Erika Heynatz has lived many lives on and off the stage. Model. Actor. Singer. Storyteller. In this conversation she opens the curtain on two decades shaped by impossible beauty standards and the constant work of being seen. Now, with her one woman cabaret Stupor Model, she holds the mirror up to the industry that created her.

We explore how ageing sharpens self worth, why vulnerability creates a deeper kind of power, and how women can reclaim their desirability on their own terms. Erika speaks candidly about creative reinvention, the pull between visibility and privacy, the joy of performance, and the freedom that comes with embracing menopause rather than fearing it.

This episode is a study in female myth making, the male gaze, and what happens when a woman finally tells her own story.

Key Takeaways

• Erika’s journey shows how deeply the beauty myth shapes identity.
  • Ageing can reveal a richer, more grounded sense of self.
  • Vulnerability is not weakness. It is an artistic and personal strength.
  • Conversations about beauty and self worth must start in our homes.
  • The male gaze influences how many women are taught to see themselves.
  • Female friendships become stronger through shared life stages.
  • Menopause is universal and deserves celebration, not silence.
  • Beauty standards shift with culture, media and technology.
  • The real superpower is a woman’s unique voice, not her perfection.

Chapter Timestamps
00:00 Welcome to Erika Heynatz
02:40 The spark behind Stupor Model
05:10 Desirability and the architecture of the beauty myth
08:05 Ageing in the spotlight and finding a new level of confidence
11:00 Music as honesty and the courage to perform without armour
13:30 Navigating life under the male gaze
16:10 The conversations women have with men about beauty
19:20 Female friendship as grounding force
22:05 Beauty standards and the pressure of social media
24:40 Menopause as a rite of passage
27:20 What Erika would tell her younger self

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/4iTnh5AIfLQ