40 OVER 40 Sarah Cawood
#20
Sarah Cawood
90s TV presenter and Midlife Blogger
Sara Cawoodby Jenny Smith
Sarah Cawood shot to fame in the 90s when she became a presenter on the somewhat anarchic TV programme, The Girlie Show, alongside Sara Cox. Being a girl of the 90s myself it got me thinking about what life was like back then, especially for women.
The ladette culture was in full swing which like it or loathe it, gave women permission to publicly let go and speak up. It is this generation who are hitting perimenopause and menopause right now, and possibly thanks to growing up in the 90s are banging the drum loudly and proudly for greater awareness. Unlike the generation before us, we are not shy in talking about our symptoms and spreading the word about what is happening to us so that others are more educated and can make sense of what can be a very scary and unsettling time.
Sarah Cawood for me represents that swathe of female public figures back then who were getting women seen, giving women the permission to say what they wanted, wear what they wanted, drink what they wanted and live how they wanted.
Last year Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer which thankfully was spotted at an early stage. She uses her voice on instagram to speak about her diagnosis, talks openly about the after effects of such a diagnosis and the fear women like her live with about it coming back. She's also speaking up for menopause awareness and midlife in general, helping women navigate this time and feel less alone.
Thank you Sarah for being part of the 40 OVER 40 project.
Sarah Cawood by Jenny Smith
You are a girl of the 90s and the so called ladette culture. Were you aware of a gear change in attitudes towards women back then?
I definitely was. There was still a lot of misogyny but we had the feeling we could take that on and change it: beat the boys at their own game so to speak. I think that has been borne out to a degree but we still have a way to go!
Sarah Cawoodby Jenny Smith
What are your thoughts now on the phrase ‘ladette’ and how do you think 90s culture helped or hindered women?
It makes me cringe a bit! But I think the message is positive if you can look past the binge drinking and boobs! I was never a very good ladette: I don't drink pints and like to think I'm quite decorous! I've never fallen out of a taxi pissed with knickers on show, lol!
Sarah Cawoodby Jenny Smith
Did you feel a certain amount of pressure to act a certain way back then?
Most definitely! I think we all felt like we had to be strong, but also feminine. Sexy, but not slutty. Brainy but not brainier than the boys. It was exhausting.
Sarah Cawoodby Jenny Smith
You were very young when you were thrust into the public eye, what impact did that have on you?
I learnt how to fail in the public eye and I have taught myself over many long years that I can only be myself, and that not everyone will like me, and that's OK. I could never have been as authentic back then as I am now for fear of not being cool enough. Hallelujah for middle age!
Sarah Cawoodby Jenny Smith
How different do you think it is for young female presenters today?
To a certain degree. I think they are much more accepted on all platforms: there are now female football commentators! That would have been a ridiculous thing to think of back then! We still have a way to go as I said before, but we are strong and loud and no longer take shit like the gender pay gap lying down. I like to think we paved the way for the younger generation to take less shit than we and our predecessors had to.
Sarah Cawoodby Jenny Smith
If you could go back and give your teenage self some advice what would it be?
Stop caring what other people think. And don't kiss toads because they don't turn into princes. Also, if he's not treating you well, ditch him. Have much more self respect!
Sarah Cawoodby Jenny Smith
Are you able to share a bit more about your cancer diagnosis? I know you got the all clear but what impact has the diagnosis had on you going forward and do you have any advice for other women experiencing the same thing?
In some ways, my breast cancer diagnosis was incredibly good for the way I see life. It's so precious and I have learnt not to sweat the small stuff anymore. Every day I get to wake up healthy is a gift. I think when you are well you take your health for granted and worry about nonsense. I don't worry about anything anymore except staying well, and my family staying well. I am grateful for my little life every damn day.
Sarah Cawood
by Jenny Smith
How has the menopause been for you, any stories you’d like to share?
My menopause is surgical, meaning that I take medication that removes any naturally occurring, post-menopausal oestrogen and is therefore much tougher with no HRT to soften the blow. But I'm finding ways to muddle through it all with healthy eating exercise, cold water dipping, and myriad supplements. I won't lie though, the night sweats are a bitch! Also, my brain function now borders on ADHD and I find that I drop lots of my spinning plates routinely. But I'm getting better and make sure EVERYTHING is in our shared family calendar. I also have a TV producer hubby who delights in producing me and my brain fog, hahahaha.
