Know The Difference

This artwork, a bold stop-sign form and Venus symbol declare a simple demand: stop weaponising menopause. While hormonal change can bring mood shifts, sleep disruption, and heightened sensitivity, it is not a licence for others to dismiss, belittle, or blame.

Menopause is a natural biological transition, but it can intersect with trauma, mental health, and long-held stress. For women carrying memories of abuse or domestic violence, hormonal fluctuations may intensify emotional responses, yet these reactions are grounded in lived experience—not a flaw to be mocked or a problem to “fix.” Reducing complex histories to “just hormones” erases the impact of violence and deflects accountability in relationships.

This piece asks viewers to recognise the difference between biology and blame, between natural change and toxic dynamics. It challenges the familiar pattern where those who seek to undermine or control project responsibility onto women, refusing emotional labour while invalidating genuine feelings.

Know The Difference is a call for respect and nuanced understanding: to see menopause not as a punchline or excuse, but as one part of a woman’s layered story—a time that deserves empathy, shared responsibility, and truth.

MEDIUM
Mixed media

DIMENSIONS
56cm h x 33cm w variable