This one feels vulnerable to admit....
In my late 30s I noticed a low level anger sitting under everything. Not rage. Just irritation. Less patience. Less tolerance for nonsense. I started snapping at small things and then feeling guilty straight after.
At first I thought something was wrong with me.
But the more women I speak to the more I hear the same thing. Late 30s is when a lot of us wake up. We start questioning roles we accepted without choosing. We notice how much we give and how little space we take. Hormones shift. Energy shifts. Priorities change.
This is often pre menopause starting quietly in the background. No one prepares us for the emotional side of it. The grief. The frustration. The feeling of I have done everything right so why do I still feel unseen.
I see this anger soften the moment a woman steps in front of my camera and realises
"oh, I still matter..." (Oh, yes you do!)
Being photographed in this season is powerful. Not because it makes you look younger. But because it reminds you that your worth is not tied to being easy going or endlessly accommodating.
You are allowed to take up space. Even now. Especially now.
