A Bloody Travesty.

     I wasn't going to write this post because, honestly, it's exhausting for me to constantly talk about things that I want to change. Worth it, definitely, but exhausting. And part of me feels like someone is going to read that and say, "Well, this is gonna be another episode of 'Angry Things Jenelle Says' so guess what I'm NOT reading right now" and that's cool. But I'm not angry about this - actually, it's more of a positivity thing, so stick around. I might just impress you with my ability to do positive things! +! (I'm tired and that's almost funny so I'm leaving it there.)

     I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that what I did today was an act against the patriarchy. *cue patriarchy-crushing, egotistical hair toss over shoulder motion*

     About an hour ago, after a long day of doing lots of different stuff and menstruating while doing so (which makes everything a thousand times more frustrating and exhausting), I had to go buy "feminine hygiene products" (cute name for it, hey?). So, here I am in the drug store trying to find the cheapest tampons possible and wondering if maybe I should buy liners as well. The first thing that went through my mind after I considered buying both was, "Man, that's going to make me look so gross." And after realizing that that, the way that I was going to look carrying two boxes instead of one, was more important to me than my own personal comfort while my body goes through its cycles actually made me stop and say out loud, "Ohhh wow that's dumb." So, I grabbed two boxes.
     This particular story is no indication of how all menstruating women feel when they have to buy "feminine hygiene products", so if you're completely comfortable with your body and its cycles and the way society views that, then THANK YOU. But if you're like me and you got sucked into this poisonous vortex of negative connotations having to do with one of the most natural things a person's body is CAPABLE OF, then this is a blog post for you. Personally (I know a lot of other peoples' negative experiences start before this), this fear of my own reproductive organs started when girls and boys were separated in sexual education in junior high. I didn't know what a wet dream was until I was probably sixteen years-old and I'm sure a lot of men who don't menstruate didn't know what a tampon looked like (save those commercials that make them look like dresses or skirts or whatever (WHY).....) either. A) What's the point of that besides trying to keep "mystery" that the opposite sex is supposed to have based on a constructed societal need for a heteronormative male to female romance? B) How is anyone supposed to feel comfortable with the opposite sex in an intimate situation when the fucking PURPOSE of their reproductive organs is not even clear?? I'm a grown ass woman and I was worried about not hiding my tampons and liners because of what people would think of me buying two boxes of a product that's created to hide my reproductive cycles. WHY are we hiding from people? I don't understand why it's necessary for us, in the 21st century, to keep doing this to ourselves. It makes me really upset that some people reading this are going to be uncomfortable and wonder why I would talk about this on the internet. Honestly, I'm sorry that society made you uncomfortable with this because it's not just you, it's me too. I had to convince myself that it was okay to buy products for the functions of my own body because I've been taught to be ashamed of how my own body works.
     Also, even the placement of these products in stores is silly. At the one I went to today, this stuff was on the second floor of a drug store tucked away in the very middle aisle. Rude. One of those little boxes by the cash register full of tampons instead of chocolate bars would be a fucking godsend.
     Mostly, my thing with this is that something like menstruation does not have to be a secret from anyone, especially yourself. If you're a non-menstruating man and you have questions about menstruation or anything, ask someone and don't be afraid to. Ask your girlfriend or mom or me, even, if you want. And if you're a menstruating woman, don't be a meanie, okay? Don't say stuff like, "Ugh, you don't even understand what it's like." Because you're obviously right, a lot of men don't know what it's like, so you don't have to say that. If you want to be understood instead of having people listen to dumb weird myths about menstrual blood and what it even is, be willing to answer questions about it. Being elitist with anything, especially something so damn natural and lovely is just hurting yourself and those around you. Let people know what's up with your cycle, girl.
     The moral of this story is to respect yourself and love what your body can do. Some day that weirdo menstrual stuff might give you a baby, and how cool would that be? Get comfortable with you and your body and be good to yourself and get TWO BOXES. You deserve two boxes. Goodnight.