The world is ending. Everyone hates me – or everyone is so annoying. I’m overwhelmed. I’m exhausted. I need a life change. *Checks period app – realizes “a friend” is due for a visit. And things will feel back to normal in a few days. Why is it that menstruating seems so novel? According to co-founder of Joni (a sustainable Canadian period care brand) Linda Biggs of Victoria, BC, this is because of “period silence.” And we need to break it. Periodt.
Why are periods so awkward?
Here’s a prime example… of the worst thing that can happen.
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What happens to your menstrual cycle when you work out?
Talking about periods
Biggs provided a real period story from her upcoming book (more details below), and we decided to share ours, too.
Dad knows best
“Growing up with divorced parents, my dad would always leave money on the table for anything I ‘needed’. This meant I usually bought my own pads at the nearby store, no problem. One day, we were in Shoppers Drug Mart together, and he asked if I needed anything, subtly gesturing toward the aisle with pads and tampons. I was running low, so I said yes, and we walked down the aisle together. I quickly picked up a box and hinted that I was done shopping. However, this wasn’t my usual brand, which was out of stock. My dad noticed and asked, ‘Are you sure this is going to work?’ I was mortified. How could he question my choice of pads, especially in front of other people? Embarrassed, I insisted this box would work, he purchased it, and we went home. As it turned out, I had mistakenly bought panty liners instead of full pads, and they didn’t work as I needed them to. Looking back, I realize how supportive my dad was, even though we didn’t talk about my period often. He did his best to normalize the experience for me, despite not having any guidance or resources – after all, the internet wasn’t a thing yet. Reflecting back on it now, it was quite beautiful how my Dad tried to support me through something so personal and for foreign to him.”
—Beth, Fergus, Ont.
Art is in my blood – or vice versa
“I’ve never been able to narrow my interests, so in high school it was ‘so me’ to have a math class before lunch, then art and then geography. For art, half the class was to move around the room critiquing, guiding and giving feedback to our peers. Pretty genius, if you think about it – imagine that was how all classes worked. Anyways, I pulled up a paint-swatched wooden stool to sit next to a classmate and her fashion drawings. She was talented, and I adored everything in her book Her issue, though, was in telling her parents she wanted to go to fashion school. Her work was too good not to talk to them. Show them, show them professional illustrator work, and they won’t be able to tell the difference, I told her. Then I went on my way to geography, where I had to present my land-development project. As I walked toward the front of the room, one of the guys in the class – a cliché jock, no less – pulled my arm and said, I had a ‘monthly accident.’ To my horror, my jeans had a blood-red stain precisely where you’re imagining it to be. I grabbed a deskmate’s jean jacket, wrapped it around my waist and did my presentation. After, I immediately went home and threw the jeans out. Imagine being embarrassed for a fake period.”
Ever been frustrated by meditation in not being able to think of nothing? Read this.
When twos a crowd
“It all started with a missing tampon string. Images of it being stuck inside me forever flashed before my eyes. The thought of potentially having to tell a parent? H*ll no, out of the question. Then, I thought, ‘What if I have to go to the emergency room to have it surgically removed?!’ OMG! This whole scenario sent me into a tailspin. But then, common sense – and the need for help – kicked in. Google to the rescue! The internet was able to teach me a comforting fact: tampons can’t get lost inside you, and it happens to women more than you’d think. A few deep breaths and a bit of maneuvering later, I managed to resolve the issue on my own. Talk about discovering your own body. So, if you ever find yourself in this sticky situation, don’t panic. It’s a lot more manageable than it may seem at first, and you’re definitely not alone in this.”
Why am I in the mood when I’m on my period?
Your unnecessarily embarrassing period story
Want to share your story? Biggs is calling for Canadians and Americans to share their period stories to normalize the conversation, and bring awareness and education about our monthly cycles. Upload your own period story about first periods, last periods, period sex, PCOS, endometriosis, menopause, gender, race and “every bloody thing in-between” at joniperiodbook.com by October 15, 2024. All profits go toward free period care dispensers, pads and tampons to non-profits, elementary and high schools across Canada and the U.S.