Drew Barrymore is the latest celebrity attempting to bring perimenopause and menopause into the national discussion. Her desire, like Naomi Watts, Michelle Obama and Beverly Johnson, is not only to spread helpful information but to change perception about what women going through The Change are like. Specifically, in Drew’s words, so people don’t see menopausal women as “some dusty, old, dry thing.” Yes, I have to agree, I’d prefer a different descriptor in my bio, thank you. Drew said she was given pause while on a date recently as to whether she should admit to being perimenopausal because of the preconceived notions her date might have about what that meant. So Drew thinks peri and menopause needs a rebranding, which I love. But then she brought Mark Zuckerberg into the discussion, and we just don’t need him anywhere near a women’s health dialogue, Drew.
Drew Barrymore is opening up about perimenopause and how it has impacted her dating life.
The 48-year-old actress detailed her experience with perimenopause symptoms during an Oprah Daily panel last week alongside Oprah Winfrey, Maria Shriver, Dr. Sharone Malone, Dr. Heather Hirsch and Dr. Judith Joseph. Perimenopause refers to the time where the body starts to make its natural transition to menopause, which marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years.
“There’s something in that stigma that I don’t want you to think I’m some dusty, old, dry thing. That’s not the image I want,” Barrymore explained, noting that she was hesitant to tell a recent date about the topic of the panel.
“I feel very confident, normally, and I want to be who I am and present myself. But in that moment I thought, I have to tell this story because it was a real life experience of, I’m so proud to be here,” she continued. “I’m an open book. But in that one moment, I was like, ‘I don’t want to say what it is, because I’m engaging in someone who I want to see me a certain way.'”
Barrymore added that the moment made her wonder if there’s any way society can “rebrand” menopause so that it’s not a taboo topic.
“If Mark Zuckerberg could rebrand Facebook to Meta, maybe we can do this for menopause,” she explained. “Because, we’ve got the word men-o-pause. Pause is a natural stop… to a lover that there might be something repellent about that subject. Whereas with no one else do I find this subject taboo.”
“You’re just that dry old bag when you talk about menopause. And that is the conversation, the stigma that has to change,” she added. “We have to make it funnier, more sexy and more safe. Because the ‘aha moment’ is the safe.”
I’m not single so I can’t speak to dating in menopause. I didn’t realize this was still the pervasive belief among the uninformed. I’m not shocked, though. I say let’s start the rebranding now. Drop the desiccated language even by way of example and start using funnier language along side sexier imagery. I love the idea of making menopause safe: safe to talk about, safe as a phase of life, safe to glorify.
Apparently Drew got her first hot flash on camera. Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler were the guests when Drew was set upon by the hot flash. She called it out during filming, saying she was glad to have the moment documented. Jennifer said she was “honored.” Adam, trying to make light of the situation, said the flash was commonly followed by “a very heavy, anger mood swing. Maybe you could bring that out.” I like Adam but I wish he had stuck with holding her hand and just kind of honoring the moment. The dry, dusty, angry, hostile language should take a backseat for a bit during our rebranding. I know they play into the funny part of our strategy, but they aren’t helping right now. Let’s lean into the sexy, reemerging, goddess language. Of course, we should also discuss brain fogs, hot flashes, hair loss, skin changes, teeth pain, muscle pain and yes, mood changes, but in informative ways, not as fodder for others to swipe left on us for a 22-year-old.
Photo credit: Getty Images, Instagram and Robin Platzer/Twin Images and Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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