Sam Payne Photography

The Menopause Photography Project (MPP) is an effort to change our perceptions of what menopause looks like. I am photographing a wide variety of people experiencing menopause from all parts of the UK and hearing their stories. We all go through it, there are so many similarities and yet every single experience is different. 

I want to increase the awareness of and education about the menopause, empowering women to explore and embrace this part of our lives. 

Many of us remember the headlines 20 years ago quoting (a now-discredited study) "HRT causes breast cancer" and that was pretty much the last time I remember menopause making any headlines. Given the lack of public discussion and the fact it wasn't taught in schools until last year, it's no wonder our menopause can come as a bit of shock... There has been such a lack of medical training for GPs too, which means many people suffer for years before getting the right help and support, so bringing our lived experiences to the wider world is more urgent than ever.

THE PROJECT

The MPP will document experiences of menopause through portrait photography and conversation. What has changed for them, what has helped them, what positives they have found. These photographs and experiences will be woven together in a final exhibition, raising awareness and sparking further exchange.

RAISING AWARENESS 

The MPP will bring together a wide range of women, including those whose voices are often marginalised. We will share and learn from a diverse range of experiences of menopause, provoke conversations about what menopause is and what it means - to those of us who experience it as well as in a broader cultural sense. The Project will highlight the issues we face, look at what is being done to improve menopause care and what the positives are as we live this stage of our lives (there are positives, despite how it may feel at times!).

All proceeds from the exhibition will go to the brilliant work done by The Menopause Charity.