Page Six reports that Watt said her experience with menopause helped her feel liberated.
“Going through this journey led me to a deeper understanding of myself, and I came out on the other side feeling more authentically me ... a lot of freedom came in the self-acknowledgment.”
She added, “I had those voices in the back of my mind reminding me how old women are let out to pasture, but there was a lure to this desire to be authentic, to crawl from behind the invisible wall and just acknowledge for myself something that everyone could have probably guessed.”
Watts said she believed she would have had “an easier transition” if menopause hadn’t been such a taboo topic when she was younger, adding that there was “a lack of open conversation and resources” at the time.
“I was part of a cycle that desperately needed to be broken ... that’s why I’m now so passionate about raising awareness and encouraging more honest conversations.”
The star believes attitudes towards aging have changed over the past few years, but there is still progress to be made.
“I’m proud to still be working; when the defining narrative used to be that if you were a hair over 40 you were basically forced into retirement, seeing that shift, that’s empowering. There’s growing recognition that women’s stories don’t end at a certain age.
“I do see evolution, I do see people taking risks and identifying interesting female-driven stories which is exactly how it should always have been. A women’s story is interesting at every stage, the longer the life, the deeper it gets and makes for interesting stories.”
Watts went on to tell the outlet she wants to see the female midlife experience to continue to feature in the media.
“It’s a side comment here or there, barely even a secondary plot line, but menopause can consume a significant portion of a woman’s life — some people it can last over a decade. How is that not worth writing stories about?” she asked.
“So many things can happen in a woman’s life during this time; caring for elderly parents, an emptying nest, a divorce, a career shift, getting back into the workforce. High stakes! All great fodder for meaningful and rich storytelling.”
The star, who tied the knot with husband Billy Crudup in June this year, also spoke about falling in love and working on a relationship in middle age.
“The most valuable move for any relationship, partnership, workplace or family, is to just be open and honest about what you’re going through,” she said.
“Most times this gives people a chance to be empathetic and know how to respond. And plus hiding is so much more exhausting.”
