Comments on: The Red Stain of Shame http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/ Women's Empowerment Juice with a Twist of Lime Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:44:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=4451 By: Tee http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-419 Tee Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:39:30 +0000 http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-419 Great post! Yes, bodily functions (periods, bowel movements, etc) are natural but they're also things you'd rather everyone just be discreet about. It's silly to be MORTIFIED by it, but a little embarrassment is understandable to me. On the flip side, I had a classmate who liked to volunteer blow-by-blow details of her unusual periods/cycles and I found that pretty disturbing. I kept wanting to scream, "Just tell it to your doctor, damn!" lol Great post!

Yes, bodily functions (periods, bowel movements, etc) are natural but they’re also things you’d rather everyone just be discreet about. It’s silly to be MORTIFIED by it, but a little embarrassment is understandable to me.

On the flip side, I had a classmate who liked to volunteer blow-by-blow details of her unusual periods/cycles and I found that pretty disturbing. I kept wanting to scream, “Just tell it to your doctor, damn!” lol

]]> By: Tracee Sioux http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-409 Tracee Sioux Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:45:35 +0000 http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-409 We do it about sweat too. Yesterday in my kickboxing class this 18ish girl was talking about how disgusting her sweat is. People sweat, there's nothing disgusting about it. It's how our bodies function if they are healthy, I told her. It's so gross! She whined and then apologized once again for being a human who sweats. We do it about sweat too. Yesterday in my kickboxing class this 18ish girl was talking about how disgusting her sweat is.

People sweat, there’s nothing disgusting about it. It’s how our bodies function if they are healthy, I told her.

It’s so gross! She whined and then apologized once again for being a human who sweats.

]]> By: DJ Nelson http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-408 DJ Nelson Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:12:31 +0000 http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-408 This is one of those things that we feel because it's been passed down. We feel nervous, embarrassed, secretive, and even ashamed....why?!?!?! Because that's just how it is. It took me seeing that show to see how silly that is. YES, I buy tampons!- So what? It's a terrible thing when women are made to feel embarrassed because of something that's natural. I bet if men were the ones with a cycle it'd be seen as a sign of passage and nothing more. This is one of those things that we feel because it’s been passed down. We feel nervous, embarrassed, secretive, and even ashamed….why?!?!?! Because that’s just how it is.

It took me seeing that show to see how silly that is. YES, I buy tampons!- So what?

It’s a terrible thing when women are made to feel embarrassed because of something that’s natural. I bet if men were the ones with a cycle it’d be seen as a sign of passage and nothing more.

]]> By: Dannie http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-401 Dannie Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:58:46 +0000 http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-401 When I first began my cycle, I was a bit embarressed because I was still getting use to the changes that my body was going through and I was still growing up in a male dominant society. Now, I figure I am a woman and we have periods - that is just part of life. We all have gone through the 'videos' in school, so I have gotten over it. I do feel for the teenage boy that seems to be the one always bagging my tampons for me. He gets a little red. When I first began my cycle, I was a bit embarressed because I was still getting use to the changes that my body was going through and I was still growing up in a male dominant society.

Now, I figure I am a woman and we have periods - that is just part of life. We all have gone through the ‘videos’ in school, so I have gotten over it. I do feel for the teenage boy that seems to be the one always bagging my tampons for me. He gets a little red.

]]> By: Tracee Sioux http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-395 Tracee Sioux Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:27:47 +0000 http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-395 Religion is a huge source for all this shame and dirty talk. The Bible has some references about killing a dove and offering it as a sacrifice and avoiding sex during several weeks after a period. The Red Tent describes how women weren't allowed to leave the tent during this time. I was weirdly secretive about it with my daughter - avoiding questions about what tampons and pads were. I realized that was absurd because every women with a vagina has a menstrual cycle and the shame surrounding it is just stupid. I told her we bleed and it was not big deal. She took it well. http://traceesioux.blogspot.com/2007/08/we-bleed.html Religion is a huge source for all this shame and dirty talk. The Bible has some references about killing a dove and offering it as a sacrifice and avoiding sex during several weeks after a period. The Red Tent describes how women weren’t allowed to leave the tent during this time.

I was weirdly secretive about it with my daughter - avoiding questions about what tampons and pads were.

I realized that was absurd because every women with a vagina has a menstrual cycle and the shame surrounding it is just stupid. I told her we bleed and it was not big deal. She took it well. http://traceesioux.blogspot.com/2007/08/we-bleed.html

]]> By: Sara http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-392 Sara Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:32:52 +0000 http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-392 This is an excellent post. I'd like to say that I'm not embarrassed but I guess I do have a little tinge of insecurity when I'm at the store. This is an excellent post. I’d like to say that I’m not embarrassed but I guess I do have a little tinge of insecurity when I’m at the store.

]]> By: Rashunda http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-391 Rashunda Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:41:48 +0000 http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-391 Goodness. I just can't wrap my head around the embarrassment anymore. I guess the older I get, the less I give a gosh darn. Goodness. I just can’t wrap my head around the embarrassment anymore. I guess the older I get, the less I give a gosh darn.

]]> By: DJ Nelson http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-390 DJ Nelson Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:50:49 +0000 http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-390 I forgot about commercials. Yes, sometimes they do make me a bit uncomfortable. I have to shake that, but at the same time I think that some of these advertisements are completely unnecessary. I forgot about commercials. Yes, sometimes they do make me a bit uncomfortable. I have to shake that, but at the same time I think that some of these advertisements are completely unnecessary.

]]> By: christie http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-389 christie Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:32:55 +0000 http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-389 I remember when I was about 14 or so being mortified when a "feminine product" commercial came on TV and I was with a boy and my brother watching TV. I felt shame like they were looking at me. It comes from the male dominated culture prevalent in the mideast that we absorbed through Old Testament Puritanism that women who were menstruating were unclean. Now that I'm 45 I think it's all a bunch of crap, but I remember many times in earlier years being embarrassed and ashamed. I CAN'T STAND douche commercials either. I remember when I was about 14 or so being mortified when a “feminine product” commercial came on TV and I was with a boy and my brother watching TV. I felt shame like they were looking at me. It comes from the male dominated culture prevalent in the mideast that we absorbed through Old Testament Puritanism that women who were menstruating were unclean. Now that I’m 45 I think it’s all a bunch of crap, but I remember many times in earlier years being embarrassed and ashamed. I CAN’T STAND douche commercials either.

]]> By: KeKe http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-388 KeKe Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:45:08 +0000 http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2008/04/02/shame-associated-with-womens-menstrual-cycles/#comment-388 Hey I saw that show. That was just foolishness. Hey I saw that show. That was just foolishness.

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