Blue Liquid
October 16, 2012 11:51 AM   Subscribe

Last week, a male Facebook user wrote to Bodyform (a manufacturer of feminine hygiene products) to complain that its advertisements were not consistent with the realities of menstruation. Quickly thereafter, his post went viral, and today, the company responded.
posted by schmod (108 comments total) 50 users marked this as a favorite
 
It went viral all right.
posted by Egg Shen at 11:52 AM on October 16, 2012


...this was a leak, right...?
posted by gallus at 11:57 AM on October 16, 2012 [8 favorites]



I would make so many more mistakes if a woman as delightfully acerbic as her would follow me around and berate me in that wonderful accent.

"Oh, Pogo. You know eating lunch at your desk would one day result in your ruining your keyboard. This, Pogo - this is why we cannot have nice things."
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 11:57 AM on October 16, 2012 [34 favorites]


I'm just glad I learned about menstruation from those G.I. Joe "Knowing is Half the Battle" ads in the 80s.
posted by roger ackroyd at 11:58 AM on October 16, 2012 [7 favorites]


I think this Caroline Williams went off Midol just prior to shooting this video.

Also, I want to work for her, and for her to be my mentor.
posted by orange swan at 11:58 AM on October 16, 2012 [6 favorites]


I've never been more disgusted by somebody drinking blue water.
posted by Jehan at 11:59 AM on October 16, 2012 [29 favorites]


I really hope that plate of red jello in the shot beside her when she says "crimson landslides" is a visual pun. Because. Yeah.
posted by fight or flight at 11:59 AM on October 16, 2012 [7 favorites]


she farted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! bwah I love it!
posted by supermedusa at 11:59 AM on October 16, 2012 [2 favorites]


Apparently Caroline Williams is a pretend CEO? They invented her for the purposes of the video response.
posted by 1000monkeys at 11:59 AM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


Hat-tip to the other FPP that linked to the same story at almost the exact same time as I posted this.
posted by schmod at 11:59 AM on October 16, 2012 [2 favorites]


Three guys in a prison cell are just starting life sentences. The first guy pulls out a deck of cards and says, "We're going to be here a long time, so when we get bored we can play poker."
The second guy says, "Great idea. I brought a harmonica, so when we get sad I can play a song to cheer us up."
The third guy pulls out a box of tampons. "What the hell are they for?" ask the first two guys.
"Well, it says on the back that I can ride, swim, ski, and play tennis with these."
posted by exogenous at 12:00 PM on October 16, 2012 [37 favorites]


"...this was a leak, right...?"

It was more of a crimson landslide, if you must know (we tried to protect you).
posted by iamkimiam at 12:01 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


So was the original facebook post just part of the campaign? Because if it wasn't, this is how you do social media advertising.

And if it was? This is how you do social media advertising. Good job.
posted by eyeballkid at 12:03 PM on October 16, 2012 [57 favorites]


I learned two things today. 1. it's not all skydiving. 2. women fart. In 20 years of a relationship, I never knew these things. Thank you Bodyform
posted by greenhornet at 12:06 PM on October 16, 2012


Even the admission that this is a "fake" is funny: According to Bodyform
Hi Richard. We loved your post on our Facebook page. We are always grateful for input from our users, but your comment was particularly poignant. If Facebook had a “love” button, we’d have clicked it. But it doesn’t. So we’ve made you a video instead. Unfortunately Bodyform doesn’t have a CEO. But if it did she’d be called Caroline Williams. And she’d say this.

Do let us know if we can help you further…

Regards,
The Bodyform Team

Fart consultant: Mike Koenig
posted by bonehead at 12:10 PM on October 16, 2012 [7 favorites]


Every time I see Bodyform printed in this thread, my mind parses it as as 'Bodyfarm,' and I get creeped out twice, first because a 'Bodyfarm' sounds like it'd be pretty creepy, and secondly because my subconscious apparently wanted me to see the word 'Bodyfarm'
posted by schmod at 12:12 PM on October 16, 2012 [2 favorites]


The jello.
posted by scratch at 12:13 PM on October 16, 2012 [4 favorites]


So was the original facebook post just part of the campaign?

