A problem that we still (too) little talk about…
Adolescence separates childhood from adulthood. From a medical point of view, it translates into a phase of physical transformation, driven by hormones, called “puberty”. This phase of life varies from one individual to another, but in girls, it usually occurs between the ages of 10 and 15. Only in recent years, the twenties can also be that of a “second puberty”. According to an Australian study published in 2018, the transition between childhood and adulthood is becoming longer and longer, lasting from 10 to 24 years. Many women recognize themselves in this phenomenon, such as Marie, 27.
Puberty is considered to begin when the part of the brain known as the hypothalamus begins to release a hormone that activates the body’s pituitary and genital glands. Around the age of 10-11, girls may experience pubic hair, breast development, and an increase in growth. “For my part, my first puberty was quite late”Marie explains to us. “When I got to the 6th grade, I was a normal height, neither tall nor short, and I had no shape. My body was still that of a child.” Slight transformations then appear in the young woman. “Around 5th grade, I had a growth spurt. I grew taller than most of my other female classmates, without gaining any shape. I felt like a cotton swab.”
“My skin changed, that was the most violent”
This first puberty continued to evolve discreetly throughout the rest of Marie’s schooling. “A small chest developed, but even by the end of high school, I still felt like I had ‘young girl’ breasts.”she explains to us. “My menstrual cycle was also a bit of a mystery to me. I had a period once in 7th grade, then nothing until 9th grade. When I got to college, I still didn’t have a regular cycle and could only get my period 2-3 times a year.” Told that it could take years for her menstrual cycle to regulate itself, the young woman didn’t worry. Then, around the age of 23, new changes appeared.
At the second puberty, hips may widen, acne may appear and mood swings can make life difficult. “I didn’t notice it right away. But by the end of my final year of my degree, I felt that my menstrual cycle was causing me many more symptoms. Pains that were previously unknown to me began to make me suffer.” This is also the period when Marie experienced an upheaval in her skin. “This was the most violent change for me. I had had spots as a teenager, but never to this extent. I felt unrecognizable, and my face was very painful. I was completely helpless. Even today at 27, I am still treating the remains of this acne.”
While she believes she owes her acne to poor hygiene during her student life, the changes became evident when Marie’s clothes became too tight. “At 23 I could still dress in the teenage department, I was even still able to put on some clothes from my colleague! Then I saw my hips and thighs develop over the months. My first stretch marks appeared and my breasts gained a cup size.”
“What’s happening to me? I feel like a teenager!”
Upset by these changes, the young woman did some research on the internet and discovered the term “second puberty”. “It’s really funny because I was like, ‘What’s happening to me? I feel like a teenager!’ When I found out about the term, I just thought, ‘I’m going to embrace these changes, and be kind to my body.'”
Today, Marie’s second puberty seems to have stabilized. The young woman is acclimating to this new body, and says she likes it more and more every day. “It’s strange, even if this change was violent, when people told me as a teenager: “You’re lucky to be so thin”, I always replied “I won’t always have this body”, as if I had always known.” This experience also allowed Marie to question her relationship with femininity and beauty criteria. “Of my two bodies, the most valued and complimented was a woman’s body stuck in adolescence. This observation bothers me a lot. Today I finally feel like a woman.”
