Instagram/@thejeanniemai
Jeannie Mai has been keeping it real about this weird perimenopausal ride-and while the mention of Europe here grounds her statement against the storm of hormones stirring in her, it also makes the moment about living. The celeb took to Instagram to share her story with Maire and thus set into motion a conversation that lies in between many women but is seldom discussed.
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“Perimenopause has been trying to humble me lately,” Mai said, “but in Europe? She gave me a break.” Mai described these hormonal changes as if they were a shuffle of a “moody group chat” that starts up inside your body without your permission. “If lately you’ve just been feeling off but can’t really put your finger on it-girl, it’s your hormones,” Mai encouraged others to say their stories.
It was quick and very relatable. Fellow women came out about their experiences, from rhythmic mood swings as easy as a flip of a switch to the weird one, just realized that food in Europe doesn’t do them any harm, whereas, back home, it’s a nightmare. “I can easily laugh and cry at the same time, ugh!” confessed one user, whereas another said, “The way I’m obsessed with this topic… Because it humbles me every single day.”
The real kicker came when several women stated that, whereas their bodies reacted one way to European fair, their bodies reacted irregularly to American. “Spent 10 days in Europe last month and ate all the breads and wine and pasta… came back 7lbs lighter,” one declared. Another said, “Lived in London for a year. Ate bread and pasta almost daily… Never had a problem! Moved back to the states and I’ve been fighting for my life ever since!”
At that point, the conversation spiraled into views on food quality in the U.S. versus Europe. “It has everything to do with the chemicals and additives we put in our food in the states,” one person wrote. Another chimed in, “We don’t talk about our ultra processed, ultra unnatural, food supply enough.”
Even celebrities started jumping on the bandwagon. Adrienne Bailon was dead set on welcoming Mai into the club, while Tamer Mowry expressed, “In it with you friend 😍 We got this.”
Mai’s post not only reached out to people; it opened the playbook on “perimenopause” and food quality, as well as the non-existence of awareness surrounding early hormonal change. One person commented, “Let’s talk about how you can start earlier than people know and the western medical system does not recognize this!”
This was previously something generally brushed aside but Mai put it into the limelight, freeing people a bit to vent, laugh, and rage, maybe even together, on the roller coaster of perimenopause. From this whole mess, if anything sticks, perhaps it should be that booking that jet-setter escape to Europe would be a good idea-for pasta, wine, and some much-needed hormonal relief.
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The conversation is a classic testimony of how sometimes all one needs is a lick of light on the topic. That’s even double worth going on a girl trip to Italy!