It's ghastly enough to be real: breathless run-on sentences, misspellings, bizarre punctuation, retells the hoary old "you can ride, swim etc" joke, and ends with a "PMS is hell amirite lads?" cliché.

Facebook: where everyone's a comedian.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:16 PM on October 16, 2012 [5 favorites]


Oh schmod. It's worse than you think.
posted by Lou Stuells at 12:17 PM on October 16, 2012 [7 favorites]


Boy, is his face red!
posted by dr_dank at 12:19 PM on October 16, 2012 [2 favorites]


I was hoping that the original post would end a little less sexistly, by just noting that far from sky-diving, menstruation just means that his girlfriend has to deal with annoying blood/uterine lining dripping out of her vagina.

why didn't humans evolve continence for this blood dripping thing? it's really unintelligent design.
posted by jb at 12:49 PM on October 16, 2012 [3 favorites]


that plate of red jello in the shot beside her when she says "crimson landslides"

Oh wow I didn't even notice that the first time through, or the pencil breaking. This video is just brilliant, so many funny little details!
posted by drinkyclown at 12:54 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


She has an excellent scornful deadpan, but "the flagrant use of visualizations...are actually metaphors" is a completely incoherent and weaselly marketroid's rationale nonetheless. They may think they're being sarcastic with the confession that "we lied to you" — but that is, actually, the only honest description of what this sort of commercial does.
posted by RogerB at 1:02 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


I find it interesting that a lot of guys seem to think that blood/lining dripping out of your body is what's actually awful about having your period. I can see how it would seem gross if you didn't have to deal with it maybe. I don't care much about that part except for the lack of/messier sex. What is really bothersome are the stomach-rending cramps, lightheadedness, feeling like you're coming down with the flu and have been drained of all energy, &c. Compared to that, I just use a tampon and don't even notice I'm bleeding for most of the week.

I am usually pretty annoyed by the self-conscious quirkiness of viral videos and advertising but this was genuinely hilarious and creepy in the best way. Plus, it was nice to see the creative & funny put to the task of dismantling tired male "periods are GROSS and women are CRAZY" jokes.
posted by stoneandstar at 1:04 PM on October 16, 2012 [29 favorites]


Drink the blue water!
posted by thecjm at 1:05 PM on October 16, 2012 [4 favorites]


Yeah, RogerB, but have you ever listened to a room of people complain that a commercial dare mention "yeast infections" while they're eating their breakfast or trying to watch an episode of The Price is Right? I wish people were forgiving of female bodily functions the way they are of stool softeners and Metamucil commercials, but they ain't. Maybe less euphemistic menstruation ads would help but I doubt it, uninitiated folks just can't handle the massacre in your panties that is a period.
posted by stoneandstar at 1:06 PM on October 16, 2012 [4 favorites]


yeah because I can see how well a commercial that uses REAL MENSTRUAL BLOOD to demonstrate the abilities of their product would go...there would be mass hysteria (get it???) in the streets...I always felt these sorts of commercials did the best they could to address the real issues (our product will absorb liquids) without getting into those oh-so-squicky details of female anatomy that cause so many in our culture to get the vapors...
posted by supermedusa at 1:07 PM on October 16, 2012 [3 favorites]


band name up for grabs: massacre in your panties!!!
posted by supermedusa at 1:09 PM on October 16, 2012 [7 favorites]


(I'm also not totally convinced that the fb message wasn't planted, but it's still a clever concept for an ad, seeing as no one's brought "lad humor" to menstrual products they way they have to beer and Axe body spray. For obvious reasons.)
posted by stoneandstar at 1:12 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


