Hard Truths and Soft Edges
Margo Reynolds
September is PCOS Awareness Month, and here at QENDO we’re sharing stories and resources from those living with PCOS. PCOS effects an estimated 1 in 10. Much like endometriosis, if you know ten people, you know PCOS. In this blog we meet Margo Reynolds, a talented artist and “cyster”, and the woman behind Soft Edges. Margo writes eloquently about living with PCOS and through her art and Instagram raises awareness about PCOS as one of the many conditions silenced for too long.
I am a girl with a passion for drawing titties and bums and who also happens to have PCOS, alongside over 116 million women worldwide. Soft Edges is a platform for me to connect with and give back to the universal sisterhood whilst continuing my own PCOS mission to reclaim my body and true sense of self.
It’s hard to admit the loss of a certain sense of femininity and self that comes from not having a period. Contraception is often praised for eliminating the biological monthly bleed, and admittedly I too used to feel grateful for being without the blood, the extra costs and the pain. That is, until I went off the pill and realised that the supposed ‘relief’ of having only 5 cycles in 2 years had actually caused an unexplainable disconnect and discontentment in my mind and body. Suffering from PCOS is often a battle fought in secret, booking time out of your busy ‘modern woman’ schedule to visit expensive and unsubsidised women’s health professionals: acupuncturists, Ayurvedic practitioners, naturopaths, the list goes on. The PCOS diagnosis seemed to be short term: a hormonal sh*t show. But long term: infertility, diabetes, cancer. I’ve found it to be yet another women’s reproductive health issue hidden under lock & key by mainstream society to be ‘managed’ independently by its sufferers.
Upon being diagnosed with PCOS, I experienced several months of what I now call the ‘woe is me’ funk. Only after reaching out to those with PCOS in my immediate circles was I able to begin to grasp the true scale of this syndrome. From little things, big things grow: conversations, DMs and inspirational Instagram accounts inspired me to start living my experience unapologetically, enabling me to pave my path to effective treatment and management. My experience with PCOS has shown me how the systematic oppression of women’s reproductive education and justice has failed so many people: from those who are diagnosed, to young women who are at a loss in their bodies, and to the general public whose ignorance continues to reinforce the silence.
In my awakening, I have started a small venture: Soft Edges (Instagram: @soft.edgess) as a way to share my love of drawing the female form, whilst raising awareness for women’s very real, very prevalent and very underrepresented reproductive health issues in Australia. I have chosen two not-for-profit organisations, one of which is QENDO, to donate a portion of the payments from the commissioned artworks. Each donation will assist the organisations to continue to supply quality programs and services that support thousands of Australian women each year.
My hope is to aid in the destigmatisation of PCOS and other reproductive health issues that are often conveniently left out of the conversation. We are not isolated in this experience and I want my art to be a powerful reminder of the strength and beauty we possess despite our hormonal circumstances.
*If you are interested in learning more, please feel free to search Instagram @soft.edgess where you can also DM me or commission a customised drawing for yourself and aid in these great causes.
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