In this episode, you will learn 10 FACTS about Maryann , what age she would like to go back to and what advice she would give herself at that age! We also talk about the main causes of body image issues, how they come up and how she overcomes them. And we discuss what aging means to her and to her body.
You can READ the interview transcript HERE
10 Facts About Maryann
(at the time of the project)
1. 52 years old.
2. Maryann was born in the Philippines.
3. She came to Australia 30 years ago in 1992.
4. Maryann is a cancer patient in remission.
5. Maryann has 4 children, the oldest son just celebrated his 30th birthday.
6. In 2016 Maryann has been married for 24 years when her then-husband told her that he’s fallen out of love with her.
7. Maryann found another man and remarried.
8. She moved from Sydney to Callala Bay on the South Coast.
9. Maryann loves crocheting and making dresses and other things.
10. Maryann opened and runs a variety shop where she also sells her own crochet work in-store and online. Her website address is https://www.dollarzvalue.com.au
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
(auto-generated)
Hi, you're listening to the My Body, My Story podcast.
I think it's acceptance of the changes that's happening in your body. You have to accept that no matter what you do like my, for my example, I do exercise in everything, and nothing changes.
This is the 45 over 45 chapter where we celebrate Rule Breakers and role models, the women who inspire us to live life our way and to show their sensuality beauty, soul, and true essence. Here we talk about what it's like to be 45 Plus, adjusting to the changes that come with time, and we listened to the stories about participants. If you have an interesting story, we'd love for you to participate. You can email us at info@aleksandrawalker.com That's Aleksandra spelt with a K S. Or visit our website aleksandrawalker.com
Hi, everyone, and welcome to my body my story projects, and today with us in the studio Maryann and while she's sitting in the makeup chair and Chitra is doing makeup for her. I'll be asking her a few questions. Hi, Maryann.
Hello,
How are you?
Good. Thank you.
Welcome to the project. Thank you. Tell us 10 facts about yourself?
Well, I'm 52 years old. I just became a grandmother, which is exciting. I have four kids. I've been married for 24 years. In 2016. My husband of 24 years told me he's fallen out of love for me. So three attempted suicides after that. I get to think that life is worth living. I found another man. After that. It's just one story after another I was diagnosed with cancer. I'm now in remission. I love crocheting in my spare time. And I make dresses. I sell them in Facebook in my website sometimes
oh what is your website?
So if someone wants https://www.dollarzvalue.com.au And in the handmade section over there, you will see some like I crochet bin bra that girls wear to festivals, bags, in dresses, mostly I don't know how to make toys, crocheted toys. That's one thing I don't know. What else do you want, like area for your development? It seems like it because since my kids were little I've been working in an office environment. But when I met this new man in my life, I have to go down South Regional. And this no jobs available there for me. And what I did, I opened a variety shop. So I have at the moment for years been running this variety shop in Callala Bay in the South Coast. And in my spare time when it's not very busy. That's what I do I crochet.
Were you born in Australia?
I was born in the Philippines. I came here in 1992 have any pregnant with my first son
So you are local now?
Yes, I am now. Yeah, yeah, it's like I am almost 30 years. Yes, I actually 30 years because my son just celebrated his 30th birthday. Last month, October.
So let's move to questions related to ageing and to my body, My Story project. So what does ageing means to you?
I think ageing is ageing is something that we cannot avoid. Everyone has to go through it. I suppose it's it's how we perceive or accept the changes that's happening in our life. Sometimes it's hard. Like right now they're hormonal changes are happening, and it's affecting how we look. We get all we get sick. It's hard to get up. But then again, on the positive side of it. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm a grandmother now. And it's just so joyful to play with my grandson and looking for ways to have more grandkids
and that's completely different from having your children.
That's true there that will spoil more to every do everything for him.
So if you could go back in time, to any age, what would it be and why?
Oh, I probably would say in my 20s or sorry. I changed that in my mid 30s in my mid 30s I started drinking alcohol and smoking. And I would have said to myself, you know look after your health look after your butt Buddy, I could have like, started all over again and say, This is how we're going to do. Or healthy. Yeah. All over again. But yeah.
So you would go to your mid 30s For the reason that you would want to advise your then year old self and say, Please change that?
That's right. In that go through that. It was just so unfortunate that I started later in my life.
Yeah, but still 30 mid 30s is still not that late.
I think it's the effect of lifestyle. Yeah, stress work and everything.
Yeah. So that would be your advice, start looking after yourself. And if your body could talk, what do you think it would ask you? Or tell you?
Oh, that's funny. I think that if my body could talk, I think that my menopausal belly might tell me to do more exercises to flat in it. Because for whatever reason, all the fats just go into my stomach. Nowhere else in my body, but through my stomach. But yeah, I think it would tell me to, to do more exercise. And yeah, take care of Take care. Take care. Take care of you getting old now. Yeah.
So, um, what do you think are the main causes of body image issues?
main causes of body image issues, I would think not just for the over 45 Because I've experienced when I was younger, that it's peer pressure. When you see someone skinny and athletic, and you'd wish you'd be like them. And it does affect your self confidence. Growing although growing old, I've tried as much as I can to flatten my stomach, like I said, and so it's just this strange, perhaps just coming my legs, my thighs, my stomach, my arms? It does. It's kind of affecting. Yeah. That's why when I saw the project, I was like, I want to see myself at this age. Exactly how I look like now. Because you never know as I grow older later on, maybe in five years time, I might get back to being athletic again, or I don't know. I'm already. But yeah, I want it to be just me.