Sarah Cawoodby Jenny Smith
Can you share some positive thoughts on getting older and how you feel now compared to when you were younger?
I have zero fucks left in my locker to give! But what I do have is one precious life to enjoy to the fullest every day. It's so true that you can't be miserable and grateful at the same time! I wish I could have told that lost 20 and 30 something that it will all be OK, but also: stop kissing bad men!
Sarah Cawoodby Jenny Smith
Thank you Sarah for being part of the 40 OVER 40 project.
Listen to my podcast, Dear Hormones here.
40 OVER 40 Eleanor Lisney
#19
Eleanor Lisney
Cofounder of Sisters of Frida
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
This is Eleanor Lisney, co-founder of a wonderful organisation called Sisters of Frida. They describe themselves as an experimental collective of disabled women with the sole aim of raising the voices of disabled women and non-binary people.
They celebrate being from different ethnicities, cultures and nationalities, of different sexual orientations, of being mums, having partners and being single women. They celebrate creativeness which they say is born from their identities which in turn is all wrapped up in their disabilities. They hold meetings for disabled women to discuss ways to make real change for women just like them.
Elle contracted Polio when she was three and by the time she was in her twenties had started to use a wheelchair. She says her wheelchair is her lifeline and has afforded her her freedom.
Thank you Eleanor for being part of the 40 OVER 40 project.
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
How did Sisters of Frida come about?
We were invited to speak for Million Women Rise about domestic violence and disabled women and off the back of that we realised that whilst there were disabled organisations and women’s organisations there wasn’t anything in between. It seemed that disabled women as a group didn’t have a voice.
We wanted our group to be intersectional and used Frida Khalo as our inspiration for the name. She was Mexican, bisexual, a communist and feminist and kind of encapsulated everything we wanted to represent.
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
Eleanor joined other women organisations at CEDAW (The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women) at the UN which spells out women's rights to equality and non-discrimination. They also met with Ana Peláez Narváez, the only disabled woman on the committee and spoke on the needs of disabled women and the importance of being visible at spaces such as CEDAW.
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
Sisters of Frida also contributed to The UN Committee on the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) report. The report was to ensure that violations of disabled women’s rights were given attention. A key theme to come out of the report was a call for government to recognise that disabled women and girls face multiple discrimination in access to healthcare and a recommendation for targeted, measurable and financed strategies to eliminate them.
Eleanor says:
Disabled women face multiple barriers every day and these barriers have to be highlighted if anything is to be done. For example, smear testing is impossible for many disabled women simply because the beds are not accessible. We need to make sure that the government are ready and able to help. We need every GP surgery and healthcare provider to recognise where the issues like this lie and address them head on.
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
What's on the agenda for Sisters of Frida right now?
Right now we have some funding and have set up a new steering group of wonderful women with different skillsets to help the organisation make a real difference at a grassroots level. But we’re always looking for more women to get involved. The more disabled women we have on the roster the better we will be at understanding the array of different needs out there and how we can help.
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
How have things changed over the years in terms of accessibility for disabled people?
There’s still a long way to go and it depends where you are and what country you’re in. The UK is a leader in accessibility and yet disabled people in the UK would probably disagree. Take public transport for example. So much of it is still not fully accessible, especially on the tube and even if there’s a lift it’s often not been maintained. And then there’s the issue of benefits. It doesn’t seem to matter what party is in government, benefits are always in danger of being cut. It's our job to make sure our specific needs as disabled women are constantly on the agenda, we need our voices heard.
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
Eleanor has been campaigning for disabled rights for decades. When she lived in Coventry she was part of an organisation who secured funding to mystery shop restaurants in the West Midlands for their accessibility ahead of the 2012 Olympics (for which Eleanor was a torch bearer). They singled out 10 of the best independent restaurants for disabled visitors and graded them not only on physical accessibility but on staff attitudes towards disabled people too.
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
Eleanor says:
Accessibility doesn't just mean you need a ramp to get into a building and an accessible toilet. It also means having a positive attitude towards the people themselves. It was important to us that we judged the restaurants on this as much as their facilities.
Eleanor Lisney
by Jenny Smith
How have things changed for you since turning 40?
Each phase in life is totally different. It was only after turning 40 that I moved to America and put myself through college and then moved to the UK to find work. I'd been a stay at home mum until then so I suddenly found myself looking for work and figuring out what kind of job I could do. I had to negotiate barriers and attitudes as to how people saw me as a disabled person along with the intersectional barriers too. It's hard to know if people reject you because you are a person of colour, or because you are disabled, or because you're a woman. I had to figure all that stuff out. Being older helped with all of that, you have more confidence to tackle that kind of stuff, but also less energy!
