To be happy, to accept myself as I am during menopause.

Valerie could move mountains, just with the power of her positivity. Radiant and energetic, she is one of those people who has decided not to let adversity define them. On the contrary, if the trials of life have taught her anything, it's that it is too short to see everything in black and white. At 55, she has embraced menopause as another transformation offered by nature and sees it as an opportunity to reinvent herself, again and again, and to find beauty in the little things that give life its richness. She talks to us about her hair.

Where does your positivity come from?

My philosophy of life is that we decide to be happy, we choose the importance we give to things and not to suffer, to get up and move forward. I have always been a great lover of nature: when you start to look at it, you see beauty everywhere, and its capacity to reinvent itself constantly. That's what inspires me, and puts things in perspective. Oh, I've had my share of tragedies, but I've chosen to pick myself up, and continue to live even more for all those who can't anymore.

Is this what helped you manage menopause well?

Surely! Because what a pain in the ass when you get down to it (laughs). And I'm not even talking about the taboo that it is, even between girlfriends we don't talk about it! I’ve been a hairdresser for years, and none of my clients have ever dared to tell me " I have thinning hair, I think it's linked to my menopause ". While we all experience it! On the contrary, I took it as a fact: that's how it is, how can I deal with it to continue to be happy? It's like with flowers, you know, time takes its toll, but the beauty remains, it changes if we don't take the time to see it differently.

Was the hair loss a significant moment for you?

The change to my hair was important, but it wasn't the only concern! Between the hot flushes, the wrinkles, the weight gain... After a while, you have to face the facts, the photo shoots are over! And it’s not so bad! My hair became more fragile, thinner, I started to lose it more visibly, and to lose density too. So I cut it! Just like that, a long bob... If it’s good for Jane Fonda, it's good for me! After my new haircut, my hairdresser recommended a course of Triphasic to slow down hair falling out and help restore density to my hair. That, Jane doesn't have! I do this twice a year and I put all my girlfriends onto it!

Has this transition to menopause changed your relationship with beauty?

Not necessarily, it's more of an expression of my life philosophy. The important thing is not to want to remain fixed in a canon, as with flowers at the height of their bloom. The important thing is the energy that you give off. There is a tenderness in loving change, in welcoming it, in embracing it and turning it into something positive. And it's contagious! Age is not a burden! We have so many reasons to be sad or worried, we must focus on finding the beautiful around us every day.