What does menopause look like for you?
I’ve been collecting photographs and stories from the public for a project called ‘Whose Menopause?’ which documents people’s experiences of menopause through photography. Every image submitted by the community currently features in an online exhibition to raise awareness and inspire debate and conversation about perimenopause, menopause, surgical menopause and post-menopause.
Four winning photographs were selected by guest judge Dr Zoe Hodson from Manchester Menopause Hive. Each winner received a £30 high street shopping voucher. Winning contributors were notified by World Menopause Week (16 October 2023). Congratulations to all our winners and thank you everyone for sharing your photographs and stories.
You can see the winning entries below, and in the online gallery.
This project is funded by Arts Council England and supported by Bolton at Home, Indigo Gender Service, NHS Bolton CCG and other community partners.
"Old! Was I really getting old? What did that mean to me? New aches and pains develop.I watch my skin change. A new wrinkle appears. I tell myself it is a laughter line. I get funny looks as a red hot wave engulfs me. Red wine, cream and roast beef encourage these symptoms so are scrubbed from the menu. I put on my positive face. I am beautiful. With age comes wisdom. Just keep a fan handy!" (Submitted by Evelynne Rogers)
"My partner and I are 5 years apart in age but at similar stages in our peri/menopause. We have such different symptoms, however! I have hot flushes, she has chills. My libido is playing hide and seek, hers is as keen as ever. I have the aches and pains and anxiety and brain fog, and she just gets tired and sad. The one area we do match, however, is sleep disturbance. It's hard work. I'm awake and up at 5am, she tries to get some top-up hours. We both go to bed by 10pm. Despite all of this, we've got each other. We can talk to each other. We can explain how we're feeling and what we need. I'm so grateful for this aspect of my menopause journey. I'm so grateful I'm going through it with her." (Submitted by Anna Sansom)
"This photo represents a feeling of grey not being quite right with lower energy. Finding day to day life harder but in a way that was hard to pinpoint. The blurry window is how my brain feels, foggy, distant nothing sharp. The ‘nothing special’ scene is how it feels when you don’t feel yourself and lacking motivation." (Submitted by Caroline)
"I shared this into a parenting group 2 years ago with the caption "I'm hot and hormal," I had started HRT patches 6 months prior and couldn't get hold of the make that I had been on so it had sent me backwards, I had been fighting for 6 months prior to that to get something and they were life changing for me. It then took me another year before I was settled again! I'm now a big advocate and tell anyone over about 37 to go and talk about the menopause/ perimenopause!" (Submitted by Ruth Williams)