Alexandria Wyckoff
Amanda Peet is portraying a woman going through menopause, and she’s happy about it.
Not only does it relate to her own experiences of perimenopause and menopause, but it also allows other women to be seen and break the stigma surrounding a natural phenomenon.
Portraying Menopause
During Apple TV’s Your Friends & Neighbors event in Hollywood, Amanda Peet spoke to People about portraying her character, therapist Mel Cooper, on the series. Cooper is navigating perimenopause and “a lot of rage.”
When speaking about her role, she shared, “It was very cathartic for me to be going through menopause myself and then trying to behave and then going to work and having [show creator Jonathan] Tropper write me these scenes where I just sort of go off the rails. So cathartic is the right word to describe what I felt.”
She added, “And historically, I feel like so many women who are going through menopause have been invisible or they’re sexless or really just sidelined. So it’s very fun that Tropper wrote someone who’s actually experiencing menopause and is not completely overlooked and who’s still having sex while dealing with it.”
Amanda Peet’s Experiences
Amanda Peet also shared some of her personal experiences when it comes to perimenopause and menopause.
She noted that she feels like she has “age dysmorphia” and can’t believe she’s 54 years old and at the age where menopause is normal. She also admitted there is a lot of stigma surrounding menopause.
“I think you freeze at 27. You cannot really deeply, you cannot really come to terms with the fact that you’re above the age of 27. That’s my theory,” she said. “It’s still shocking to me sometimes that I’m 54. It still blows me away.”
As for her character Cooper, she claims the show allows her to express her rage, destigmatize the conversation, and even share that hormone therapy is a safe option.
Destigmatizing Menopause
While it may not seem so, menopause in television or on the big screen is nearly unheard of. Or, if it is mentioned, menopause and perimenopause are reduced to a punchline.
However, representation matters. This is exactly why Amanda Peet’s character is so crucial, especially as she Googles symptoms like brain fog, lack of concentration, and night sweats in episode two.
In recent years, the conversation has broadened with the help of podcasters, creators, comedians, and writers, turning taboo conversations into mainstream media.
Actress Naomi Watts even shared her thoughts on the subject with USA Today in January, stating, “We need to see ourselves represented. Talking about menopause and showing our stories in movies can help women feel less alone. It’s about taking the shame and stigma away and that’s important through storytelling of all kinds.”
Woman Feeling Represented
While Amanda Peet’s character shows one type of menopause, there are plenty more ways to go through it. Each woman is unique, influenced by their health, culture, and where they live.
However, Cooper is an important first step to opening the doors to menopause and everything that it entails. There are plenty of women in their 40s and early 50s who are experiencing symptoms for the first time, ranging from dry eyes to even itchy skin.
When thinking about representing women with menopause, Fatima Naqvi, a New Jersey obstetrician and gynecologist at Atlantic Health, shared some of her thoughts with USA Today.
“I’m a big believer in showing how it can be a very positive time. It’s not the end of anything. It’s a renewal and that’s important to highlight.”
She added, “It’s important to be seen. I’m part of Gen X and we are not just going to take this all in stride. And what’s most important is we talk about it and women find a practitioner who will listen to them.”