Halle Berry is ‘smack dab in the middle of menopause’ and it has her rethinking everything

Halle Berry says she feels more powerful than ever as she goes through menopause.

The Oscar winner, 56, opened up about embracing the aging process and in a recent essay for Women’s Health.

“The most important thing about owning your sexuality as a woman is accepting the station you’re at—and embracing that. And I say that because I’m smack dab in the middle of menopause,” she wrote.

She added that she is challenging “everything” she thought she knew about menopause.

“Things like: ‘Your life is over.’ ‘You are disposable.’ ‘Society no longer has a place for you.’ ‘You should retire.’ ‘You should pack it up,’” she wrote.

“I’m challenging all those stereotypes about how you have to look a certain way or feel a certain way,” she continued. “I’m my best self now that I reached 56 years old. I have the most to offer. I have zero blanks to give anymore. I’m solidly in my womanhood. I finally realize what I have to say.”

Here’s what else Berry has said about health, body positivity and embracing yourself in every stage of life.

Halle Berry knows ‘beauty is deeper than the physical body’

Berry opened up about the aging process in an interview with AARP in 2022.

“We’re all going to get older. Our skin is going to shrivel up and we’re going to look different,” she said. “I see things changing with my face and body, but I’ve never put all my eggs in that basket. I’ve always known that beauty is deeper than the physical body you’re walking around in.

She added that instead of trying to “hold onto a youthful face,” what’s most important is how you live your life, form meaningful connections and give back to others.

“Women are told that when we reach a certain number, we’re no longer valuable. I believe the opposite. Society should look at us as jewels as we get older,” she said. “Because the older women get, the more formidable we are.”

Halle Berry on doing what she wants to do

Earlier this year, Berry shared a photo on Instagram of herself drinking wine while standing nude on a balcony.

“I do what i wanna do. happy Saturday,” she captioned the post.

Her bold photo drew plenty of praise in the comments, with Kelly Rowland writing, “YES!!!!” and author Maria Emmerich commenting, “Well behaved women never made history.”

While Berry’s unapologetic celebration of her body inspired plenty of positive feedback, some commenters criticized her for sharing the photo.

“Imagine being in your 50s, still posting nudes for attention in menopause when you should be chilling with the grandkids,” one person commented on the photo on both Instagram and Twitter. “Aging with dignity is no longer a thing.”

To this, Berry replied in a since-deleted tweet, “Did you guys know the heart of a shrimp is located in its head?”

Halle Berry believes on owning ‘wherever you are’

In her recent essay for Women’s Health, Berry advised women to embrace the life stage they are currently in, and to resist societal pressures to reach milestones by a certain age.

“If you’re in your 20s, own that. Own the era of exploration. Earn the era of real curiosity," she wrote. "Earn the era of trying to figure out who you are. Take your time and figure yourself out. You don’t have to be rushed, you don’t have to be forced.

“If you’re in your mid-30s, don’t be bogged down by the idea that you have to have children by a certain age,” she continued. “You decide.”

Halle Berry on embracing her natural beauty

Berry celebrated her beauty in an Instagram post for her 56th birthday. The actor shared a sultry pic of herself wearing a black, lacy top and rocking gray curls.

“feeling so much gratitude and love on this birthday! WOW!” she wrote in the caption.

“Beautiful love the silver strands on you!!!” one person wrote in the comments.

“You get more beautiful with age,” another fan wrote.

She also exuded confidence in a mirror selfie earlier this year.

“Mirrors … the most honest friend out there. 🤍,” she captioned one photo of herself sporting wet hair and lingerie.

“Aunt Halle ❤️ you age like fine wine 🍷 😍,” one fans wrote in the comments.

Berry celebrated her natural beauty in another bathroom mirror selfie on Instagram in March 2023.

“Hump day self love,” she wrote in the caption.

How Halle Berry's approach to fitness has changed since her 20s

When she was 53, Berry penned an essay in Women’s Health about how her approach to fitness had shifted over the decades.

In her 20s and 30s, she said, she “mostly worked out in order to look a certain way.”

“I was young and appearance was a big part of my early acting career,” she explained.

Now, however, Berry says her workouts have become a form of self-care.

“I began to focus on feeling fit more than looking fit,” she said.

She added that when she became a mother, she “wanted to be strong and healthy” for her kids: daughter Nahla, 15, and son Maceo-Robert, 9.

“I wanted to be around for them for as long as possible,” she said. “I wanted to be able to carry them out of a burning house if I needed to.”

Halle Berry on welcoming aging ‘with open arms’

When she turned 50 in 2016, Berry said she was fully embracing her milestone birthday.

“With open arms I welcome 50... I’m so blessed to be here!” she captioned an Instagram photo of herself sporting a sheer lace shawl.

She shared more about her attitude toward turning 50 in an interview with USA Today.

“(For the last year), people have said to me, ‘You’re turning 50. Oh, God. How does that make you feel?’” Berry said. “Well, I feel great. I’ve never been defined by a number or my age. And I’ve never felt better.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com