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
If you could go back and give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
As a disabled woman I always had this idea that nobody would love me. I wish I had been able to see that I was an attractive woman. The disability would often come first and cloud my judgement of myself. I wish people had told me that when I was younger, they would have really boosted my confidence and then who knows what adventures I might have had.
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
Eleanor Lisneyby Jenny Smith
Thank you Eleanor for being part of the 40 OVER 40 project.
Listen to my podcast, Dear Hormones here.
40 OVER 40 Caroline Jones
#18
Caroline Jones
Fundraiser and Vintage Stylist
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
In lockdown 2020 I started a fundraising campaign called Front Door Photo raising money for Refuge by photographing people standing at their front doors. I expected the project to last for a few days and hoped to raise £1000 if I was lucky. It ended up going on for two months and in the end I raised £21,284. It was such a rewarding thing to do, but boy was it hard work. Cue a phone call from someone called Caroline Jones, a woman who had embarked on her own fundraising project nearly 10 years prior. We bonded instantly and were able to chat about all of the behind the scenes admin that goes with running a charity campaign. She wanted to start a podcast talking to fellow fundraisers and revealing everything that goes on to make it a success and she very kindly asked if I would be one of her guests. Her What Have I Done? podcast has been a huge success and she's busy planning season two.
Caroline has a life long passion for all things secondhand and her charity project, Knickers Models' Own (in memory of her mother) saw her donning a different second hand outfit every single day for an entire year. She raised a fortune for Cancer Research UK and even published a book which features a photograph of Caroline taken by non other than photography legend, Rankin.
Caroline has been talking secondhand clothing long before it became trendy with the likes of Vinted and her instagram feed @knickers_models_own is a real inspiration if, like me, you find yourself in a bit of a fashion rut. During our session she took me to her local Cancer Research UK shop, where she has her own curated rail, and you could just feel her enthusiasm for the place radiating out of her. Caroline has kindly answered some questions for me and I found her answers really inspiring. I hope you will too.
Thank you Caroline for being one of my 40 inspiring women over the age of 40!
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
How did your passion for second-hand shopping start?
As a child growing up in the 1970s hand-me-downs were a big thing, I would eagerly anticipate the moment my older cousins' outgrown clothes made their way down the line together with bundles of well thumbed Jackie magazines, this was the catalyst for wanting to wear other peoples' clothes and the roots of my love for styling. Second-hand has always felt 'new' to me and as a teenager in the 1980s - pre-charity shops and the designers of shopping apps probably not even born - I would regularly raid my mum's or grandmother's wardrobe for authentic '60s pieces, my love of the music from that era defining (and still defining) my style. Jumble sales were also rich pickings, diving into piles of knitwear on a church hall trestle table. Oh the joy! Shopping in an actual second-hand shop came thanks to my JustSeventeen magazine pull-out shopping guide and age 15 I took myself off to American vintage emporium FLIP on Long Acre, Covent Garden, London. Vintage fringed suede jackets, original Levi's 501s, Ivy League baseball jackets, flat-top haircuts, music blaring, a buzz like nothing I'd ever seen. I was hooked.... (Side style note: its now a flagship Hobbs store and whenever I'm in the area I'll always pop my head in, just to remember the magic).
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
Is there an art to charity shopping? What are your tips?
Patience and curiosity are your friend. But, before you step one toe inside a charity shop or click 'buy' STOP right there and ask yourself honestly: "do I know what's already in my wardrobe?" and "what are my wardrobe 'gaps'?". Having that mental checklist will help you narrow down what it is you're looking for; it might take time - imagine that? - but when you step out of the fashion lane and into the styling lane you realise that there is no time pressure and that frees you up to shop slowly and with consideration. My number one tip is to shop in-store on your local high street, that way you are using all your senses to really decide if a purchase is right: try it on, hold it up to the light, look closely at the tailoring, examine the fabric, the trim, the buttons, the weight of the fabric, see how it hangs, walk around in it. Look on all the rails, including menswear and teens, you never know what you might discover. Oh and it's okay to leave a charity shop empty-handed, there really is no rush.
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
What does fashion mean to you?
