In our Portrait of a menstruator series, we’re inviting people with periods from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and genders to share their stories. We’re asking a single, open-ended question: How has your period transformed, impacted, or altered your life or your experience of identity-formation? Below, we hear from Gimo, a performer who acted in our recent …
IN THIS ARTICLE 01 / Watch the Toks: Period pranks & tampon mishaps 02 / The menstrual education gap & what it means 03 / What happens when non-menstruators learn about periods What TikTok can teach us about period stigma Non-bleeders know very little about periods. Schools usually teach menstrual education as part of their …
TikTok roundup: Non-menstruators react to period products Read More »
IN THIS ARTICLE 01 / A running list of period euphemisms 02 / The history of period euphemisms 03 / How cultural attitudes create euphemisms 04 / What’s the harm in euphemisms? 05 / Silence is violence 06 / Final thoughts: Undoing taboos Periods are so taboo that we have countless expressions to hide their …
The history of period euphemisms (and why we don’t use them) Read More »
Period stigma is alive and well—but we’re trying to change that. We’re also trying to destigmatize vaginas, more generally. Because, when it really comes down to it, the vagina just another body part, like a mouth or an ear or an elbow. And without vaginas, the human species would be nil. Quick side note: ICYMI, …
Only two out of five can identify their own labia in a lineup Read More »
A brief history of menstrual products: How things have changed between pandemics The coronavirus pandemic has been tough on all of us. We’re stuck at home, wary around friends and strangers, and we’re hearing wildly different messages about what to do next (and when it might be over) from the people in charge. While the …
While we often hear about communities that shun or shame women for their periods, there are some cultures that treat menstruation with respect—or even as a cause for celebration. IN THIS ARTICLE 01 / How different cultures honor & celebrate periods 02 / The Ojibwe people 03 / Ambubachi Mela Festival 04 / Filipino Superstition: …
5 menstrual rituals around the world & what they can teach us Read More »
Readers, assemble! We are so excited to kick off the Flex® book club with Abby Norman’s Ask Me About My Uterus. In her memoir, Norman, an intelligent and charming storyteller, walks us through her very personal journey with endometriosis in an attempt to make doctors believe (for once) in women’s pain. The book is both …
Flex reads: Interview with Ask Me About My Uterus author Abby Norman Read More »
How periods have been portrayed in iconic pop culture Ever since the 1976 debut of Carrie, the first mainstream film to graphically depict periods, pop culture has been shaping the way we see periods as a collective. Like it or not, pop culture reflects the way that we build our understanding of the world around …
10 pop culture moments that taught us about our periods Read More »
