If you're a regular Katie Couric Media reader, you know that we're invested in covering menopause from every angle — from the upsides to the downsides. But if you're anxiously clicking on our menopause content, it's probably in part because you haven't gotten the information elsewhere. While we've discussed the issue of uninformed OB-GYNs, that's not the only way in which menopause has been overlooked or misrepresented. A new study from the Geena Davis Institute shows that menopause representation is lacking even in an industry that's supposed to represent the real world: entertainment.
There are few examples of this transition portrayed on screen, and they're often inaccurate. Any examples you can conjure up are likely negative tropes: Samantha trying to trick her body into thinking it's younger in Sex and the City 2. Claire hiding vasomotor symptoms from her husband in House of Cards. There's even an episode of All in the Family that addresses the onset of Edith's menopause; it's titled "Edith's Problems."
And that's when menopause is mentioned at all. According to the Geena Davis Institute study "Missing in Action: Writing a New Narrative for Women in Midlife on the Big Screen," menopause is nearly invisible in TV and film.
The report examined how menopause was portrayed in the 100 highest-grossing domestic films released each year from 2009 to 2024, which prominently feature women aged 40 and older. Of the 225 films assessed, only 6 percent (14 films) addressed menopause. These mentions were usually side comments; only one film featured a prominent menopause storyline.
"This erasure in popular media contributes to a history of menopause being shrouded in mystery or even shame," the report states.
In many of the movies reviewed, this transition was used as a joke to explain women’s rage or mood swings, and even younger characters were labeled "menopausal" when they expressed anger. "This is a pattern that shames menopause while also reinforcing stereotypes about women’s emotional volatility being due to biology," the report notes.
And while celebs have recently started talking more honestly about menopause, that phenomenon isn't reflected onscreen. "Despite the fact that so many women in perimenopause and menopause are speaking out about their experiences, it definitely doesn't seem like the entertainment industry has caught on," KCM contributor Karen Tang, MD, says.
The Geena Davis Institute also surveyed 750 adults in the U.S. about their perception of menopause on screen: While most women learn about this period from parents (49 percent) or doctors (22 percent), a not-insignificant amount — 14 percent — say they get that intel from TV and movies.
And what we observe in pop culture can even affect our health. "There is increasing recognition that menopausal experiences are partly determined by cultural messages about menopause, including stereotypes associated with gender roles and aging," the report states. "Women internalize cultural messages about aging, forming cognitive representations of menopause that then shape how they interpret their own experiences." Research shows that women’s perceptions of menopause symptoms impact their specific health outcomes (e.g., susceptibility to depression, reported severity of symptoms, or feelings of shame) and influence whether women seek medical treatment for menopause-related concerns, according to the report. Not to mention, a survey of U.S. obstetrics and gynecology residents revealed only one in five received formal training in menopause medicine, so accurate information via entertainment becomes even more valuable.
Ashely Alker, MD, an emergency medicine physician and a medical consultant for TV, calls this "passive public health": "There are studies that prove if they portray inaccurate CPR on TV, for example, viewers are more likely to perform inaccurate CPR," the author of 99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them tells us. "If we have this opportunity to educate a captive audience, especially now in this age of massive misinformation everywhere, we have to take it."
Viewers agree. Overall, 2 in 3 respondents (67 percent) recognize the importance of realistic portrayals of menopause on screen.
"There's still a stereotype that a woman in menopause is a retiree or a widow," Dr. Tang says. "The generation going through perimenopause/menopause now are the Millennials and younger Gen X, and we're in the prime of our lives, relationships, and careers. There are numerous stories that Hollywood can tell about a woman seeking love, career success, fulfillment in parenthood, travel, sex, and other aspects of life, while also navigating the mental and physical changes of natural aging." She adds: "Women in midlife have reached a point in life where we're confident enough in ourselves to maintain boundaries, be a leader, and take no bullshit… That would make for some compelling characters."