I see fashion as the gateway to styling and styling is how I express myself, bringing me far more pleasure than the 'what's-in-fashion' lane. I'm 56 in August which means I've been around the fashion planet many times, so I see retailers and designers hitting the repeat button over and over and that means I can dismiss styles that I don't feel work for me and instead focus on gathering up pieces - velvet, tailoring, denim, tweed, t-shirts, lambswool knits, costume jewellery, rolled-edge silk scarves... that bring me joy.
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
Is there anything in your life that you’ve done that you would only have done thanks to being older?
Without doubt, at the age of 46, my year-long 2015 fundraising campaign 'Knickers Model's Own' pushed me way out of my comfort zone, both creatively and from a public facing perspective. I found myself well and truly under the spotlight and I think had I been any younger I probably would've talked myself out of it. I discovered both my second-hand styling 'voice' and my fundraising 'voice', giving me huge confidence to stand up and speak publicly. Discovering a passion for a topic is a wonderful feeling and I try and use it to make a positive difference.
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
What advice would you give to your teenage self?
To see what I now see and to tell my teen self "My gosh Caroline, you have the most beautiful eyes, skin, hair, tummy, bottom, arms, teeth, knees, elbows, eyelashes...."
Caroline JonesBy Jenny Smith
How’s the menopause been for you so far and what kind of impact has it had on your life, if any?
Joining up the dots has helped: the aches, the fog, the lethagy, the facial bloody hair, the lack of confidence spilling over into my life and an acceptance that my body has and is changing. I do my best to help myself, so I talk about it with my husband, my family, my close friends, I take HRT, I have days where I go slow, I have days where I'm full of energy, I walk, I love my yoga and I use styling as my armour of choice.
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
Any words of wisdom for women over 40?
From my teens through to my thirties I thought far more about my age, my capabilities and where I fitted in. Now I rarely stop to think about how old I am, I just do stuff, somethings work out, somethings don't quite happen, but I never use my age as a reason to think I can't do something. I also love to have friendships with older and younger people, conversations full of insight, observations and laughter. We've gotta find laughter!
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
I think it's fair to say that our hormones have affected us all at some time in our lives be it puberty, PMT, pregnancy or the menopause. If that's you then check out my podcast, Dear Hormones, hopefully it'll make you smile. You can listen to it here.
40 OVER 40 Sam McAlister
#17
Sam McAlister
Author, Public Speaker and responsible for that Price Andrew Interview
Sam McAlisterby Jenny Smith
If you've watched the brilliant Netflix film 'Scoop' staring Gillian Anderson and Billie Piper, you will know all about Sam McAlister, the woman behind Newsnight's game changing interview with Prince Andrew. The second I finished watching it I searched for Sam on instagram and messaged her to see if she would consider being in my 40 OVER 40 project. When she replied with a yes I think I actually punched the air.
Now that I've met Sam in the flesh I can tell you how accurately Billie Piper's portrayal of her really is. She's bold, confident and funny as well as being incredibly polite, kind and considerate. A woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid of taking chances in life. Everything this project is here to celebrate.
Sam's life has taken an about-turn on more than one occasion. Once a lawyer she soon realised this wasn't the job for her and set about looking for a new career. She tried a few things but landed on journalism and eventually a job as a producer at BBC's Newsnight. It was Sam's skill at building trust that lead her to booking the biggest guest of her career, Prince Andrew, which in turn took her life in yet another direction. She ended up writing her book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews where she spills the beans on what it was like booking guests such as Sheryl Sandberg, President Clinton, Elon Musk, Julian Assange and of course, Prince Andrew.
Sam is such an inspiring woman and left me feeling more confident in my own career choices, confirming that it's OK to take calculated risks in life, even if those risks don't pay off.
Thank you Sam for being one of my 40 women over 40!
Sam McAlisterby Jenny Smith
1. You really stood your ground at the BBC which is not an easy thing to do as a woman in an institution like that. Did you feel different to your colleagues and how do you think that helped or hindered you?
I was never bothered that I felt different to my colleagues — that feeling had accompanied me all my life, since I started law school, and through many years of employment. Being able to look at things differently, or work without worrying about what people think of you, is a superpower in a traditional institution. It sets you apart. So, while it may sometimes hinder progression, it’s the only way I know how to be.
Sam McAlisterby Jenny Smith
2. This project celebrates strong and inspiring women. What women have inspired you over the years?
The woman who most inspired me is my Mum. Sadly, sometimes that’s the only woman who you know has truly got your back.