She doesn't use the metaphor defense about the blue water — that would make sense. No, she says that skydiving and horseback riding are "visualizations."
posted by RogerB at 1:13 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


why didn't humans evolve continence for this blood dripping thing? it's really unintelligent design.
If you look at other mammals, most of them aren't "bloodshedding" when they menstruate, but actually take the blood back into their system. Rather, it seems like apes evolved to shed blood openly. It's a feature, not a bug!
posted by Jehan at 1:14 PM on October 16, 2012


She doesn't use the metaphor defense about the blue water — that would make sense. No, she says that skydiving and horseback riding are "visualizations."
They are visualizations/metaphors. They're metaphors for "if you wear our sanitary products, you'll be able to go about your daily life with ease (even if that daily life includes skydiving or horseback riding)."
posted by peacheater at 1:16 PM on October 16, 2012 [9 favorites]


That actress can berate me with her stern accent, any day.

Even though this is a "fake" - I loved it, and their ad/PR people need a bonus and a pat on the back.
posted by mrbill at 1:24 PM on October 16, 2012


>>If you look at other mammals, most of them aren't "bloodshedding"

Are you sure? I remember my girl dog (when I was 7 or so) leaking blood on the back porch, and my mum said it was normal. Of course, my household was pretty crazy, and who knows, the dog might have been experiencing some kind of illhealth that was explained away. Like when the other dogs jumped on her back to "play".
posted by b33j at 1:31 PM on October 16, 2012 [2 favorites]


Yeah, dogs are...
posted by Windopaene at 1:33 PM on October 16, 2012


Fart Consultant: Mike Koenig
posted by Omnomnom at 1:38 PM on October 16, 2012


MetaFilter: Fart Consultant: Mike Koenig
posted by Elementary Penguin at 1:45 PM on October 16, 2012


I find it interesting that a lot of guys seem to think that blood/lining dripping out of your body is what's actually awful about having your period.

I don't know about what a lot of male persons think, but I have a uterus and I think that having blood drip out of me monthly is the absolutely worst thing about menstruation. (I'm also the person who made the comment above).
posted by jb at 1:45 PM on October 16, 2012 [9 favorites]


I would hate the cramps more, but they are only for one day, and my period is for seven days and very heavy. Maybe women with light periods don't notice it as much.

and this is why IUS/IUDs with hormones are the most wonderful thing in the world: they lighten and possibly eliminate menstruation.
posted by jb at 1:47 PM on October 16, 2012 [3 favorites]


My wife just put this on her ipad in front of me 2 minutes ago. Viral, indeed.

Instead of being cynical about this being "fake", I'm really impressed with a marking department/agency that can pick up on something and actually execute a smart turnaround like this. Very impressive and funny
posted by C.A.S. at 1:50 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


Drinking the blue water ... genius.
posted by feckless at 1:50 PM on October 16, 2012 [4 favorites]


Are you sure? I remember my girl dog (when I was 7 or so) leaking blood on the back porch, and my mum said it was normal. Of course, my household was pretty crazy, and who knows, the dog might have been experiencing some kind of illhealth that was explained away. Like when the other dogs jumped on her back to "play".
Read the first couple of paragraphs of this: Induction of Overt Menstruation in Intact Mice.
posted by Jehan at 1:51 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


Worst thing about periods poll?

I'm torn between the mood swings I can not admit to on the grounds that people won't trust my judgement (I think, though, during the pre-menstrual period, I'm just not taking the shit that I take the rest of the time) and the inconvenience of having to catch a blood flow that has its own damn mind about quantity. Oh and messy sex, or sex partners who are all - OMG - it's blood! arrrggh! Keep it away from my pristine penis that shoots out its own body fluids.
posted by b33j at 1:51 PM on October 16, 2012 [6 favorites]


She doesn't use the metaphor defense about the blue water — that would make sense.

