When the delightful Judy Blume published her wonderful book, “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” back in 1970, it provided pre-teen girls with a vital introduction to menstruation – really, the only place they could learn about the scathing, wretched, horrible truth (kidding!) of growing up female. Banned at middle schools in backwater school districts across the country, the book became beloved contraband in the hands of nearly every 11-year-old female for the ensuing decades.
Each of those young ladies undoubtedly shared their copy of the book with their bestie at the time, spreading its helpful (and we can say it now, completely “not icky”) knowledge to one and all.
For this popular and cultural juggernaut to be made into a major motion picture, it only took as long as it does every woman of our species to mature into her hot-flush stage – that is, about 52 years (yes, that was written dripping with sarcasm).
The 2023 popular movie version of “Margaret” stars Rachel McAdams as the mother, Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret, and Kathy Bates as her grandmother – and it deserves the critical praise and appreciation it has received.
But now, Judy, I implore you, isn’t it time you gave us an updated version, something along the lines of… “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Menopause”? Since “Margaret,” we could have used your kind and insightful storytelling to ease us into our older years and the challenges that once again, come with a certain stage of life. Your perspective would be, no doubt, just the talk we need!
So – Judy probably won’t take on my request, but the good news is that within the last couple years, it’s quite possible that those First-Gen Margarets (as I like to think of them – the book’s first readers), took Ms. Blume’s messages and seemingly applied them to another critical time in a woman’s physical transformation. It almost appears as if they decided it was time to dig into the silence around menopause, too. And thank goddess they did! Recently, more information, support, and resources about menopause have made their way to the mainstream than ever in the herstory of womankind!
Now, how does this have meaning for BLOOMates other than the obvious? Well, as you know, BLOOMates is all about staying well into our later years through engagement – blossoming with your bosom besties, as we say! Well, just like in Judy Blume’s original Margaret story, friends help us learn, grow, and get the critical information we need to get the most out of our years. So here on BLOOMates – with you gals as my bosom besties – I’ll share a few of those resources that I have found so helpful (reminder, we may earn a commission from partner links on BLOOMates.com - commissions do not affect our opinions or evaluations).
A menopause blog, podcast, and member board for you to check out:
https://www.menopausegoddessblog.com/
https://www.menopausenaturalsolutions.com/podcast
Great menopause related books listed in this blog post: https://www.bloomates.com/post/welcome-to-bloomates
Great menopause support organizations listed in this blog post:
And you may have your own favorites in any of these categories – please share!! That’s what blossoming with bosom besties is all about!
What do you think - should we start a campaign to get Ms. Bloom to write a new book? Talk with you again soon, BLOOMates!
