Ageing and self-esteem take a nose dive for middle age women, when menopause takes its toll on their figures. They worry about how big their asses, hips, thunder thighs, bellies and jiggling arms are. That said, 50+ black women, compared to their Caucasian counterparts, are marginally less obsessed due to their culture.
Do grown men with pot bellies hanging over their belts worry as much as women? No, they don’t, albeit a generalisation. Women need to be aware of the fact that they biologically have high oestrogen levels and carry excess fat on their hips to accommodate pregnancy and childbirth. Furthermore, to embrace ageing and self-love.
The media, magazines, films and fashion bombard us with pictures of slim bodies, defined as ideal according to Western standards. Little wonder women have issues rather than celebrating their curves or being slender. Conversely, body image is viewed differently across cultures. Think Polynesians and Samoans. Likewise, in the Caribbean, an ample figure with the ‘Endomorph’ body type is perceived as ideal, embraced as physically attractive not only to the opposite sex, but represents financial security, fertility, happiness and vitality.
On the contrary, the slender brigade, the ‘Ectomorphs’, are shamed by the derogatory term ‘mawga’. I was referred to in this fashion when visiting my grandparents in the Caribbean. Approaching two older women sitting in a front yard, I could hear them talking about me. One asked, “ah who she be”? The other responded, “She ah Pricilla’s grand pickney” (Pricilla is my grandmother’s name), to which the other retorted, “She mawga eeh”. I did think, “Come on, lady, I’m slim, not emaciated”.
As women, we are always going through a metamorphosis. As teens, most of us were bony. I certainly was and couldn’t gain weight if I tried, and tried I did, having a sweet tooth wolfed down cakes, ice cream and chocolates galore. I went straight up and down with no curves or bust (a typical Ectomorph). My pubescent body shape continued into my late 30s to early 40s, softening only slightly. Menopause was a game-changer and like every woman, I suffered from hot flushes, but had a more womanly figure with a cleavage. Hoorah!
Menopause is another significant metamorphosis women undergo with the shifting hormonal cocktail of estrogen and testosterone. But, the good news, according to research findings by Christine Northrup, MD’s book ‘The Wisdom of Menopause’, is that this change is not simply a collection of physical symptoms to be fixed but a mind-body revolution that brings the most significant opportunity for growth since adolescence. The choices a woman makes now, from the quality of her relationships to her diet, can secure vibrant health and well-being for the rest of her life. Wow! This certainly brings a more positive spin on what is often viewed as a distressing period.
Moreover, the current wellness and longevity trends keep us all mindful of a healthy diet, exercise and mental health, which encourages self-care in later years, leading to healthy habits, ageing with vitality and gracefully as women continue their transition from Quinquagenarians (50s) to Octogenarians (80s) and beyond.
In the words of Gloria Steinem,
“Each woman’s body demands to be accepted on its own terms”