For whatever reason, blue water is also what they use in diaper ads.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:54 PM on October 16, 2012


as the owner of a uterus I think YMMV, as jb mentions. the bleeding is the least of it for me, because mine is very light. the moods, headaches and near-constant psychotic craving for waffles I could really do without...
posted by supermedusa at 2:01 PM on October 16, 2012


Worst part: not knowing when it's going to start and ruining underwear each month. Curse you, stealth period! If Bodyform could come up with a blood-seeking tampon that starts beeping or something when the time is near, they'd own the market.
posted by Freyja at 2:06 PM on October 16, 2012 [12 favorites]


That's interesting to me, I actually bleed quite a lot (and have all the other b.s., period from hell until I started HBC) but I've always found it easy to ignore compared to the just feeling off. To a man though every guy I've talked to has seemed to thinking that the bleeding part seems not just inconvenient but repulsive, which seems weird to me since I wasn't even grossed out by my first period ever.

Mileage may definitely vary of course, and I'm sorry I incorrectly guessed that you were male, jb!
posted by stoneandstar at 2:07 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


Ladies, may I introduce you to the Diva Cup. My partner LOVES hers. It doesn't do much for all of the other effects, but is much nicer for dealing with the crimson landslide (for her).
Side note: did any one else hear Fleetwood Mac in their head when she said that?
posted by mfu at 2:11 PM on October 16, 2012 [6 favorites]


Metafilter: Dam my penis.
posted by cmoj at 2:14 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


Drinking the blue water ... genius.

What is so incredibly amazing about the blue liquid is that it is a perfect example of a Hitchcock bomb under the table. They set it up and you hold your breath and you wait and you wait and you think "please, God, don't let her drink it" and she wanders off and you breathe easy and then she's back and you're like "Nooooooo!" . . . but it's too late. I can't even think about the Jello.
posted by The Bellman at 2:18 PM on October 16, 2012 [11 favorites]


Red dot is shocking. I can't find the French ads which have apparently always used red, sadly.
posted by imperium at 2:26 PM on October 16, 2012


I can't even think about the Jello.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure -- especially with the cut right there -- that there's was, at least, an imagined extended version of this commercial where the Jello was more than just a visual gag off to the side. Then again, maybe that's just my American comedic impulse trouncing all over subtle British humour.

As someone who worked with a company who created a web presence for a similar American product, I can imagine that this was a dream come true. After years of speaking of real biological problems in advertiser's code, mocking it must have been a relief.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 2:28 PM on October 16, 2012 [2 favorites]


How come vampires are okay?
posted by b33j at 2:28 PM on October 16, 2012


How come vampires are okay?

Because it isn't blood that's a problem, it's vaginas that are a problem. As long as vampires are sucking blood out of necks and not vaginas, it's virile and sexy.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:42 PM on October 16, 2012 [12 favorites]


Read the first couple of paragraphs of this: Induction of Overt Menstruation in Intact Mice.

"The complex tissue remodeling process of menstruation"! That is my new favorite noun phrase!

Something tells me this is one of those times when I should not start trying to work my new favorite noun phrase into conversation.
posted by nebulawindphone at 2:44 PM on October 16, 2012 [2 favorites]


Do vampires ever drink menstrual blood? I think I might have to take this question to AskMe.
posted by TwelveTwo at 2:46 PM on October 16, 2012 [4 favorites]


I don't think they do because they never show blue drips and also, menstrual blood isn't as oxygen rich.
posted by b33j at 2:47 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


According to a link from the page with the red dot, vampires DO!
posted by b33j at 2:50 PM on October 16, 2012


b33j, your theory would explain why vampires prefer victims with high VO2 maxima.
posted by TwelveTwo at 2:50 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


Nowhere but metafilter, would I end up learning about dog menstruation and twitch and tetanic contractions in a conversation about metaphors about female hygiene products.
posted by b33j at 2:55 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


God I hate Facebook. Have we figured out for sure if the original post was part of the ad? Whether it is or not, it's just as lame.
posted by ReeMonster at 2:56 PM on October 16, 2012


  DarlingBri: "How come vampires are okay?
Because it isn't blood that's a problem, it's vaginas that are a problem.
"

Related.

posted by schmod at 3:05 PM on October 16, 2012


Lou Stuells: "Oh schmod. It's worse than you think."

