Most Women “Uncomfortable in Social Situations” While Having Their Periods

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDuo6R7MuyQ

They want us to talk about our periods! All day today, and for the rest of the month, nonstop. Feminine hygiene company SCA describes this pro-menstruation campaign — which they’re calling “Period.” and devoting to everyone everywhere — like so:

During a 28-day run we will encourage women and men across the world to break the taboo surrounding menstruation by talking about it in different channels. On our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SCA) we have gathered all the information regarding the survey, so please visit this page and read more about the project. We will also use Twitter for the project under #period.

Regarding that survey, they also sent along a sad chart of menstruating women’s social discomfort levels in nine countries around the world. “Looks like Chicago’s having a really rough time,” I just thought to myself.

To fix this, they suggest talking about periods as much and as loudly as possible, which I’m happy to do on The Hairpin, while also noting that some of that social discomfort might stem from actual physical discomfort, as periods aren’t always the funnest things to have.

But anyway, want to share pleasant or terrible period memories? Here’s a self-indulgent one from before I even got my period, which is maybe kind of purpose-defeating, but oh well. In middle school my friends and I were fascinated with pad and tampon commercials on TV, and there was one in which a British girl — Australian? I just fell down YouTube trying and failing to find it — describes an embarrassing time she “had to leave a pah-ty with moy jacket toyed around moy waist,” which for whatever reason we found particularly hilarious. So we tried to recreate this commercial at one birthday/slumber party where we’d rented a camcorder — no creative angle, just as faithful a tribute as possible. I think I begged to be the star of this, or maybe I had memorized the commercial the closest, I don’t really remember, but I landed the “lead” and tried to make it through the script, accent included, one time without laughing. Which I couldn’t do. But also none of us knew how to rewind the camcorder, so now I’ve got this VHS tape with 18 takes in a row of me and my seventh-grade friends losing it over the concept of Always With Wings. “This just shouldn’t have happened!” (Anyone?)

And then the rest of my fun period memories are too numerous to mention!