Sam McAlisterby Jenny Smith
3. Being a single parent isn’t easy as a working woman but it's also an incredible motivator, how do you think motherhood impacted your career?
Motherhood got me to Newsnight. When I returned to the BBC after having my son, my boss at Radio 4 wouldn’t let me return to my former full time job as a part time worker and put me in a very dull department called ‘development’ so I had to find something new to do. That ended up being Newsnight. All the hits I’ve taken over the years have always turned into a better opportunity. I had to leave the BBC to write my book 'Scoops' as they wouldn’t let me do it as staff and that turned into a Netflix movie, so BBC hurdles have been kind to me.
Sam McAlisterby Jenny Smith
You are rightly proud of your working class roots, do you think your background informed your career choices?
Of course, I am resolutely middle class now, but having the peril of needing to pay the bills, and having to start from nothing, with no contacts or favours I could pull, has made me a grafter who knows that my success is based on merit, not privilege, and I feel proud of that.
Caroline Jonesby Jenny Smith
The Prince Andrew documentary changed everything at the very top of the royal family, and you made that happen. What does that feel like and what advice would you give to other young women starting out and finding their own voices?
It felt amazing to work on something that ended up being a huge part of our country’s journalistic history — and obviously hugely important for the BBC and Newsnight also. Of course, if he had said 'no’ no one would have known about me or my work. I loved my job and believed that what I did mattered, so my advice would be to chase your dreams and enjoy them, even if they don’t come to something this momentous. Enjoying the work is the really important part.
Sam McAlisterBy Jenny Smith
How has your life changed since the film came out?
It’s been an incredible experience and I’m hugely grateful for every second. The best part is being stopped by people, or contacted, with them saying how much they enjoyed the movie and how it reminded them of the importance of their work.
Sam McAlisterby Jenny Smith
What advice would you give to other women wanting a career change later on in life?
My advice is to plan. My past few years looks seamless — book agent, book deal, documentary for Channel 4, Netflix deal, but that's one in a billion. I had ensured I had enough funds to throw the dice for two years and I have worked every day, and weekend, without a break for the past thirty months. If you can’t afford to eat, the plan isn’t worth trying until you can.
Sam McAlisterby Jenny Smith
What a woman! Thank you Sam for being part of the 40 OVER 40 project.
I think it's fair to say that our hormones have affected us all at some time in our lives be it puberty, PMT, pregnancy or the menopause. If that's you then check out my podcast, Dear Hormones, hopefully it'll make you smile. You can listen to it here.
40 OVER 40 Farah Ahamed
#16
Farah Ahamed
Author of Period Matters and Cofounder of Panties with Purpose
Farah Ahamedby Jenny Smith
Voted one of the Financial Times' Women of 2022, Farah Ahamed is a former human rights lawyer and the author of Period Matters, a book about menstruation and how it is perceived across South Asia. She was once stopped and asked if she was menstruating before entering a temple in India, and told to hide her sanitary pads in a brown paper bag when shopping in a supermarket in Pakistan. It led her to investigate further the different experiences women have and the different viewpoints of menstruation across the region.
Farah and her sisters also set up a campaign called Panties with Purpose collecting new cotton underpants to send to schoolgirls in Kenya. They set out to collect 4000 pairs but to date has distributed over 70,000!
I spent a wonderful morning with Farah, getting to know her and taking some beautiful photographs. She was also very patient with me, standing in a chilly back ally as we attempted to get shots of her sari blowing in the wind! It was definitely worth it though.
Please read on to hear more from this incredible woman who is putting her time and talent into celebrating the power of femininity.
Thank you Farah for taking the time to answer these questions and for being part of my 40 OVER 40 project.
Farah Ahamedby Jenny Smith
Tell me about your book Period Matters - can you explain the topics you cover and what spurred you on to compile it.
The idea for this anthology came to me in the summer of 2019 when it occurred to me that the diversity of the experience of menstruation could best be reflected in a book which included art, fiction and non-fiction.
I decided the book would move away from the conventional to a deeper and more honest cultivation of stories about menstruation. I asked myself: How could the different perspectives be best presented? Who would be the writers and artists to capture the diversity of representations? The answer lay in complete creative liberty. There would be no brief on genre or format, only an invitation to contributors to share their individual stories in their own way. The book includes poetry, fiction, art and a specially commissioned dance which interprets the menstrual cycle through classical dance moves, which can be viewed through a QR code. The cover is also unusual; it carries a detail from a visual made with the artist’s menstrual blood.
