“I didn’t know how to ask for help”: Naomi Watts shares important message on ageing
Naomi Watts got candid about the topic of menopause and how the word used to “freak her out” in a bid to normalise conversations about this aspect of every woman’s life.
The 53-year-old took to Instagram to tackle the topic, which she describes as “a natural phase in life”, sharing her own experience and revealing that it began earlier than she expected.
“When I was in my late 30s, I was finally ready to start thinking about creating a family. Then the M word swiftly blew my doors down, it felt like a head-on collision with a Mack truck.🚚💥,” she began.
“How could I figure this out when no one was talking? I was earlier to it than my peers. My mentors and mum didn’t seem up for discussing it, I didn’t know how to ask for help and they didn’t know how to provide… even doctors had little to say.
“It’s oddly like an unwritten code of silence: women should suck it up and cope, because that’s how generations past have done it.”
Watts then called for more representation of women “in this phase of life” and age group in the media.
“We’ve been under-served in media, stories and marketing for far too long”, she continued.
“Particularly since 1 billion people worldwide will be menopausal by 2025…
“When you spotlight uncomfortable conversations, they get easier. Progress is made. Why has this particular one taken so long?”
She concluded the post by urging everyone to “conquer the stigma” and “address the secrecy and shame” for the sake of generations to come.
“Getting older is a privilege and a time for us to feel proud of our cumulative experiences - to feel empowered, unapologetically so,” she wrote.
“I think being part of a change-maker generation is exciting. No more walking through this alone.”
Watts, who became a mother at the age of 38, hinted that she is “working on something” she is “super proud of”, with more details to come soon.
Image: @naomiwatts (Instagram)