Words by Smiley Team
For World Menopause Day, Over The Bloody Moon is putting the spotlight on different people’s experiences of menopause in the workplace, through a virtual exhibition running from October through to February.
Perimenopausal women are the fastest growing workforce demographic. Yet unlike maternity, there is a lack of awareness and support for menopause in the workplace.
'Menopausers’ may feel challenged at times with brain fog and memory lapses, hot flushes, mood swings or anxiety, impacting on their confidence and ability to perform at their optimum.
For example, irritability can be a result of declining progesterone, making 53% of women feel fragile and teary. Some describe themselves as feeling less patient with colleagues, snappy or defensive “going from 1 to 100 in a matter of seconds.”
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The organisation has commissioned multidisciplinary creatives, Pansy Aung and Consuelo Zaccaron, to create a series of still life portraits to express some of the common tensions and issues associated with the menopause.
Their stunning photography seeks to make people stop, smile, and engage in this often stigmatised subject, by capturing unexpected pairings of workplace images to represent the visible and invisible symptoms of menopause.
Over the Bloody Moon founder Lesley Salem said: “Three years ago I went through a perimenopause, and I ended up leaving my job. It was only by working out what was really going on, that I discovered it had been hormonally triggered. I’m very passionate about cultivating important conversations, and supporting, educating and empowering people through this transition.”
She added: “I like to find disruptive ways to develop empathy and provoke thought. I commissioned two artists, who didn’t know each other, and they came together to create beautiful imagery, based on the stories I’ve heard, about issues in the workplace.”
A staggering 900,000 women leave the workforce during the transition, as they’re unable to handle menopausal symptoms.
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Consequently, Over the Bloody Moon is passionate about ensuring there are trained menopause mentors, within organisations, who people can go to for support - claiming that policy alone is mere lip service.
The Menopause Portraits at Work event is aimed at HR professionals, Wellbeing and Occupational Health managers, Inclusion and Diversity leads, and Employee Resource Group leads championing women's health.
It takes place on October 22nd at 12.30pm, and is an opportunity to meet the creatives, and learn from Lesley Salem, founder of Over The Bloody Moon, on why investing in menopause is so important.
You can register for a ticket here.
