HelloFlo is a company that delivers monthly care packages to women and girls of all ages. Last month they launched a “starter kit” parents can purchase ahead of time and have ready for their daughters’ first periods. The starter kit includes: enough pads and liners to get through a cycle, a “get ready” info guide for parents as well as a separate one for girls, a canvas pouch to take pads on the go, and small goodies and surprises.
HelloFlo aims to ease the pain, discomfort, and embarrassment of periods while simultaneously educating young girls about their bodies and emotions in relation to their menstrual cycles. I think they do a really great job of using humor to break the “hush hush” attitude that usually surrounds menstruation.
Where was this when I was a girl?!
I remember the first day I got my period.
It was summer time and my family and I were out to dinner. I remember the way my thighs stuck together and dripped with sweat and the way my butt slid on the hard plastic chair I sat on. I was taking a sip of my soda when I suddenly felt warm and wet… you know, down there.
My face grew red immediately. I knew exactly what was going on and I felt embarrassed and ashamed for reasons I did not understand at the time. I told my mother under my breath, so quietly I’m surprised she even heard me. She looked at me as if she had been waiting for that exact moment for years. She swiftly rose from her chair, grabbed my arm, and whisked me away to the ladies room. We returned moments later completely silent. I sat back down in my chair extremely uncomfortable. I could not ignore the massive pad that rested between my legs, it felt foreign and uncomfortable; it chaffed against the soft skin on my bottom, soaked up my sweat from the July heat, and made noises when I walked.
I knew about pads and tampons from Sex Education and health courses I was forced to attend in school, but actually using pads and tampons was completely different. That night my mother explained to me how private and personal my menstrual cycle is. I felt like my period was something I should be ashamed of and hide, a curse and a burden. I still did not understand where the blood came from or why it always felt like I was getting punched in the stomach.
I feel very different about my menstruation cycle today but that is the result of years of critical thinking, personal research, and general body acceptance. I can’t help but wonder how my “first period experience” could have been different with an awesome care package like the ones GoFLo offers, or even a better attitude from my family and peers.
Unruly Bodies 
I love that video, and I love the attitudes expressed in it. It is one of the first videos I’ve ever seen talking about periods that simply accepts them as something that happens, they don’t shy away from words, what happens, or what you need to use to take care of them. I remember getting yelled at in grade school because I corrected a boy who thought a tampon commercial was a smoking commercial and then had to explain to him what a tampon was. All of the adults were horrified and told me that was something I was supposed to talk about in private and shouldn’t tell boys because they would get embarrassed. I hope companies like this one are a sign that things are changing for good and can make periods suck a little bit less by at least making them less of a stigmatized thing.
This is such a cool service! It’s a really interesting idea especially because I think a lot of parents really don’t know how to deal with their daughters’ first periods. I remember that I had this book when I was a kid published by American Girl called “The Care and Keeping of You” and looking back I’m really glad I had such a resource. It was all about body care and from what I remember it took a really positive attitude — for example, it informed you about periods and growing breasts and pubic hair and hygiene, but didn’t pass any kind of judgment on what you SHOULD do. That kind of thing was especially helpful for someone like me who was self-conscious and didn’t want to deal with the emerging complications of my female body. I wanted to be able to ignore the new things I had to cope with by not talking about them with my parents, but I also wanted to be able to manage my body in a practical way. These types of resources are really valuable for handling that situation.
Uhhhh, where can I sign up? 🙂 Boy oh boy, do I remember the first time I got my period. It was Thanksgiving and I was using the bathroom before my family and I hit the road to head home. I remember crying, being so embarrassed,and asking my mother not to tell anyone. Looking back, I can recognize how sad that really is. As a young girl, no one should have to be that uncomfortable with the idea of menstruation because of lack of knowledge or fear of the unknown… Educate, educate, educate! That really is a great idea.
I loved this blog post, but first of all-I thought I was the only one that had a “The care and keeping of you” book!!!!!!. My period was something my parents didn’t really deal with, my mom just bought this book and slid it towards me silently when it became apparent i would have questions that needed answers. Which is so bizarre to me now because its like all women have this huge secretive club that we aren’t really supposed to talk about.
My mom always said that the female body would change at some point in my life. She never really went into detail about what a period was and I remember getting it and not knowing what it was. I wish my mom had discussed the menstrual cycle with me so I would have known what I was to be expecting.