Long relegated to the private sphere, Menopause is now the focus of unprecedented attention both in the media and commercially with a market value of 535 billion euros ($600 billion). The amount of books, podcasts, documentaries, digital applications, food supplements and coaching programs is multiplying to support women in this stage of life. What was once a taboo subject has become a booming economic sector.
This evolution constitutes an important step forward: people are talking more about menopause, it is better understood and is gradually being recognised as a public health issue. But this visibility is also accompanied by bold marketing. As the topic enters the public arena, it also becomes a niche market opportunity.
This transformation raises a question at the heart of the analysis in All Change! Marketing and Consuming the Menopause Transition: does it genuinely meet women’s needs, or does it help create a new market built on their concerns, symptoms and desire for wellbeing?
Commercialisation that shapes perceptions of menopause
The book conceptualises the emergence of menopause as a consumer market in its own right. This niche market is characterised by growing “climacteric market awareness” and by the gradual transformation of menopause into a space for commercial gain, bodily intervention and self-optimisation. (Note of the editor: The philosopher Gloria Origgi explains that “climacteric” may derive from the Greek word “klimax”, meaning...