I was the vicar’s daughter – but now I’m in my 50s I strut my stuff in a bikini, 20-year-olds from the gym chat me up
SHE’S a leader of the self-love revolution and a proud vibrator advocate, who chucks free sex toys out of tour buses across the USA.
Meet Lou Featherstone, a 50-something mum who now poses half-naked for over 80k Instagram fans… despite spending her childhood in a religious household, with her dad being a vicar.
Although life back home was more strict than that of her peers, Lou, one of three siblings, was always the resisting spirit, shortening school skirts and rolling socks down.
”The rule book for my good behaviour was, in fact, very high, and I was very rebellious.
”My poor, poor father. Everybody just expected me to be well-behaved the whole – and I absolutely wasn’t.”
Now Lou, who’s recently come back from a tour in the States, talks menopause, losing her spark – and finding it, and embracing her sexuality after 40s and 50s.
‘Always told to pull my skirt down’
The ”loud” blogger and ”accidental middle-aged influencer” recalls herself being naughty from as early as her school days – and for Lou, fashion was one way of standing up against her parents.
Not only would she be told to pull the ”skirt down”, the then-young pupil would also find herself sitting on ”the naughty table” for answering back, not sitting still and ”refusing” to do as she was told.
”To then sleeping with most of the church choir,” Lou shared in an exclusive chat with Fabulous.
”As a child, I was naughty. I gave him a few sleepless nights”, she joked, adding that her brother grew up to be ”more conservative”.
”As a mum now, I have to say I apologise to my parents very deeply.”
Becoming a mum – and losing herself
Before becoming a mother, Lou had imagined herself with ”dozens” of tots – but her first, and so far only, pregnancy changed her perspective.
”I found motherhood very tricky at the beginning. I did not enjoy pregnancy, childbirth was horrendous for me.
”I spent two years pretending I didn’t have postnatal depression – when really I did.”
For the first few years of being a mum – which she now absolutely loves and adores – Lou’s former husband was away for work ”a lot” and she ”hadn’t really anticipated” doing so much of it by herself.
Suddenly prioritising her role as a mother and a wife ”to support” her former partner, over time Lou realised she ”had lost” her identity.
”I lost my voice and my ability to ask for what I needed, which to me now seems shocking – but it carried on for a long time.
Starting a new chapter in the USA after her ex-husband was offered a new job kept the family ”happy” – but the happiness ”was at the expense” of Lou.
The triggering point – being naked on top of a volcano
When Lou moved to the States, she fell in love with CrossFit and soon formed a local hiking squad after sharing a snap of herself on Facebook.
”I just met so many amazing women and we shared all these incredible adventures together, and I started to get really fit and really confident.”
Then, one day, as she’d reached the top of a volcano, Lou took all of her clothes off and got someone to take a cheeky snap of her fully naked.
Feeling like ”a bada**”, Lou uploaded the snap on social media – and this is the first time she’d received the dreaded ”d**k pic” from a 26-year-old ”gym buddy”.
Although the nude photo was ”unsolicited”, it made the mum feel ”horny for the first time in years”.
”When I met my husband, over the years we just sort of neglected each other – and it was nobody’s fault.
”This d**k pic […] made me realise that I had put away this massive part of myself cause I didn’t want to cause a fuss […] and had this narrative that we had loads of things to be grateful for.”
This, over time, caused ”a nagging discontent” and despite seeking couple’s therapy, it was ultimately the d**k pic brought on the end of the 20-year-long marriage.
Moving into the spare room
Some time around lockdown after COVID-19 had hit, the marriage had fallen apart, and being unable to afford to live in two different properties, Lou moved into the family’s spare room.
It was also when the mum entered the menopause stage of her life – and decided to share her journey online, both to be able to reflect on it later and to be there for others.
”I found the menopause really empowering […] – and lots of it isn’t sexy, but I started to rediscover my sexy again, after years of not much sex in my marriage.”
The growing social media presence and the message was also spotted by a vibrator company, who offered Lou the opportunity to become a sex toy advocate.
And soon she found herself with thousands of fans, knocking on her door, seeking advice, before Lou had written an online course on all things confidence ”and how to give less f**ks”.
Not long after, when her son had left the home to go travelling for a year, Lou stumbled across an old bus that had been converted into an RV.
6 tips for getting fit after 50
The benefits of getting fit when you’re older can be huge, particularly if you’ve had heart problems. Here are some expert-approved tips to kickstart your fitness journey.
- Find an exercise you love doing. You’re more likely to stick with something that you enjoy. Take this British Heart Foundation quiz to find out which fitness activity suits you.
- Build up your exercise steadily – don’t push yourself too hard to begin with,
- Exercise with friends or groups for encouragement,
- Plan exercise into your diary so you always make time for it,
- Set targets, whether it’s walking for longer or training for an event,
- Speak to your doctor before doing any new exercise.
”I just instantly had an idea to buy a bus and take it on tour around the States, preaching self-love and confidence, and throw events locally.
”Do the bus up a little, so everyone could see it coming – a bit like my outfits,” the mum joked.
”And I thought I could throw vibrators out of the window – […] and I did it!”
The idea also saw heaps of sponsors keen to take part in Lou’s project, including a vibrator company, as well as a vagina wellness brand.
6,000 miles and 28 states, numerous events – and even more vibrators – all the way to New York, and Lou, who’s now shipped the bus back to UK, also has plans of a similar style tour here too.
‘I loved being married… but’
For many years, being married ”felt safe” and Lou ”will always stand by that”.
”But then there’s life on the other side also – it doesn’t always have to be forever.
”If this could even inspired just one woman to find her voice, in their own marriage, then that’s been worth it.
”If I helped them in some way, then that for me is success.”