The Best On-Screen Menopause Moments
When afflicted with hot flashes, restless nights, yo-yo moods, and the occasional episode of blind rage, it might help to remember that, like anything else, someone somewhere will have found a way to make the whole thing into a joke.
Who better to do this than the people who make movies and television shows? Sometimes stereotypical — but always funny — here is a pick of the most hilarious on-screen menopause movies and moments (be aware some of the content in the videos may be a bit cheeky and are probably not suitable for children — unless you want to answer a load of awkward questions
1. That 70's Show where Red, Hyde and Eric try to define menopause. Comparing it to war is harsh — but funny! This is just one of a number of scenes where the gang attempt to get their heads round “lady parts stuff."
2. The British movie Shirley Valentine. Shirley Valentine (Pauline Collins) has a friend who wins a free trip. They go to Greece and menopausal Shirley decides to stay. Her husband Joe (Bernhard Hill), calls and begs her to come home, saying, “You don’t know what you’re saying because you’re going through the change of life." Shirley replies, “That’s right, Joe. That’s exactly what it is, a change of life."
3. Calendar Girls is another classic movie from the United Kingdom where a group of women rocked by life events decide to pose for a cheeky calendar for charity. They learn to embrace their post-menopausal bodies, making this a must-see for anyone worrying about their changing figure.
4. “It’s official — the estrogen has left the building!" This is just one of the great quotes (some of them a bit crude — you have been warned) from Samantha in Sex and the City 2, panicking after losing her stash of hormones. While it’s true that medication can make the menopause easier for many, Samantha takes it a bit far!
5. “My husband brings me a cup of coffee and I want to kill him. I want to kill him in really creative and imaginative ways." Can anyone identify with this quote? This gem comes from the movie The M Word, where Moxie tries to make a documentary about menopause.
6. We couldn’t compile a list about on-screen menopause moments without including The Golden Girls. Remember the episode where Blanche thinks she’s pregnant (season 2, episode 1)? When she realizes it’s menopause and not a baby halting her period she goes into meltdown, thinking her life is over!
7. Even cartoon characters go through menopause it seems. The Simpsons episode “Goo Goo Gai Pan" (season 16, episode 12) sees Selma devastated by the news she cannot get pregnant because of menopause. The best part is Homer’s explanation of menopause to Bart: “Son, menopause is when the stork that brings babies gets shot by drunken hunters."
8. An honorable mention should go to the new mockumentary series Get Educated. Imagine The Office, but set in a middle school in Buffalo. This scene shows a stressed teacher answering frankly stupid questions about menopause.
9. While not strictly about menopause, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel must get top marks for showing post-menopause life does not mean you spend your days sitting around waiting to die. A beautiful, positive film about older people carrying on with life’s adventure starring a host of more mature actors, there can be few viewers who come away from watching this movie feeling inspired to make the most of all of their time on earth.
So, the moral of the story is, no matter how difficult you are finding your menopause symptoms you can be assured you are neither the first, nor the last, to experience them. And when things are bad, it might help to try and see the funny side.