@jesstheragingmess

Jess May is a creator, storyteller and emerging advocate who has built an extraordinary online community after sharing the devastating story of her mother, who was murdered by her former partner in 2024. Jess first opened up about her experience through a deeply personal video in which she used her late mother’s makeup while telling her story. Her raw, candid approach resonated hugely, reaching millions of people and opening up a much wider conversation around domestic abuse, coercive behaviour and the warning signs that can so often be missed. Since then, Jess has begun using her platform to turn an unimaginable personal loss into purpose, helping women and young girls recognise potentially dangerous behaviours, encouraging conversations around violence against women and girls, and exploring where systems need to change to better protect women. At the heart of everything Jess does is a determination to tell difficult stories with humanity, warmth and honesty. Having experienced both the personal reality of violent crime and the justice system surrounding it, she brings a perspective that is incredibly rare - one rooted not in sensationalising crime, but in understanding the real people, families and lives behind it. Alongside her advocacy, Jess has also created a space for honest conversations around grief, self-care and finding your way back to yourself after loss. Through her “Giving a Shit About Myself” series, she documents the small, everyday acts of looking after herself again - from doing her makeup to simply getting up and having a shower - recognising that, in the depths of grief, these seemingly ordinary things can feel like significant victories. The series has resonated deeply with her community, with many sharing that Jess has encouraged them to begin caring for themselves again during their own periods of grief or difficulty. What started as a personal commitment to herself has become a reminder to others that self-care doesn’t have to mean having everything together. Sometimes, it means taking one small step towards feeling like yourself again. Jess is now looking to build on her platform, working with trusted partners to tell this story on her own terms, amplify conversations around domestic violence and ultimately help drive meaningful change in how women and girls are protected.