“I’m a little fatter. It’s menopause” These are the words of the German-American supermodel, TV presenter and business woman Heidi Klum. She called out her dad on the podcast with Alex Cooper and confirmed that she marches to the beat of her own drum when it comes to her body.
“I like fun things and I’m still running around the beach with my breasts hanging out and I really don’t care. Do they look like they did before I was born and suck the daylights out of them? They’re different now!”
Physical changes in the life of any woman, regardless of age, can cause problems. However, the emotional pressure that women over 40 face to “maintain their appearance” in the face of menopause definitely takes the cake.
Researchers have linked appearance importance and age-related anxiety with depression among women aged 45-65. Age pressure is associated with pressure to stay thin. Meanwhile, model and TV presenter Heidi Klum has said goodbye to those expectations.
From Bergisch Gladbach to supermodel Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum was born in Bergisch Gladbacha small town near Cologne, Germany, in 1973. Her career began by chance when she voluntarily submitted portfolio photos to a modeling contest held by Petra, a young women’s magazine. Heidi Klum won the competition and signed a contract with Metropolitan, a German modeling agency. She achieved great success in Europe and later moved to the United States where she experienced more modeling success.
In 1998, the modeling world took Klum to its peak, claiming the cover of the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She has acquired many opportunities, including her own shoes, perfumes and jewelry.
While Heidi achieved great success, problems followed. In 2009, British Vogue reported that Wolfgang Jupp stated:
“She’s not a runway model. Heidi Klum is too heavy and too big busted. And she’s always smiling stupidly.”
Radical adoption over the years
Klum’s lifelong practice of radical acceptance and honesty has kept negative commentary from her shadows. This experience is especially necessary when faced with the cultural and biological complexities of menopause. During her appearance at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, the model faced pregnancy rumors. In typical Klum fashion, she opened up about her weight gain in her new docu-series On and Off on the Catwalkwhich ProSieben and Joyn published on February 22.
“A lot of people say she’s too fat or too thin or pregnant, but I’m not pregnant. I’m a little fatter now. It’s my period.”
“Rolling with it”: Klum’s philosophy on aging
When it comes to her menopause journey, Klum’s approach is to lay her cards on the table, not sugar. He said InStyle journal that “Everyone should age the way they want to age, and people should be nicer about it. My kids see how I deal with aging and I don’t really have a problem with it. We all try to look our best. But at the same time, they know I’m not too upset about it. I just deal with it as it happens to me.”
Menopause: Challenging patriarchal narratives
Lisa Moschini PhD said in her book, Menopausal brain:
“However shockingly flawed the doctrine of women’s inferiority may be, it is nothing less than the bedrock of modern science.”
Society largely views menopause through a captive patriarchal lens that makes women less attractive and less mentally healthy. Moschini describes common expressions of menopause throughout Europe, such as “women’s hell” and “sexual death.”
In fact, menopause is a natural and permanent cessation of menstruation, which is caused by a decrease in the function of the ovaries and a lack of estrogen.
Why Klum’s voice matters
Women are taught to fear their hormones and doubt their bodies. That’s why it’s so important that public figures like Heidi Klum speak out against social distancing. Her candid approach to aging and menopause helps foster a culture of understanding, acceptance and care.
What she calls the effects of menopause (“a little fatter”) and refuses to apologize for it, Klum allows other women to do the same.
Read our popular articles on menopause
Menopause, hormones, and meaning: how Dr. Silver is redefining average health
Women and Longevity: The Complete Guide to Navigating Menopause