Jesus Christ. I need to remember to not discuss the plausibility of my nightmares around here.
posted by schmod at 3:07 PM on October 16, 2012


and secondly because my subconscious apparently wanted me to see the word 'Bodyfarm'
Truth be told, "bodyfarm" would not be an inaccurate way to describe a uterus....

I just use a tampon and don't even notice I'm bleeding
Milage may vary. Mood issues are, for me, fairly minor. But in addition to having fairly crappy cramps, I bleed like a stuck pig on the first and second day of my period. I would like back every minute I have ever had to spend handwashing bloodstains out of underwear, pants, and sheets, and I would be thrilled if I never again have to slink out of work in the middle of the day to find new clothes.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 3:14 PM on October 16, 2012 [3 favorites]


TwelveTwo: "Do vampires ever drink menstrual blood? I think I might have to take this question to AskMe."

I seem to remember a vampire and a menstruating nun in one of Anne Rice's books.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 3:17 PM on October 16, 2012


What's with the multiple pictures of bearded men on the walls?
posted by stopgap at 3:35 PM on October 16, 2012


Do vampires ever drink menstrual blood? I think I might have to take this question to AskMe.

There was a young vampire called Mable
Whose periods were really quite stable
So every full moon
She'd get out a spoon
And drink herself under the table



I am so very sorry...
posted by ninazer0 at 4:00 PM on October 16, 2012 [50 favorites]


Are you sure? I remember my girl dog (when I was 7 or so) leaking blood on the back porch, and my mum said it was normal.

Bitches bleed in part of their heat cycle, but it's not menstruation. They bleed before they ovulate as part of booting up their reproductive system, not afterwards because they weren't impregnated. And IIRC the blood is vaginal, not uterine.

It's still kinda icky. Also their vulvas swell up into these horrible hentai nightmare-things that probably have tentacles when you're not looking, so that's fun.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:16 PM on October 16, 2012 [2 favorites]


Worst part of a period? The jello.

It's the feeling off as someone above said. I don't mind my period overall, and my partners have all been good sports about period sex. I've always like Dave Foley's take on the subject.
posted by peacrow at 4:23 PM on October 16, 2012 [3 favorites]


I seem to recall that I've seen the text of that FB post or something very similar in a home email years ago, so it may not be utterly original.
posted by arcticseal at 4:28 PM on October 16, 2012


Joke email, not home. Even the edit window doesn't help me catch all of them.
posted by arcticseal at 4:41 PM on October 16, 2012


"I want to say sorry. Sorry."

Hah, love that. They have a clever writer.
posted by threeants at 4:43 PM on October 16, 2012


This reminded me of an old Emily Prager column that got passed around on the net a few times, "The Man's Exam on Female Troubles."

Trouble (1) Bleeding: A major trouble. Major. If you're like most men I know, you're pretty cranky if you get a cold. Well, consider if you will, how you would behave if, one week a month, every month, your lower back spasmed, your hips rumbled, and blood gushed from your genital organ. Good. Now take this test:

(a) Would you want to go into work and do a sales presentation with blood dripping from your penis?

(b) Would you want to join in a touch football or pool game with blood dripping from your penis?

(c) Would you want to go to Crazy Eddie's and look at stereo equipment with blood dripping from your penis?

(d) Would you want to have sex with a girl you're trying to impress with blood dripping from your penis?

(e) Is there any chance that you'd be anything but short tempered, irrational, and depressed with blood dripping from your penis?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, then you're a transsexual or in need of psychiatric care. If you answered "no", then let me ask you this, jerk: why do you expect any different from women?

posted by dhartung at 5:15 PM on October 16, 2012 [7 favorites]


She doesn't use the metaphor defense about the blue water — that would make sense. No, she says that skydiving and horseback riding are "visualizations."

That part makes total sense to me. It's the blue water I always laughed at.

