Two podcasts break the taboo – Liberation

“The goal was to break the silence. Me, I took menopause like a wall, with no one to talk to about it. I was in the dark, at the bottom of the abyss…” Passionate, lively, feminist journalist and entrepreneur Elsa Wolinsky describes the origins of the podcast. Let me dare, This was the desire to break the silence: “In France, more than 14 million women are postmenopausal. It is a path that concerns them all, But which they often cross alone“ The first episode of this podcast will be out this Saturday. Coincidentally, another podcast – Warm inside – by Claire Fournier, launched in late November 2023, with a similar perspective, has just been created. “Free Speech”. “Every year 400,000 new recruits join the menopause club, Claire Fournier explains. So let’s support each other. Let’s talk together. The battle will be won when we can say we are menopausal without lowering our voice.

The two podcasts have a lot in common, starting with a similar activist energy that pushes two very different women to put their feet up. Who dares to openly talk about hot flashes? For Elsa Wolinsky, everything starts with an observation: we don’t dare to understand this subject. result : “We have no one to light our way. And during this moment that happens to all of us, the lack of exchange, the lack of mutual assistance, we experience it very badly. It was her experience of menopause that served as the trigger. “I complained a lot about it on Instagram. A real emotional elevator. The doctors just told me that I have to do sports. She revealed her distress on social networks, and at the same time, Nathalie Cottet, the producer of the show indeed (where Wolinsky works) is considering a podcast on the topic.

“No one told me about it”

Series project Warm inside Crisis also took shape: Claire Fournier, an economic columnist at LCI, was just 47 when perimenopausal symptoms began. A real storm. “That was last year. I was a young mother. It surprised me. No one told me about it, not my mother, not my friends, not my gynecologist…” Taking her courage in both hands, Claire Fournier approached Binge Audio to offer them the series. “It’s actually quite therapeutic. She laughs. I wanted to create this podcast to find answers to questions I asked myself. It also helps me a lot to meet all these great women who talk about it… because that’s my goal: to end the taboo.” After all, she adds, if young girls can now talk about their periods without shame, why should women who no longer have them remain silent?

Elsa Wolinsky defends a similar cause: “Look in the United States: Michelle Obama dares to talk about it during a TV show. We must change the view in France. Things must change here too.” Citing cases of women who continue to buy tampons to deceive those around them, she laments the “menopause” Seen as equivalent to the word “finish”. Claire Fournier approves: “Pamela Anderson was seen without makeup at Cannes. Almost 50-year-old Flavi Flament showed off her butt on Instagram… For many women, It’s a relief. Why the shame of this old body? Of course, there is the fear of going to old age camp. We don’t want to talk about it with our lover or partner. And yet…”

“Demonetized, Devalued Woman”

In the two months that her podcast has been in existence, Claire Fournier has been pleasantly surprised to receive emails from men: “A lot of people ask me what their partner is going through.” she explains. Although her audience is primarily made up of listeners between the ages of 40 and 60, Claire Fournier feels that the topic of menopause is not fiction. It includes essential questions related to the couple’s relationship as well as society’s values. “In terms of representation, she said, Menopause remains synonymous with loss. Memory loss, hair, sexual attraction… that’s why we need to talk about it, to move away from this negative vision of a demonized, devalued woman. We lack role models. I want to give voice to strong figures, with whom women can proudly identify.

In his podcast let me dare Driven by a desire for civic engagement, Elsa Wolinsky adopted a similar strategy: reaching out to prominent women and getting them to speak. On his microphone, in the coming weeks, it will be possible to hear painter and former model Azucena Camano (wife of Florent Pagni), comedian Michel Bernier (writer). Menopause Tango), stylist Isabel Marant, journalist Sophie Fontenelle and actress Sofia Aram. The tone of his podcast is intended to be free, friendly, intimate. It sometimes feels light. It is the complete opposite of podcasting. warm inside, Which is like the work of a goldsmith: Claire Fournier constructs each program as an opportunity to explore a different aspect of a problem. Menopause is always understood from different angles – historical, symbolic, physiological, etc. – The journalist constantly renews the topic. She also makes it so pleasant… that we almost fall into the game of talking about “menopause” with passion and enthusiasm.

Let me dare by Elsa Wolinsky (Martange). One episode per week.

Warm inside by Claire Fournier (Binge Audio). One episode every two weeks.