While I was reading the article in the Essential Feminist Reader, a particular section struck me. The article “Our Bodies, Our Selves” touches on many important points, but I liked what the authors had to say about menstruation. They discuss that many pre-teen girls learn about the menstrual cycle, and they are taught (in textbooks) that “the onset of menstruation is a normal and universal occurrence”. However, many women find that when they actually have their first period, they are incredibly scared and/or embarrassed. Although this article was written in 1973, I believe this is still very true today. Periods are not supposed to be discussed in public. Many girls become comfortable telling their girlfriends about their periods when they are older, but these things should never be discussed in an “open” setting.
Tampax Pearl tampons are an extremely popular brand, and that is in part because the wrappers are specially designed to ensure “quiet unwrapping”, so no one has to know you’re on your period. I am guilty for buying Pearls for this reason (among others), and until our class discussion on Tuesday, I never questioned my secretive attitude about my period. Why should women feel the need to buy “quiet” tampons? Why does it matter if people know that we have our period? Every woman experiences it, and that is 50% of the human population….so why isn’t it more talked about?
Kotex brand has created a relatively new line of tampons that I have spotted in stores, called “U” by Kotex. These tampons are packaged in a black box and come wrapped in an array of bright colors, such as red, blue, green, and yellow. The idea behind Kotex “U” tampons is to “stop all the weirdness about periods” (Kotex website). These tampons stray from the norm, because most are packaged in light pink or blue boxes with flowery designs. The “U” by Kotex brand is attempting to bring conversations about vaginal health out into the open. The website is very well done, and they have a video (see link) about a guy struggling to buy tampons for his girlfriend. Many of the people in the video are visibly uncomfortable talking about periods/tampons, and Kotex is trying to put an end to this discomfort. “U” by Kotex is the anti-Tampax Pearl. Kotex makes no effort to have “quiet” or “secretive” tampons, and this makes me hopeful that change is happening. Perhaps girls will start buying “U” tampons, which come in bold colors and are not advertised as opening silently. Maybe, in the near future, women will be able to openly and publicly discuss the phenomenon that is menstruation.
“U” BY KOTEX WEBSITE:
http://www.ubykotex.com/the_mission
Going to an all girls highschool and middle school, periods were the talk of the town. I remember girls coming into school excitedly telling their friends "they got their period!'. As well as going to an all girls highschool, I had 2 older sisters, so lived in a primarily female family. Because of this I was educated about periods from a young age and never seemed to question talking about them. It wasn't until later in highschool when my guy friends would be "grossed" out if they saw me grab a tampon before I went to the bathroom, or my dad would stop me from asking my sister to buy me tampons at the dinner table.
ReplyDeleteI was never weirded or grossed out about my period and had no problems talking to other girls about it.
So unlike many other girls and most guys, I was uncomfortable with the subject. I think that it really comes down to a maturity level. Once someone reaches a certain age or mental maturity, they should not have problems discussing the simple things relating to periods. Now I am not saying everyone should talk about their periods and its details, but I do think there does not need to be such fear and discomfort when the subject of periods comes up.
Unlike Caroline, I used to feel uncomfortable with the subject of menstruation. In general, I had a problem with discussing bodily functions. The thing is that on some level I still do. While I do not think that having your period is something to be ashamed of, I wouldn’t just randomly bring it up in conversation with my closest guy friends; the same applies to bowel movements. When Caroline states, “I think that it really comes down to a maturity level. Once someone reaches a certain age or mental maturity, they should not have problems discussing the simple things relating to periods,” I agree with her to a certain extent. I think that it does become easier to discuss but I think that there is a time and place for topics like these. If we made a generalization like, boys usually have no problem talking about their bodily functions, does this mean that they are more mature than girls who shy away from these discussions?
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