Kiss goodbye to old narratives
My beautiful Fauxyladies! It has been one of the most epic summers to date for me. My husband, daughter and son did a month travelling Europe together: Switzerland, Italy, the UK and France. It was truly an incredible experience.
I learned a great deal about myself, my relationship with my husband, and my kids. I had this picture in my head of writing on the trains, leisurely hiking in the alps, and sipping wines on the patio. However, as they say – best laid plans. I quickly threw away many of these expectations and leaned in to just rolling with it – which made it so much easier to enjoy. In actuality it looked more like checking schedules for museums, trains, and metros; checking in and unpacking, then packing up and checking out; rushing to meet friends and family; and trying to choose what’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner with four different ideas. PHEW – what a ride…yet while it was stressful, it was magical too.
….and just like that the month of July was over.
“Love” was in the air in August, which allowed me to dust off my florist skills by doing arrangements, wedding bouquets and engagement arbours. Friends commemorated wedding anniversaries, birthdays, and celebrations of life, my bestie got married to her Mr. Just Right, my niece and her partner had an engagement party and revealed that they had eloped, and my nephew proposed to his partner of 13 years (with three kids) – she said yes!
August is also my own wedding anniversary (28 years married, 34 years together), and I was able to celebrate with my husband up in Parksville (my happy place). We spent the day out on Rathtrevor beach, relaxing and chatting. It was there that so many things came into focus – one of them being Fauxvember.
I reflected on how it all started for me to ‘drink less’ in November which morphed into a deeper look at causation and then overall women’s health and wellness. Fauxvember also began to evolve as I spoke with each of you about the struggles, pressures, expectations and experiences of being a woman in the world. We talked about being emotionally drained, the effects on our bodies and minds while going through perimenopause and menopause, and how we longed for sustainable physical health. Every woman’s experience was unique, and yet relatable.
Incredible insights from incredible women…so what is Fauxvember now?
Fauxvember is about being you – all of you! It’s about removing the masks we’ve adorned to keep ourselves safe, accepted and loved, and fit what society expects of us. Fauxvember is about real women talking about real issues – its not polished, nor scripted, just real raw issues in real time. While “faux” in French means fake – the only thing that’s fake is the stories society has sold us.
Fauxvember is about stripping away the masks to reveal your truest self and revealing the Fauxylady you have always been!
Stand together with your Fauxyladies. Peel back the masks and harness the beauty of being a woman.
Kiss goodbye to old narratives. Your story. Your lips. Your power.
If you’re interested in joining the Fauxvember movement email msperren@fauxvember.com
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