Nothing to it - period!

I am having a full-blown attack of nostalgia tonight. When I was in junior high school (age 12, I guess), we girls watched this film in Gym Class - The Story Of Menstruation, produced by Disney. Ladies, please go watch this film, and then say a little prayer of thanksgiving that "Our Bodies, Ourselves" supplanted it within a generation.

  I remember that I let the info in this film sort of throw me off at the time, because a) the diagram of the uterus showed the menstration process as very tidy-looking and clinical, like plumbing - as you know, it ain't; and b) the cartoon girls in the film are all, well, mature-looking. They have curves and poufy lips, and they wear make-up. At age 12, I didn't look remotely like that. Nobody did. I mean, look at her! She's wearing a shower cap, for heaven's sake! What kid does that?

So, I ignored my teacher's lecture and just assumed this period business wouldn't happen to me for years. In fact, I put it entirely out of my mind. Figured when it eventually happened I'd know I was ready. Heh. Boy, did I get a surprise a few months later. But anyway ...

Ladies, I thought you'd get a kick out of this passage from the film:

To most girls, the menstrual stream should bring no severe discomfort. Some girls have a little less pep ... a feeling of pressure in the lower part of the body ... perhaps an occasional twinge or a touch of nerves. But don't let it get you down. After all, no matter how you feel, you have to live with people. You have to live with yourself, too! And once you stop feeling sorry for yourself and take those days in your stride, you'll find it easier to keep smiling and even-tempered!

I wish I could go back in time and get hired by Disney to write copy for this film based on real menstruation experience. It'd go something like this ...

To most girls, the menstrual stream brings a lot of discomfort. To say the least. Let's face it. Some girls want to hide in bed all day ... they feel like all their lower organs are attempting to squeeze their way out of the body ... perhaps they want to shriek because everyone around them keeps making that breathing noise. In and out, in and out, all day long! What's that about?! But don't let it get you down. After all, no matter how you feel, you have to live with people. And it's much harder to hide the bodies than you think. Which brings us to our next film in this series, entitled "Very Personally Yours: The Beautiful World of Over-The-Counter Medications".

Comments

[Anthony]

A male adolescent "version" of this film of unprintable obscene content ran through my mind upon reading this, but on second thought I think I'll just walk away while I still have my cookies un-tossed....

[molly]

grrrrr.....snarl...snarl...GRRRRR....YAP YAP YAP *BITE*

[GraceD]

AAARRRRRGGGGGH!

Pammy! How did you find this? My God, was this Disney shit a total sham! And the euphemisms - 'dainty' really meaning 'better not bleed through your white jeans, or you're done for, sister!'

And the 'dainty' cartoon characters all looked like Tinkerfuckinbell!

I'm going to show this link to Molly and we'll laugh our heads off.

BTW, she's had a copy of Our Bodies, Our Selves for two years now. Fuck that Tinkerbell shit.

[BB]

Dangerous waters ahead~This video is using the worst kind of quasi scientific language to make the subject impossible for most students to relate to. You never really know how the fertiliztion process takes place, and in my 15 years teaching this translates as much more likely to get pregnant, or contract diseases. The blood is WHITE!!! How many generations of young women have thought they were really sick or even dying because of this callus attitude toward the pain and emotional roller coaster that accompanies the cycle? It has improved at schools, but it could cycle back to this mode with the current immoral minority in charge.