Menopause has long been treated like something women are supposed to quietly endure — but Halle Berry is helping change the conversation.
The Academy Award-winning actor, director, producer and entrepreneur took the stage at the Create & Cultivate Festival in Downtown Los Angeles on Sunday (September 20), where she got candid about navigating women’s health, advocating for yourself and embracing the confidence that comes with getting older.
“Menopause is not a bad thing when you know what to do,” Berry told the audience, emphasizing the importance of having access to accurate information, science-backed solutions and the confidence to ask questions about your own body.
The comment comes as Berry continues to use her platform to encourage women to be more vocal about their health and advocate for the care they need. Reflecting on her own journey, she shared, “I never felt more powerful than when I advocated for myself.”
For Berry, that advocacy also goes hand in hand with a larger shift in how she views aging. She described her current stage of life as her “zero fucks to give chapter,” while also speaking about the confidence she has gained over the years.
“Choosing to love yourself is the greatest gift,” she said, adding that “confidence grows” with age.
The 60-year-old also spoke about her work with women’s intimate wellness company Joylux, where she has been involved in developing products focused on women’s health and intimate wellness.
According to Berry, her approach to the partnership began with a simple question: “What can we create in this space to solve this problem?”
The collaboration reflects Berry’s broader interest in addressing areas of women’s health that have historically received less attention, with Joylux focusing on intimate wellness concerns including dryness and control through devices, science-based products, educational resources and its digital app.
Berry specifically pointed to Joylux’s red-light technology as part of its approach to developing products designed around women’s needs.
“We put women’s true needs first,” Berry said. “I want to create products that we can be proud to display and that empower us.”
Rather than focusing on releasing a large number of products, Berry said she wants to take a more intentional approach to developing solutions that can genuinely benefit women and that she feels confident standing behind.
“This is what I do because I love myself and women,” she said.
Berry’s appearance at Create & Cultivate comes as conversations around menopause and women’s health continue to become more visible in mainstream culture. For the actress, the goal is to encourage women to become more informed about their bodies and more comfortable speaking up about their health needs.
