Naomi Watts wants women to "not fear and dread menopause"

The movie star told People: "Our minds, our experience, our sense of self, all of these things cumulatively add up to a bolder, wiser version of yourself, which makes you hotter than ever.

"And there's a play on words of course, because yes, we are fanning ourselves as we go into hot flashes. But it's also a time we should feel good about ourselves, hold our heads high and not fear and dread menopause like we have been taught by society and previous generations."

Despite this, Naomi admits that her outlook hasn't always been so optimistic.

The actress said: "I went into menopause or perimenopause super early and felt a lot of shame and no real sense of ways to communicate, not with my friends, my mother or even doctors.

"Women in this stage - perimenopause and beyond - have often felt left out. When our hormones stop functioning the way they used to, it's like we become redundant, expected to disappear. There's just a whole lot of negative messaging, which feels so out of date now. And as we know, we're more than our fertility. We are not invisible."

Earlier this year, Naomi claimed that embracing ageing has actually helped her to become more successful in Hollywood.

The film star told Good Housekeeping magazine: "I think the longer the life, the deeper it gets, and the roles tend to reflect that in terms of storytelling and playing all these dynamic women.

"We've been through a multitude of experiences by now, so stories will reflect that."

On the other hand, Naomi observed that women of a certain age are often portrayed in an unflattering way on screen.

She said: "The archetypes that are out there on the screen and in storytelling, it's always these cranky, scary ladies. And while I'm all for the humour of that, there are other great things as well.

"I'm really proud of the advocacy work that I've been doing and learning all about it so perhaps that can be reflected in the stories."