Survey Says: Period Therapy + the Flaws of Menstruation Education 🔴🔴
ft. Pretty, Young & Motivated brand leader Alyssa W.
How are we doing, ladies? “We surveyed 100 people and the top 8 answers are on the board”—this isn’t an episode of Family Feud, by the way. No, but I did poll my Girl Play tribe last week about their periods.
You all opened up so willingly and lovingly. You probably don’t realize how much of an impact you made. 😭
I want to address the wild thoughts that go through our minds, telling us we’re ugly, clingy, and depressed.
But first, a quick shoutout to everyone who responded to my Instagram poll. I’d also like to welcome all the Pretty, Young & Motivated (PYM) followers to Girl Play! I found a fantastic woman to feature in this brief (but oh so satisfying) newsletter.
The leader of PYM and I discuss everything bloody right about your period plus the problems with reproductive education. Get comfortable, take a swig of water, and give yourself a moment to see yourself as an active member of this community.
Girl Play is thrilled you made it.
So I asked you all a simple question last week to get an idea of where we are when it comes to period symptoms. The consensus seems to be we’re bloating, nauseous, horny, thirsty, irritated, depressed, hangry, and full of self-loathing when it’s that time of the month.
Okay, then I followed up with another question: What helps your symptoms?
That’s the whole reason behind this newsletter today, madame. We need to talk about your period. And now is as good a time as ever. 😚
That’s because there’s too much going on today, tomorrow, and into the foreseeable future; you have more reasons to worry, bottle up, and take a backseat to everything else that’s going on in the world. I’m here, along with Alyssa from Pretty, Young & Motivated to tell you that you need to make time for yourself.
Another day, another chaos is becoming my regular motto. Between the news cycle, Netflix, and my headspace, it’s hard for me to find that quiet space. You know what I mean: that place where you zone out and empty the brain slush.
Being on your period sucks when you’re super anxious too. Luckily we have our therapy. You ladies told me to take a walk, smoke some weed, and soak in a lavender bath.
Yeah, but the body pain is only half the struggle. I swear being in your head when you’re bleeding is kinda deadly, almost self-sabotaging.
These are the lies you tell yourself on your period:
“I’m ugly, oily, undesirable, and no one understands me.”
“That smell is such a turn-off, they won’t want me, but I feel so clingy at the same time.”
“I feel bad I haven’t done/finished [insert incomplete task]. What am I actually accomplishing with my life?!”
...you get the picture. BUT, reading all of this, my queen, you must realize how okay it is to feel your emotions, regardless of how irrational and egocentric they sound. 👑
Here’s the tea this week from marketing pro Alyssa W. behind Pretty, Young & Motivated:
“As women, we can often feel alone in our struggles and we put SO MUCH pressure on ourselves, it's nice to know you're not the only one going through it,” Alyssa said.
Her energy helped me through the week which is why I decided to interview her about the Pretty, Young & Motivated community.
“My goal with PYM is to always share authentically because when we choose to be vulnerable, we create space for others to do the same” Alyssa said.
So often we revert to auto-destruction when we’re feeling vulnerable on our periods. WE become the worst enemy and the victim all in one.
Could any of this have to do with our education system? Are there any holes in the narratives we’re fed about female reproduction?
As a child, you probably received some form of menstruation education: a female family member or friend sat down to explain “your changing body,” a female teacher sent you home with a little “lady” bag full of pamphlets and maxi pads, the day came, you felt something weird down there, and then all of a sudden you had your period.
You “became a woman.”
This idea of passing from girl to woman because your body said it was biologically ready for children—it became a mainstay. Then after that day you suddenly had the responsibility to protect yourself at all costs: emotionally, physically, and sexually.
Every day, at the same time, remembering to take your birth control; making appointments to have an IUD procedure or an implant injection; not remembering to take the pill; spotting every week; skipping periods altogether; thinking you’re pregnant again, and so the cycle continues.
“Our education systems miss the mark on properly informing us on our sexual and reproductive health, and when we are prescribed a birth control method, we are usually left in the dark about the impacts it could potentially have on our bodies,” Alyssa said.
Mindset is everything and before you roll your eyes and tell me to f*ck-off-because-goddammit-the-cramps-hurt-like-hell, know that you manifest the power to alter those feelings.
“It's empowering to know your body,” Alyssa added.
I’m so on board with this idea of flipping the script on your period. That is, taking back the power your period has over you and embracing the luxurious acts of self-care you get to indulge in. Knowing that you can stay in bed all day watching Netflix (and not feel like shit for it!), eat sugary + sweet snacks, and have a cry when you want to.
Letting go of the stress. Feeling everything and turning inward to accept your needs.
This is why we need more period therapy. Women need to hear from other women that it’s okay to go through the bad, the hard, and the ugly when you’re menstruating.
You’re taking care of yourself. That should be a priority. 🌟
Don’t forget to share this post or tell your friends about Girl Play. Every woman this reaches is one who needs to be reminded of their uniqueness. That is the responsibility I’ll leave with you for today.
Sending you happiness, relaxation, and divine wisdom,
Liv 🌟
~Featured artist Katarina Samohin~