The anthology highlights over forty different intersectional perspectives to make conversation more inclusive by providing a glimpse into the way menstruation is viewed by people from different genders, backgrounds, religions, cultures and classes. It carries the stories of factory workers in Bangladesh, nuns in Bhutan, students in Afghanistan, policy makers entrepreneurs in India, artists in Pakistan, refugees in Sri Lanka, and activists in Nepal. It highlights the debate around period leave and how digital tracking apps impact users. It also illustrates how menstruation can be a time of creativity, rest and rejuvenation. It tries to be inclusive in depicting how menstruation is experienced by people with disabilities, the trans gender community, those who are homeless and incarcerated.
My decision to focus on South Asia was motivated by two events. The first is when I was stopped and asked if I was menstruating as I was about to enter a Jain temple in India. The second is when I picked up a packet of sanitary pads while shopping at a supermarket in Pakistan and a male shop attendant rushed over and told me to hide them in a brown bag to avoid being humiliated at the checkout counter. I found both incidents disturbing – being questioned about intimate details of my body by a stranger and having my behaviour in a public space controlled because menstruation was associated with shame. I realized once again how much I had taken for granted.
Farah Ahamedby Jenny Smith
Tell us more about Panties with Purpose and how it all started.
In 2011, my two sisters and I started an informal campaign, Panties with Purpose. Our objective was to raise awareness and help 1000 schoolgirls with menstrual products. In those days, the phrase ‘period poverty,’ hadn’t been coined, no one was talking about periods openly.
We kept our strategy simple: we would ask donors to give us new cotton underpants. We felt that if they had to go out and buy a pair of underpants instead of donating cash, they would be more likely to talk about the issue with friends. Also, as we were not a registered charity, this approach would make it easier for us to manage our operations.
Our plan worked. Within less than two months we had strangers writing to us from over sixty cities including Mumbai, Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Vancouver saying they were moved by the issue and wanted to support us. We also partnered with local Kenyan artists including Iddi Achieng, and hosted a ‘menstruation awareness’ concert where the entry ticket was a packet of pads or underpants. Our target had been to collect 4,000 pairs of underpants, but we ended up receiving over 40,000.
Thanks to a donation from Virgin Atlantic and many friends, the underpants were then transported to Kenya. Later, in a school in Kibera, Google sponsored our first-ever event on International Women’s Day in 2011, which included a menstrual health workshop.
Since then, Panties with Purpose has distributed over 70,000 pairs of pants to more than 17,000 girls, and sponsored health education and skills-training workshops across 200 locations in Kenya. We have lobbied for period-friendly schools, workplaces and places of worship. Our advocacy work has extended to the distribution of free period products in schools, supported innovation around developing pads using local materials, as well as the removal of the tampon tax.
Farah Ahamedby Jenny Smith
What cultural differences are there when it comes to women’s health in South Asia compared to where you live now? How do you think things can improve?
While compiling Period Matters, I was intrigued to find how diverse the experience was; in some places there were restrictions, in others it was a time of healing and rest, and in still others, a celebration. I saw how it depended the on context and the identity of the menstruator. While there were political, religious, social, and cultural factors impacting the experience, class, caste, gender and occupation also played a role.
Some factors are common to all parts of the world: access to a choice of affordable menstrual products, and the continued shame and stigma around the experience.
I have been thinking about how menstruators navigate different spaces. Do they maintain their menstrual practices when they leave home and move to another country? How does interacting with another context affect their understanding of menstruation? Does it help them shed their shame or heighten it? What is it like for them at home and how is it different at school or work?
And what about boys and men? When and where do they learn about menstruation? How do they feel about it? How can they be helped to understand it better? How can men help to break the stigma around periods? I wrote an essay for LARB, ‘Men Explain Periods to Me,’ where I shared the different reactions to Period Matters, which I received from men which included: disgust, confusion, anger, fear and death threats. This tells you how limited their understanding is of menstruation, and how alien it feels to them.
Farah Ahamedby Jenny Smith
Through Panties with Purpose and compiling Period Matters, a common theme became apparent. At the core of every narrative about menstruation is a call for a greater dignity and freedom. This means the choice to speak openly or remain silent; to stay in a room or leave; to be admitted to a place of worship and family events. It means choice relating to education, marriage and what to eat. And symbolic of all basic human needs, the right to choice of menstrual products, instead of a soiled rag.
