âAunt Floâs visiting.â âWelcome to shark week.â âIâm checking into the Red Roof Inn.â
From an early age, the world teaches young girls to remain hush-hush about âthat time of month.â They learn to discreetly slip out to the bathroom, always have an extra pad or tampon in their purses, and to suck up the pain because this is a once-a-month occurrence that theyâll just have to get used to. Much of the talk around menstruation stems from shame, but getting a period for the first time is much more nuancedâitâs uncomfortable, itâs exciting, itâs scary, itâs awkward, itâs new, and itâs a unifying experience of womanhood all at once.
Period underwear brand Modibodi recently updated its Teen First Period Kit to make space for these emotions, all while chipping away at the stigma against periods. They want young people who menstruate to understand their period and not be ashamed of it, so the kit includes some necessitiesâa pair of Modibodi undies, a waterproof bag, a mirror, and a period fact sheet. The limited-edition box also has a sticker sheet and comic strip inside, all created by writer and illustrator Justyna Green, and these help to normalize the changes that girls go through.
