Gabrielle Union Isn't Letting Menopause Slow Her Down

Gabrielle Union is thriving, so she's not going to let some antiquated Hollywood standards stop her. In fact, the actress is defying them. In a new interview with Allure, Union got candid about going through menopause and the way the male-centric entertainment industry views older women.

“Years ago, I learned a phrase that some misogynistic men use in Hollywood: ‘What is her fuckability quotient?’ So, if you think about the fuckability quotient, being honest about aging and menopause is like taking yourself out before they even notice that maybe you're on deck to be booted into the pasture," she explained. "You’re not going to have the same pay; you’re not going to get the same jobs.”

But Union isn't about to let that be her reality. After all, the businesswoman revealed that she's more successful now than she's ever been. “I was sort of ready for the slowdown and it hasn't happened," she said. "I've actually never had more opportunity. I’ve never worked more. I've never made more money."

“I don't think I've ever been more interesting, to be honest, in my whole life," she continued. "If we lean in instead of leaning out or pretending like this shit's not happening, maybe that is the key. Pardon my language, but I was a bad motherfucker before. And I'm a bad motherfucker now. And I will be a bad motherfucker when I'm postmenopausal.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Union got raw about the difficult side effects that come with the hormonal change, something that's rarely spoken about in general, let alone in Hollywood. “I’d wake up in the morning and it was like someone had poured a gallon of water on the bed," she said. “I once went up 27 pounds [seemingly] overnight.”

“I’ve had anxiety,” she added. “But this was different. I felt terror. And I’ve never had depression before, but I was feeling sad, deeply sad. It’s not necessarily saying you want to die, but when people are like, ‘I just want to disappear.’ And you’re not thinking that’s suicidal. But if those feelings get bigger and you have them longer, they can get away from you. And if you live alone or there's not a steady stream of people around who can clock your changes, it can get dangerous.”