Primary Research + Development
INTERVIEW - Alice, white, hetero, cis-woman, 50-60 years old
- what was your personal experience of peri-menopause and menopause?
> it's so extreme, unbearable heat
> don't mention menopause to students, don't wanna seem like their mother or grandmother
> I kept thinking it will go away, it's a natural process it's going to go and I can deal with it
> but I heard it could be ten years, and I thought fuck that, my life is worth more than dealing with this
> I went on HRT and it helped a lot, but after 2 years I decided to wean myself off it, cutting the bum patches in half then 2/3
- how does this differ to other women?
> I don't know any others who had flushes
> I knew woman who was suicidal
> I never spoke about menopause with my friends, they kept things private
> one woman corrected me from 'its the menopause' to 'its a tropical storm'
> its unglamorous
> everyone's story is totally different, its not helpful to hear everyone's problems
> if i could do it all again i wished i could talk more about these things to my kids
- as a nurse, did women talk openly and freely about menopause to you and did they seem knowledgeable?
> no, 30 years ago. And I'm not sure I would've wanted to
> people feel like they have license to talk about menopause when its pre, as its unusual, whereas when you're getting old it's more gradual you think it will disappear, dismissive
> its like going grey, its a sign of age, they don't want to realise they're at the end of being a woman
> I have my hippie friends who have rituals, rites of passage, acknowledging it, being brave about the next stage
- do women around you and women you meet as a nurse feel negative or positive about menopause in general?
- do you think they would benefit from positive celebratory tones around menopause?
> im not ready to wait for you to finish work, i want to do the things I want to do, I've done the kids, i just want to have a good time, its my time
> But when experiencing it, you don't always feel like in the peak
> majority of my friends glide through it, so maybe most people could celebrate it without being pinned down by symptoms
- what tone would this take?
> now women in 50s have half their life left, they're treated differently to how they used to be, they're considered young, so make it colourful and happy, make it funky and jolly and dynamic
> symptoms can make people feel derailed
> cancer rooms ask for premenopause
REFLECTION
>> Was interesting that her tone about menopause was that it is still a struggle, and although it should be celebrated, for some women who experience strong symptoms it makes it difficult to celebrate it
>> Important therefore that this campaign recognises the difficulty of menopause and that it's okay not to feel 100% every day and be able to celebrate it all the time
>> Positive that she feels her target audience would find bold, colourful design appealing, as this coincides with the direction I've been taking = more youthful, reflective of how they feel inside
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- person who said quote in small box around bottom of design
- text fills up text and uses different typefaces, stroke weight and embellishments like bevelling and outer glows to create hierarchy between focus words and more general words
- long circles used for words like 'liberating' 'freedom' and 'natural' with this specific typeface could be used as a visual motif within posters or on the website as its a very successful presentation of key powerful words, using bold organic free flowing typeface and an organic form encapsulating this, presenting the menopause as natural and powerful
Comments
Post a Comment