At last! An award-winning menopause campaign
Atifa appearing in Holland & Barrett’s Me. No. Pause campaign
This is what menopause looks like. A diverse range of women, a variety of experiences. I was taking the tube today when the Me. No. Pause campaign stopped me in my tracks. What a brilliant, positive initiative – and not a waterfall cardigan in sight. Health retailer Holland & Barrett’s advertisement is the winner of Transport for London’s (TfL) #BehindEveryGreatCity competition (the prize being £500, 000 worth of advertising space across the city). Mayor Sadiq Khan launched the competition in response to ‘The Women We See’ research carried out by the University of London. Research concluding that the majority of Londoners do not feel represented by advertising in public spaces, around the city. ‘It is important that we challenge the disparity between the way women are represented in adverts and the women we see around us every day in the capital,’ explained Heidi Alexander, deputy mayor for transport. The year-long TfL project aims to improve the representation of women in advertising and shift away from sexism and stereotyping. Hooray.
The women photographed for the Holland & Barrett campaign are all experiencing menopause in different ways, including: peri-menopause, handling the menopause prematurely in life, alongside cancer and while managing a disability.
Cassandra
Ebony
On appearing in the Me. No. Pause campaign Ebony (above) said, ‘I couldn’t say no. Dealing with menopause has been a real struggle, as it can be for any woman. It makes me proud knowing that someone who feels the same way that I do will see our pictures and hopefully feel empowered or more likely to talk about the struggles they are going through and not suffer in silence’.
Toshi
I’ve been asking for increased diversity in advertising campaigns ever since I started That’s Not My Age, over a decade ago. And here it is, at last.
Discussion (19 Comments)
So true, Kate. There is a lack of education and awareness around menopause. As I’ve said before, I didn’t even think about menopause until it happened to me. Hopefully with this kind of initiative things will be different for younger women.
Jodi Brown says:
Definitely more of this please, advertising people.
As you say, Alyson & Kate, we have no idea until it hits us. Such a steep learning curve, I do hope there is more education for young women so they aren ‘t scrabbling about trying to find answers. God knows how our grandmother’s coped, in silence I imagine.
I’m so impressed with these youngsters breaking the taboo of period blood etc. We need to do the same with menopause gynaecological issues as they are really awful 🙁Medora Monigold says:
beautiful examples of a variety of beautiful women. thank you for stepping out of the beauty norm and offering diversity.
Karen says:
well done for this.
I have to add, Kate, that I do hope you are right about sex education in schools. My own experience in a grammar school, single sex, in the 1960s, was not great at all.This is great! So much of what we go through has been silenced/shamed/disregarded for so long (i.e. periods, pregnancy, menopause). You have sparked my interest in menopause, and now I’m starting a project to highlight different stories on the same topic. Your first post (5 things I discovered about menopause) made me realize how much I don’t know -vand I want to be better informed as I reach this time of my life (as well as de-stigmatize it and help inform others). Thank you for the continued coverage!
Camperchick 49 says:
Great article Alyson that is as always for covering such toucan issues and well done to TFL too.
Cathy E says:
Well done Holland & Barrett! And TfL too, for their generosity and vision. Very good campaign. And I want to know where Atifa’s dress is from: it’s gorgeous.
Krys A. says:
I have MS and am post-menopausal, so I’ve done my fair share of explaining. I had no background in either, so when I was hit with both at the same time it was quite bewildering. I am hopeful that some day menstruation and menopause won’t be treated like diseases that needs to be cured (unpleasant as they can be) or some taboo subject, and are viewed as normal occurrences in a woman’s life.
This is great! So much of what we go through has been silenced/shamed/disregarded for so long (i.e. periods, pregnancy, menopause). You have sparked my interest in menopause, and now I’m starting a project to highlight different stories on the same topic. Your first post (5 things I discovered about menopause) made me realize how much I don’t know – and I want to be better informed as I reach this time of my life (as well as de-stigmatize it and help inform others). Thank you for the continued coverage!
I feel like crying. Beautiful! We need something like this in the US.
Ffion Roberts says:
After flushing my way through 3 new jobs post 50……and being quite bolshy and straight to the point about the fact I am menopausal…….I still get wide eyed stares from people who clearly no idea or understanding of the process. I continue to explain to people why I am ripping off layers of clothes and fanning myself furiously….”Oh ignore me just another flush” as the sweat runs off my face. Hooray for any campaign who will educate the population!!!!!!!,
Alyson – this is so refreshing to hear about something like this. It is something all us ladies go through at some stage in our lives. I was very lucky and sailed through with just mild hot sweats but some ladies really suffer. Thank you for this post.
Love – Jill stylishatsixty
http://www.stylishatsixty.wordpress.comChrissie Dyson says:
Having just read a blog post about a fabulously inclusive show by Chromat, this superb post appears. It feels good to be female, it will make people think!
Jacqui says:
We need menopause awareness in the workplace. It never occurs to most members of staff what the person next to them might be going through, or that they might not want to tell you, or why they might be behaving differently but are not trying to be difficult or moody. And what to say/not say/should they even say anything. Obviously what to say is different for everyone – when I was going through a hot flush or anxious phase, it was the last thing I’d want to talk about, but in between I happily would. But people, including younger woman, were unwilling and even embarrassed to hear it mentioned. This needs to change! This campaign is excellent; I just hope it lands with all the busy, blinkered people on the Tube rushing past it.
Yasmeen Patel says:
I hit the menopause at 35 and it was difficult because it’s not the norm to talk about it so young. We all need to talk more openly about it the symptoms are similar despite age race etc.
Sarah 
Vincie Fallwell 
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This is so lovely to see. I think menopause is still a hush hush topic as it’s not sexy. Brilliant! Bravo!
Was just talking yesterday to someone who suffered from life altering “flows” and I told her that I had a uterine ablation as I too sufffered from this. Not surprisingly, she had never heard of this procedure. It’s like a secret! When we were kids we had mandatory sex Ed in school to know about what happens to our bodies as we enter puberty, but as we enter menopause, we women don’t have such resources – it’s like a treasure hunt trying to find answers. It shouldn’t be so difficult.
Thanks for sharing. Gives me hope.