Period is Not a Dirty Word

I’m on my period this week. Is this what you would call a TMI moment? This week I am also on a mission to change the meaning of TMI. from “too much information” to “talking menstruation in-depth” (ensuing laughter). But seriously, talking about menstruation and vaginal health in general has become somewhat of a taboo topic within our society. With all of these new products coming out that claim to help women “be desecrate” about their period or make it so “no one will ever know,” I became interested in finding out why periods always need to be so hush-hush. 

Tampons should not be confused with candy. They are not glow sticks. They should not make your lady-flower actually smell like a field of fresh-cut roses. So why do all of the commercials out there insist that tampons and pads should look or smell like these things? Because it seems like that’s what women want. In a poll done by Kotex, 67% of women don’t want anyone to know that they are on their period. 84% of those women said they feel the need to hide their tampon or pad while on the way to a public restroom. If this many women feel the need to hide something that is not only overwhelmingly common, but just plain natural, there is something askew. 

Although the Kotex poll stated that well over half of women feel the need to hide their feminine products in public, 70% of women wish society would change the way it talks about vaginal health, menstruation in particular. Here’s the kicker: most feel like they can’t do anything about it. Contrary to popular belief, we can do something about it: be open to talking about it! The more we talk, the more comfortable society will become with the topic. Chatter is the way to reverse the shame and taboo bound to period-banter. 

Rachel Kauder Nalebuff would agree. At only 18 years old, Rachel Kauder Nalebuff took matters into her own hands by writing My Little Red Book, an anthology of first-period tales. Yes, this actually exists. The stories in her book are from women of all ages, from all around the world. Kauder Nalebuff even got big names like Meg Cabot and Gloria Steinem to tell their coming-of-age story. The proceeds from My Little Red Book have helped current and past health programs like the Planned Parenthood program Real Life. Real Talk., which taught parents how to have open and honest conversations with their kids about sex. We should be able to talk openly and honestly about having our periods too. 

I understand that as women we don’t need to announce the fact that we are on our period, or hold our tampons up like golden staffs leading the march to the restroom, but we should not feel ashamed or embarrassed anymore about having feminine products on our person. In high school, I used to shove a tampon in the waist of my jeans, cover it with my shirt and sprint to the bathroom in fear of being discovered. Now, I’m a hero to a friend if I’ve got an extra one in my bag. We can all be looked at as strong, hero-like females, but the first step is to be confident and unashamed of who we are, periods and all.

Elise

Marketing Intern

Judd Apatow: Funny People? or Funny Men.

I am a fan of Judd Apatow's films. I loved Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I loved The 40-year old Virgin, and I think I loved Funny People. I'm not sure yet. But overall, I think Apatow's new brand of somewhat-sentimental comedy is genius - they are consistently the funniest movies coming out these days.

But -- that doesn't mean I haven't noticed that Apatow's movies aren't perfect. The feminist-conscious, women-studies major side of me is always grappling with the part of me laughing out loud. To be honest, most of my favorite movies have some serious gender issues (see: Fight Club). My boyfriend will hate me for saying this, but Pixar, Judd Apatow and Wes Anderson, while all being faves of mine, each have definite problems creating strong female leads. It's nearly impossible to find a (mainstream), funny, successful film with a female lead I can relate to, and that's pretty messed up.

In her RHrealitycheck.org essay, "Men Are From Apatow-Land, Women Are From Venus," Sarah Seltzer tries to deal with the problems found in Funny People in a constructive way, while dissecting why they are problems to begin with:

"In Apatow's movies, men bond, fight, smoke pot and get drunk, laugh, fight, cry, make up and eventually grow up. Women exist mostly as the objects of lasting affection or the punchlines of dirty jokes."

It's hard to argue that Apatow's movies all deal with men. The men perform the actions that move the plot, without exception. Despite the occasional strong female characters, the leads are never ladies - they are generally peripheral, emotional, and annoying. The women are never the focus of the movie. The men are the stars - everyone who has gotten famous through Apatow's movies is male (with the exception of his wife, perhaps). Even if his depictions of masculinity can be critical and interesting, the movies are all about the bros.

But does that mean we should dismiss Apatow as inherently misogynistic? I don't think so. I don't think I can excuse his complete lack of adequate female - not even close - but I can try to enjoy the other aspects of his movies - like the perfect satire of Walk Hard, and the perfect dysfunction of Stepbrothers. I can even appreciate the bro-on-bro action, to some extent. I can't be blind to Apatow's problematic gender representations, but I want to give him another shot.

All in all? I love Judd Apatow's movies, but I think Seltzer said it best...

"Apatow needs to turn his female characters into actual characters, rather than rewards given to men who have proven able to resist their libidos and outgrow their immaturity. Even if those women exist on the periphery of a male-centric comedy, they should be engaged with as people, not grappled with as a concept."

What did you think of Funny People? Am I way off? I'm not entirely sure yet. I think I need to see Knocked Up again before I conclude.