Thirteen myths about menstruation. I recently read that when Elizabeth Taylor was a teen actress under contract to MGM, her mother convinced her that if she worked while she was menstruating, it would "endanger her health." Consequently when she was in her late 20s and able to negotiate her contracts, she always insisted on a clause that stated she couldn't be filmed during her period.
I rolled my eyes at the absurdity of it. Then I remembered that my own mother (about 4 years younger than Taylor) truly believed that tampons were "bad" for me. So I got thinking: What other fallacies have girls been taught over the years about our periods?
I'll get Liz and my mom out of the way first ...
1. You shouldn't exert yourself physically during your period.
2. Tampons negatively affect fertility.
3. You shouldn't use a tampon or menstrual cup if you have an IUD.
4. You can't get pregnant during your period.
5. You can't get an STD if you have intercourse while menstruating.
6. The worse your menstrual cramps, the more likely you are to be infertile.
7. Don't bathe, only take fast showers, during your period.
8. Swimming in cold water during your period can affect your fertility.
9. There's something wrong with you if your period lasts more than 7 days.
10. PMS isn't real and women just use it as an excuse for bad behavior or ...
11. Women shouldn't be in the C-Suite because they can't be trusted to make decisions while PMS-ing.
12. You won't get your period while you're breastfeeding or ...
13. Your period will reduce/spoil your breast milk, so be sure to pump more the week before.
Remember: None of these is true! Now let's all sing ...
Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.
I remember some of these still floating around when I was 12 (1975).
ReplyDeletePS - you had a better career than I did, so don't let the college thing bother you a single bit.
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