elibennett asked: This page is all kinds of win. Probably one of the best tumblrs on the interwebs right now. And let me just say, I absolutely love that you address Cosmo's ridiculous treatment of period blood. I'm lucky enough to have grown up with a mother and older sisters who were very open and direct about menstruation, so it's always shocking/slightly embarrassing to come across someone who looks at me cross-eyed whenever I mentioned tampons. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is disturbed by this.
I definitely used to be one of those people who’d get embarrassed and ashamed whenever things like sex and periods and masturbation were mentioned. I grew up in a household where you DID NOT talk about those kinds of things. As far as periods went, my mom gave me a book when I was 9 and told me I should read up to a certain chapter (because the later chapters were about sex and she didn’t think I should read those yet so of course I did) and told me to come to her with any questions, if I had them.
BUT I WAS 9. AND SCARED. AND THE THOUGHT OF BLOOD GUSHING FROM MY LADYBITS WAS TERRIFYING! And because she didn’t feel comfortable talking to me about it, I didn’t feel comfortable asking questions. It’s sad, really, because I grew up in very female-dominated households and yet something as natural as a period could make us feel dirty and gross.
It was such a relief to find feminism and realize — hey, period’s are natural, (most) women get them, so why are we pretending like this doesn’t happen? It was like having a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders because I could finally talk about it. Even among my friends in high school, the most that was acceptable would be, “Do you have a tampon/pad?” and “I feel really crampy.” That was it.
It doesn’t help that a lot of the messages we’re fed from places that should be supporting us — women’s magazines, tampon commercials (which SHOULD be making us WANT to buy their product, not SHAME us into doing it) — tell us that we’re nasty/ugly/disgusting whenever it’s “that time of the month” or when we get a visit from “Aunt Flow.” It’s insulting not only to dare to say that something that’s completely natural is somehow disgusting (and you know it’s only because menstruation happens to women that it’s looked upon this way), but also because a lot of euphemisms are used as if the words period/menstruation are just ‘too vulgar.’
Period aren’t gross. They’re natural. I just wish mainstream society would hop on that train, too.
Anyway, that got ranty! But: I’m pretty sure I have the best followers, ever. Thank you so much for the comment. <3 Some Golden Girls boob-shaking for you:
