The invincible earworm

And why I've been singing my way through International Women's Day

I’ve got an earworm which sounds both disgustingly creepy and so precisely descriptive.  A tune that burrows deep into the brain. Often springing from nowhere, it gets stuck on repeat.  But weirdly this time, far from being a niggling irritant, it’s actually making me feel strangely powerful.  Invincible almost.

The clue to my words is in her song

It started yesterday, as I listened to a panel marking International Women’s Day.  The discussion was led and moderated by Eleanor Mills, former Editorial Director of The Sunday Times and founder of Noon.  

Noon, in case you haven’t heard of it, is two years old today and is a platform for women in midlife or ‘Queenagers’ as Eleanor calls us. Far from being a bunch of has-been old hags, we’re entering a ‘second spring’ which is an age of opportunity and it’s a weirdly, brilliantly empowering time.   (I’ve actually written about this before on my Medium page)

Last night’s discussion was entitled The Rise of The Queenager: why midlife women are a force to be reckoned with and especially why brands can’t afford to ignore us. Yet they do. All the time.

“Women between 45-60 control 95% of all household spending decisions, outspending millennials by 250%. They are starting businesses at a faster rate than any other demographic and are more likely to succeed when they do. Despite this, these women have oftentimes shared the feeling of being invisible to brands - appearing in less than five per cent of all advertising.”

Being an invisible ‘woman of a certain age’ myself it’s obviously a topic that gets a big old YES from me. So I signed up to listen online and it was when Eleanor talked about us being “forged in fire” that the earworm struck. 

She was referring the point in life where we hit that “mid-life clusterfuck” of death, divorce, teens, ailing parents, menopause and the rest and, far from defeating us, it actually makes us stronger.  And wiser.

And that was it. The earworm went full volume with ‘I am woman’

Yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I've gained
If I have to, I can do anything

I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

Helen Reddy's hit song "I am woman"

Unlike my singing, which is a shocker, it had a sweet resonance because I’ve been there, done all that and got all the tear-stained t-shirts.

I’ve long said this period of life makes us the ‘shit-sandwich generation’ Just when our kids are out of nappies, our parents are going back into them. And it’s hell.

But …

You can bend but never break me
'Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

Yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I've gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

The worm was in full voice and I was uplifted.  Empowered.  And this morning, International Women’s Day, I was singing even louder. Sorry neighbours.

And it took me hurtling back decades, right back to school when I first heard the song and we used to dance behind a curtain in the gym.

I wasn’t strong. I wasn’t invincible. And I wasn’t yet a woman, but boy did it feel great to imagine being all three. Although there was no trendy tank top like Helen Reddy, you can see I was trying my hardest to look cool in my trusty cheesecloth shirt tied at the waist. Peace and love.

Helen and me

So that’s it. That’s why I’ve been singing for 24 hours and singing for all the absolutely wonderful women I’ve had and got in my life. I bloody love you all.

Sue xx