste in some ways,” she said, recalling “eating matzo ball soup and eating a lot of bagels.”

Her family has lived in the United States for well over 100 years. In New York she has encountered a wider Jewish spectrum, including Orthodox friends, South African Jews and Mizrahi communities, and she said she looks forward to trying Australian Jewish cuisine while in Sydney.

Jewish themes emerged most strongly in “This Is Big”, her book about Jean Nidetch, founder of Weight Watchers. Meltzer started the project after reading Nidetch’s obituary in The New York Times and realising someone had effectively invented the dieting culture that marked her own childhood.

She felt a personal connection with Nidetch: both Jewish, both New Yorkers, the same height and looking as though they “could be related.” That link shaped the book as part biography and part memoir.

Meltzer calls her own history with dieting “storied and kind of tortured.” She acknowledged the basis for a common stereotype: “There is a real stereotype of Jewish mothers monitoring the weights of their children,” she said. She also noted how norms evolve: “Generationally, what is considered okay to comment on, and what is now seen as potentially traumatic, changes all the time.”

She wrote ‘This Is Big’ during “the height of this idea of body positivity”, though she remained sceptical about its depth, describing it as “a lot of lip service”.

The arrival of Ozempic and similar drugs has shifted everything. “The book would be very different now,” she said, as they have “completely changed the landscape.” In the United States she observes relentless advertising: “I was just watching television, and it feels like every ad is for weight loss medication.”

Her latest book, “It Girl”, centres on Jane Birkin, the British-born actor and singer who defined 1960s and 1970s French culture through her music, films and long creative partnership with Serge Gainsbourg.

Beyond her artistic legacy, Birkin became an enduring fashion icon when her name was given to the Hermès Birkin bag. The story behind it is now legendary: coincidentally seated next to a senior Hermès executive on an aeroplane, she complained about the impracticality of her straw basket bag.

The two sketched out a new design together on a sick bag. That conversation gave birth to one of the world’s most coveted handbags. Meltzer recently attended the auction where the original Birkin bag sold for $10 million.

Meltzer began the book “right around the time of Birkin’s death.” What drew her was Birkin’s experience of public life: “She had to navigate living in public, and people kind of seeing her as this flat, two-dimensional person,” Meltzer said. Birkin was often reduced to “a girl in a pretty outfit”, despite a life full of artistic ambition and reinvention.

Meltzer sees parallels with the Instagram age: “We’re all dealing with that, because people can observe our lives, whether we’re famous or not, through social media,” seeing curated highlights rather than the full story. She was also interested in Birkin’s evolution, from craving fame at 25 to seeking artistic depth and narrative control later, desiring “texture and depth”.

After two books in four years, Meltzer has returned to magazine journalism. She recently joined Vanity Fair as a senior staff writer. In the current issue she has a cover profile of actor Margaret Qualley, whose upcoming post-apocalyptic film “The Dog Stars” is directed by Ridley Scott and co-stars Australian actor Jacob Elordi.

“I’m very excited not to be writing a book,” she said. “I love research … The writing I find quite painful to do … but I love immersing myself in all of that.” Ideas, she explained, simmer until they feel “cooked”, then emerge quickly.

Meltzer’s work consistently returns to the same quiet conviction: behind every flattened image, whether a fashion icon, a dieting pioneer or an ordinary woman’s life, lies a richer, more human story worth telling. As she prepares to bring that perspective to Sydney, her presence on the Champions of Change panel promises a conversation that honours both personal truth and collective change.

Meltzer will join the Champions of Change panel with a distinguished lineup of Australian women leaders at Emanuel Synagogue this Sunday, 8 March, presented in partnership with WIZO.

One of Australia’s leading film directors, Cate Shortland is renowned for her explorations of identity and trauma. Her acclaimed 2012 film “Lore” follows the daughter of a high-ranking Nazi officer in post-war Germany as she confronts her family’s complicity in the Holocaust with the help of a Jewish survivor.

Zara Seidler co-founded The Daily Aus, a youth-focused news platform that started on Instagram and now reaches hundreds of thousands of young Australians with clear, accessible coverage of politics, climate, elections and social issues. Her work earned her a finalist spot for 2025 Young Australian of the Year.

Alethea Gold leads SmartAID, an international humanitarian organisation that delivers rapid-response aid in disaster and conflict zones. Drawing on her background in publishing and media, she emphasises practical, community-driven models that prioritise dignity and long-term recovery.

Shoshana Gottlieb-Beker is a writer, educator, podcaster and the creator of the viral Instagram account @JewishMemesOnly. Through sharp humour, satire and cultural commentary, she has built a vibrant online space for conversations about Jewish identity, generational differences and contemporary Jewish politics.

Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio serves as senior rabbi at Emanuel Synagogue and is one of Australia’s leading Progressive Jewish voices. She is widely respected for her commitment to interfaith dialogue, social justice advocacy and community leadership.

‘Champions of Change: International Women’s Day 2026’ explores storytelling and leadership across diverse industries. Presented in partnership with WIZO at Emanuel Synagogue, it begins at 10.00 am on Sunday, 8 March with a keynote followed by the panel discussion, morning tea and community activities. Bookings are open via Humanitix.