Laura

A hand-signed black and white portrait from The Menopause Effect: An Appalachian Unmasking, Anna Mullins' ongoing series photographing women across Appalachia as they move through one of life's biggest changes. Each portrait is shown alongside the woman's own words.

I have thought a lot about menopause. I see so many women struggle with the sorrow of what it means....aging...not having babies. My hormones were messed up my whole life. Getting pregnant once was a miracle. That particular joy of womanhood evaded me.

For me it's not missing that season of life. That season of life kicked me in the teeth. It's not some maudlin feeling of getting or looking older. I don't care to say, nor have I ever been shy about saying, I get Botox and Fillers. I take excellent care of my skin. I drink my water. We all get old (hopefully). The key, for me, is getting wiser. Feeling wiser makes me deeply, internally happy. It took almost 50 years to learn how to respect my own priorities and learn to set boundaries. I feel so much better about myself than I did even ten years ago. I prioritize quality, not quantity, when it comes to people I allow in my life. If I have just a handful of people who bring me joy, those are my people. I don't need a truckload who brings me joy here and there, when it's convenient. I need my handful who make me happy continuously by just being there for me.

Laura Deel Stanley

• Title: Laura
• Artist: Anna Mullins
• Series: The Menopause Effect: An Appalachian Unmasking
• Medium: Black and white photograph, hand-signed
• Print size: 11 x 14 in.
• Framed size: 16.5 x 19.5 in.
• Framing: Black wood frame under glass, acid-free black core mat, acid-free foam core backboard. Ready to hang.
• Ships from: Formato Fine Arts, Wytheville, VA (available for gallery pickup)

About the artist: Anna Mullins is a photographer documenting women in perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause across Appalachia. Her ongoing project, The Menopause Effect, is powered by Patchwork Kinfolx and is, in her words, judgment free, gender affirming, and Appalachian rooted.