Yeah, we tend to criticize ourself in any age, I bet that even in five or 10 years, we will find something to criticize him. So But even we feel sometimes those insecurities. So how do you overcome this body related insecurities? So what's your go to? When you've looked in the mirror and say, Oh, I don't I don't see what I don't like what I see. So how you overcome that how you go back to positive?
I think it's acceptance of the changes that's happening in your body, you have to accept that no matter what you do, like in my for my example. I do exercise and everything, nothing changes. I look at my face in the mirror and I see some wrinkles. I tried to you know, use proper skincare to look young. I think just positive thinking. Because I mean, you can't sort of see yourself in the mirror and go like Oh my gosh, I look so ugly. I look so old. Which we do sometimes I do but then I grew up hey, you know what? Yes, another day. I'm going to go out there put my lipstick on.
And you know, it’s interesting that human body changes all the time. Either you are young or you are elderly, it has changes, and you can look one day perfectly well and next day, not that good. And then next day again Great. So I think you're right saying that accepting, learning to accept, of course taking basic care of yourself is important, and also learning to accept: Okay. Today it is what it is and I'll try my best, but I will not punish myself for that's right force of nature.
Yeah, that's correct.
So how do you think negative body image effects relationships? Do you think that if a person has this negative body image of herself, it can cause problems in the relationship with partners with children with friends?
From experience, and seeing friends that I know, I think it's more to the person herself. If she's thinking that, Oh, I'm fat, I'm ugly. And I don't look good for my partner. Because sometimes what happens when I complain, things like that my husband, who is my current husband now would say you're beautiful. So I don't think it affects the relationship. It's just how the person feeling. It's what's causing the problem in the relationship. If you have a very supportive husband, who will say, you know, you're beautiful. That's great. But if you have someone who say, Oh, yeah, you're ugly, go to the hairdresser, and have your hair done or something like that. I think that there will still be negativity, I think in a relationship, it will affect it. But it won't be only from coming from your that's why. It's, it's how you work it up. Yeah.
So you believe that you believe that if a person your partner loves you, it doesn't mean how.
I mean, like I told you, I live here, I work in the city. And then I moved down south and over there, I don't care what I look, look what I'm wearing. Never. Actually nobody sees. I have to tell by fashion. Like I said, My husband always admire me and always say I'm beautiful. And yeah, it's totally it's I think it's the environment where you live in lifestyle friends that you mingle about, even friends could could make you feel very bad about yourself. Oh, good. Yeah.
Do you have ways to bring yourself into the body shape you want? And if so, how have you changed with age, for example, if you see, you're not happy with your body shape. And you know, that's my go to I'll do this 123. And it goes back. And was it the same when you were younger?
When I was younger, I'm very conscious, I was really, very, was smaller size than what I am now. And I do have goals, pilates, I never go to the gym, I find gym to be a waste of money for me. But I do exercise, push push up. That's when I was younger, I was doing more exercises. And as I grow older, I find that the exercises don't help much. So I tried tablets, all those shakes that they were making, but just doesn't do any good to me. And when I got sick, I had cancer and the medication that I'm taking is affecting my hormone imbalance in that's when my menopausal bellies just gotten even bigger. I sort of given up because thinking that, you know, I'm still on cancer blocking tablet, which is affecting it. I don't work as much as I should do. But when I have the motivation, I still go there and go for a walk and do exercises to keep it healthy. That's right. But otherwise, it's I'm not working as hard as I used to when I was younger. It's like, now it's just, you know, I'm, I'm well I'm 50 now I'm over 50
Do you understand that right that in the younger age, you are more concentrated on the look of your body. And now when the health issue comes and your ageing comes you more concentrated on keeping your body healthy.
Yeah, that's right. So now I've never taken multivitamins before. I'm taking them every day now since I got sick.
how long you've been in? Are you in remission?
Yes, sotwo years ago, I had the cancer. I had chemotherapy when radiation, they removed the lamp. And I'm still on it. I'm in remission now. Everything's clear. I just went to my second year checkup. However, they mentioned that my my cells are very so susceptible to attracting cancer cells. And it's got to do with my hormones. So I'm in this tablets for another three years, every day.
Okay, let's hope that everything works well and the health your health will improve. We'll be on the stable good level.
This is the main thing is this normal traces of cancer and the mammogram showed all clear.
Yeah, so in my last question, I love it. If you have any favorite saying or thought or what about being a woman? Oh, maybe what do you think about being a woman?
What about being a woman I think being a woman. We are superstars. Anything only because I'm a mother. So, I sort of went like that we're superstars. We tackle everything. Yeah. We are the Mother Earth.
Thank you Maryann, thank you very much for such a great podcast interview. I hope you will enjoy the rest of the day and your photo shoot. And welcome to the projects again.
Thanks, Aleksandra
If you have an interesting story, we'd love for you to participate. You can email us at info@aleksandrawalker.com That's Aleksandra spelt with a K S. Or visit our website aleksandrawalker.com
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This is the 45 over 45 chapter of MY BODY MY STORY podcast, where we celebrate rule breakers and role models - the women who inspire us to live life our way and to show their SENSUALITY, BEAUTY, SOUL, and TRUE ESSENCE.
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