I am optimistic the book will instigate more menstruation discussions. I hope the radical cover of Period Mattters and other art in the book will motivate other artists to use their creativity for menstrual activism. Environmentally sustainable solutions for menstrual products are much needed today and possibly the efforts made in South Asia, highlighted in Period Matters, will prompt young entrepreneurs. For those who do not menstruate, I hope they become more compassionate.
Farah Ahamedby Jenny Smith
Are you aware of how women deal with menopause in South Asia? Things are only really being talked about openly in this country in the last few years - what’s the situation there and do you see if changing?
Since compiling Period Matters I’ve become more aware of the words and phrases used to describe menstruation and menopause in different languages. Often these are euphemisms, and if they exist at all are loaded with implications.
For instance, in Bengali, menstruation is referred to as ‘shorir kharap,’ or being unwell. But in Jharkhand, the Santals call it ‘hormo baha,’ or flower of the body. It is interesting to think about how language alters our experience and perception of menstruation.
While growing up in Kenya, I don’t recall periods having a specific name. One time I heard my aunt telling my mother, in half-Kiswahili and half-Gujarati, ‘Mgeni aiva che,’ meaning; ‘The visitors are here.’ For many years, I never understood the phrase. It was a coded language shared by women in a world where the word ‘menstruation’ was not acceptable. Similarly, there is no word for menopause in Gujrati, or I haven’t come across it yet. These erasures and silences signal that the subject is still taboo or shameful and there is still widespread ignorance.
Farah Ahamedby Jenny Smith
In the digital world of period tracking apps, we find something sinister going on in relation to language. The words used there, including the persuasive marketing references to managing, controlling, cleanliness, hygiene, and health all point to there being a normative idea of a period, but in fact there is none, because each person has a different body. What eventually happens is that through continuous interactions and engagement with the app, users’ subjectivity is impacted.
Farah Ahamedby Jenny Smith
cont.. The reactions to the art work in Period Matters have ranged from awe and confusion to shock and rage. Some have vowed never to touch the book – a book with a visual of artwork made of menstrual blood was a step too far. It is telling how the ‘ick’ factor around menstrual blood, even for those who consider themselves broad-minded, is generally a given. Menstrual blood is stigmatised, and this has been accepted as the rule. Women’s reproductive health is woefully understudied and underfunded. One of the best sources of biological material for studying women’s reproductive health is menstrual blood, but because of its stigma, menstrual blood has rarely been studied in detail.
The only way to take away the shame around menstruation and menstrual blood is to make the conversations around it commonplace, in the home, at schools, and at workplaces.
Farah AhamedBy Jenny Smith
This project celebrates women over 40 - how have you found this stage in your life so far?
I suppose you could say it was only in my forties that I found the courage to experiment with new ideas and explore my creativity and decided to try and write full-time. I signed up for courses, joined a writing group and was lucky enough to find a mentor. Since then, I’ve been on a journey with many highs and lows. But the best part is I’m continually learning, and always challenging myself.
I think if I had not made that shift in my early forties, during my menopause I would have been really, really miserable. With the brain fog and sleeplessness, the thing that kept me going was writing- on many days the blank page was where I felt I had some sort of space and freedom, even though on others, it was torture.
In your fifties, sometimes you imagine you have a slightly better sense of who you are, your place in the world, and what you want to do. On other days, it feels like nothing is clear. But I suppose, hopefully, that means one is evolving, and searching for ways to experience oneself more fully.
Farah Ahamedby Jenny Smith
If you could go back and give you teenage self some advice what would you say?
My mother died when she was 54, which is how old I will be this year, and so I’ve been thinking a lot about her, and what it must have been like for her to die so young, and how it affected me and the decisions I made because of that. She had a deep faith in a God who was compassionate, and she constantly reminded me of this.
So, to my younger self, I would give the same reminders, but add, have as much fun as you can, be more daring. Throw caution to the wind. Don’t worry about perfection or failure, because they are meaningless. And be as kind as you can to yourself and others. Because at fifty, it feels like that’s really the only thing that matters.
Farah Ahamedby Jenny Smith
I think it's fair to say that our hormones have affected us all at some time in our lives be it puberty, PMT, pregnancy or the menopause. If that's you then check out my podcast, Dear Hormones, hopefully it'll make you smile. You can listen to it here.