Samantha Murray Greenway.
Honest and high-profile conversations about menopause are changing the way we approach ageing, says
Serena Williams has invested in Wile, a hormonal wellness brand for women 40-plus.
Actor Naomi Watts recently launched Stripes, an online platform which offers “menopause solutions from scalp to vag”.
The way women approach ageing is changing. It feels like there’s a kindness coming. Did it start with embracing natural grey hair? If so, perhaps that’s one positive thing to have come out of the pandemic.
Party queen of the past two decades, Kate Moss, has grown into a new public phase, welcoming a life of balance. Cosmoss, her new self-care and wellness brand is, “a celebration of every day exactly as it is, with all its imperfections.”
But perhaps the real shift in attitude comes with the increased use of one word in particular: menopause. All sorts of fabulous women are talking about it. “Menopause gets a really bad rap and needs a bit of rebranding,” says Gwyneth Paltrow who talked to Vogue about her experience of perimenopause. Articles and podcasts on the subject, and also Madame Ovary, a blend of supplements tailored to menopause, can be found on her lifestyle website Goop.
Actor Naomi Watts recently launched Stripes, an online platform offering community support, holistic beauty products and supplements, which give “menopause solutions from scalp to vag”.
Tennis star Serena Williams has invested in Wile, a hormonal wellness brand for women 40-plus. “It’s astonishing that the market and medicine have ignored 50% of the population in the prime of their lives and frankly, their earning power," says Williams. And then there’s the slew of books written by media savvy women who want to share knowledge: Kiwi health journalist Niki Bezzant’s This Changes Everything; Kiwi author Nicky Pellegrino’s Don’t Sweat It; British journalist and presenter Mariella Frostrup’s UK bestseller Cracking the Menopause and presenter Davina McCall’s book Menopausing.
Talk about menopause is everywhere and for good reason, says Frances Shoemack, founder and CEO of
Wellington-based fragrance house Abel, whose latest perfume, Pause, launched on World Menopause Day. “When I started getting night sweats, I thought I was miles too young. I was 37 at the time. I did my research and found this is the territory I’m heading into.” She decries the lack of information: “It’s so tied up in all the negativity around ageing. The fact that women feel like perimenopause is the journey towards the cliff face.”
“For lack of awareness, this intense hormonal change is written off as something else. I’ve heard stories of women thinking they were suffering depression for years. A beauty editor told me she thought she had arthritis. There’s enough negativity around women and ageing, I wanted to attach something beautiful to this stage of life, something vibrant, colourful and confident.”
Hence Pause, a clear, crisp scent in a smart, chic bottle. It might not be medicine but the aromatherapeutic support offers a calm, grounding base. It’s a confidence booster.
The confidencefactor is something that needs to be addressed, especially as we age. “There’s still work to do in fashion,” says Marilou Dadat, creative director of fashion label Kowtow. “We’ve been used to ageism in the industry. We’ve been told that youth and skinniness is the only way to be beautiful. This has to change. Beauty is everywhere.”
Which is why Kowtow’s aesthetic is not only stylish but functional. “Confidence comes with being comfortable. The gift for us is to make people feel good in their body and so inclusivity of all sizes and ages is a no-brainer.” What is it about the Kowtow style that appeals across the board? “Everything comes with ease,” says Dadat. “The clothing is refined but generous. We do quite a lot of elasticated waist bands that don’t restrict, but just feel good to wear.”
And when it comes to confidence, Dadat recommends focusing on fit. “Fit is a personal preference. You can’t learn it. It’s trying things on and seeing if you are really comfortable in them and if you can do everything you like to do without constraint. Trust your feelings.”