Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause

“There is no face of menopause. Why are there no celebrities and personalities out there really promoting menopause? It's not a one comment conversation. It is not a one-time acknowledgement issue. It's not a fad. This is a fact of life. And there's nobody willing to take it on because frankly, I think they, it makes them feel old past their prime. Unfuckable. I don't care about that. Someone who has been in the public eye needs to start fighting to not normalize this conversation, but to optimize this conversation.” Stacy London 

I am so excited about this conversation I got to have with Stacy London around her menopause journey, aging, her business, The State of Menopause, relationships and what it means to be a white Ally in normalizing menopause for all people. Like many people who are familiar with Stacy's career, I have been a long time fan of her aesthetic and the energy she brings to her craft. It was a breath of fresh air to realize that the energy she exudes on camera--a strong wit, curiosity, honesty, a sharp mercurial mind, thoughtful and being smart as shit, holds true in what we call "real life". Stacy London is one of America’s foremost style experts. She is best known as the co-host of TLC’s iconic show, “What Not to Wear.” Following that success, she hosted and executive produced 3 seasons of “Love Lust or Run.” Stacy has written two books, Dress Your Best, which was published to stellar reviews, and The Truth About Style, a New York Times bestseller. In 2020, she hosted a podcast discussing mental health, Could Be Better, tbh, in collaboration with the Crisis Text Line and The Jed Foundation (JED). In 2021, Stacy became the founder and  CEO of State of Menopause, a holistic product line for women which addresses the symptoms associated with menopause and perimenopause. In this new phase of her career, Stacy is doing what she has done her entire career as a stylist: help people from suffering silently, raise their confidence and self-esteem by alleviating external symptoms, and removing the shame that surrounds them.

Stacy’s symptoms started around age 47. She experienced every single symptom associated with menopause from body aches and insomnia to memory loss and mood swings. She thought she was going crazy and even consulted a therapist to see if she had Alzheimer’s disease. Over the last five years, Stacy has been creating and pitching content and stories about women in their 40s but consistently was told that ‘it wasn’t sexy’ and no one would watch. When she was approached to be a beta-tester for this product line, it finally felt like a brand was talking to her. The opportunity to take over the company was her way of pivoting in middle age to speak to and evangelize the audience  she was told she could not reach in any other way. As CEO of SOM, Stacy is doing what she has done her entire career as a stylist:  help people from suffering silently, raise their confidence and self-esteem by alleviating external symptoms, and removing the shame that surrounds them. And that’s why, when she got the chance, she went from being one of a hundred peri-menopausal beta-testers for these products to running the company. 

 There are a lot more cool conversations and programming coming your way from BGG2SM and State of Menopause, so stay tuned!

To learn more about Stacy London and the State of Menopause, click https://www.stateofmenopause.com/

To learn more about The Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause, click https://blackgirlsguidetosurvivingmenopause.com/

To become a Patron of BGG2SM via our Patreon, click https://www.patreon.com/blackgirlsguidetomenopause