If there is anything I love about Oprah is that she LOVES her cycle! I once heard her say that when her cycle comes, she has a celebration. I remember hearing that when I was in my 20's and thinking, YES! I will celebrate my cycle too. Every month I will celebrate my body. It is healthy and clearing away what is no longer needed.
“Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself.”
― Roseanne Barr
Also in my early 20's I lived in a punk house on Beacon Hill in Seattle. We used to have bands from all over the world play shows in our basement. We had bands like Naked Aggression, D.I.R.T. and many others. Topics on women's health were included in their lyrics. Many of us were angry about women's issues and society's take on it. I was especially angry about menstruation.
“Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself.”
― Roseanne Barr
Also in my early 20's I lived in a punk house on Beacon Hill in Seattle. We used to have bands from all over the world play shows in our basement. We had bands like Naked Aggression, D.I.R.T. and many others. Topics on women's health were included in their lyrics. Many of us were angry about women's issues and society's take on it. I was especially angry about menstruation.
I remember one day coming out of my room in a rage. My friends Melissa and Bryant lived in the room next to mine. I was complaining about how unfair it is that women are forced to buy man made products every month when we mentruate. I was really pissed off! I'm so glad I spoke that day, because Bryant suggested to me that I stop buying those products and use a wool sock instead.
Since that day I have saved myself thousands of dollars on feminine products. However, I did not stick with the wool sock method forever. In the mid-90's, I was later introduced to homemade cloth pads that snap in from my friend Amber Gayle who I lived with at the Apex Belltown Co-op. She made her own out of flannel and I found those to be much more comfortable.
Then finally GladRags emerged. They make the best alternative pad I have ever experienced. I have tried all the cute homemade ones that you can find on Etsy. But the GladRags are far superior.
“..by honouring the demands of our bleeding, our blood gives us something in return. The crazed bitch from irritation hell recedes. In her place arises a side of ourselves with whom we may not-at first- be comfortable. She is a vulnerable, highly perceptive genius who can ponder a given issue and take her world by storm. When we're quiet and bleeding, we stumble upon solutions to dilemmas that've been bugging us all month. Inspiration hits and moments of epiphany rumba 'cross de tundra of our senses. In this mode of existence one does not feel antipathy towards a bodily ritual that so profoundly and reinforces our cuntpower. ”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