I'm one of those horribly heavy bleeders, and the "visualizations" are definitely just ways to say "look, you can go about your life with this product and need bleed through your underwear onto your clothes," which has sadly happened to me more than a few times in my life (so not all products are actually great at that). Seeing happy young women in white pants horse riding really gets that across.

And honestly, the visual vocabulary of the feminine-product ad was developed by pretty early on (I'm guessing), and as this 1936 ad indicates, it was definitely built around the idea that you didn't have to limit your activities, and could be "free of embarrassment." And why did they have to communicate that? Because (a) the other ways of handling menstruation throughout most of the 20th century absolutely sucked, and (b) even up into the 1970s and might I add 1980s, there were still a lot of old wives' tales floating around about how you should refrain from being too active during your period because it was bad for your health (not going swimming, especially common). No joke, my first Kotex "starter kit" of pads and such came with a little booklet that assured me that yes, I could do all the usual sporting activities and not risk my precious childbearing abilities later down the road! Much more fun at the Museum of Menstruation.

I envy those of you who have either the heavy bleeding or the cramps, cravings and mood changes. I have all of the above.

I've always used tampons but had to change them like mad during the first few days, every couple hours, and now that I'm older and things seem to ramping up, I usually actually use both tampons and pads for the first couple of days. Just to have a backup.

And I've never enjoyed skydiving more!
posted by Miko at 5:16 PM on October 16, 2012 [3 favorites]


I'm not looking forward to menopause - my mother told me she would use two super tampons (yes at once) and a pad, and still flood them. She probably should have gone skydiving instead.
posted by b33j at 5:39 PM on October 16, 2012


I must confess though that I'm one of those insanely lucky women who usually (touchwood) have periods like clockwork, not very heavy bleeding and little in the way of cramps. I've noticed though that I'm actually noticing my stomach feeling kind of uncomfortable during the first day of my period these days and that my cycle has gotten a bit shorter, so that might be changing (ugh).
posted by peacheater at 6:00 PM on October 16, 2012


That would be the Museum of Menstruation.
posted by Miko at 6:02 PM on October 16, 2012


May I just put in that I admire women? They put up with so much shit that men's complaints seem like "first world problems."
posted by SPrintF at 6:33 PM on October 16, 2012 [2 favorites]


Truly, we are saints on this earth.
posted by Miko at 7:27 PM on October 16, 2012 [8 favorites]


I look at my girls and feel sorry for them that in so few short years they're going to have to deal with all the woman-shit that we deal with. Seriously.
posted by aacheson at 7:30 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


Yeah, it's the bleeding. I swear during every heavy period that I'm going to start using diapers.
posted by deborah at 7:35 PM on October 16, 2012


When I was in high school and early college, I used to get cramps so bad that I had uncontrollable vomiting. Then I discovered the miracle of hormonal birth control. Then I discovered the miracle of manipulating hormonal birth control to minimize periods, and eventually just stop having them. Then I grew a pituitary tumor and got an IUD at the same time, and I've been totally period free for over a year. Better living through...ummm....well, just better living without freaking periods.
posted by twiggy32 at 7:51 PM on October 16, 2012 [3 favorites]


Already mentioned upthread, but just to re-iterate : all of you heavy bleeders, you owe it to yourself to buy a divacup. Really. I am a heavy bleeder, and it is seriously a life-changer.
posted by Fig at 8:16 PM on October 16, 2012


Mentioned above but worth repeating.

Menstrual cups.

For my fellow ladies who have a lot of blue liquid (red jello?) each month. Changed my life and bonus, satisfies that part of myself who likes to keep real close tabs on bodily secretions.*

*First comment on the blue probably shouldn't end on that note, but I'm going with it.
posted by thesocietyfor at 8:24 PM on October 16, 2012 [6 favorites]


Finding that link let Fig beat me to it, so I'll add that the original Keeper holds more than the DivaCup and it's worth navigating that LiveJournal of people with a really weird obsession to compare capacities.
posted by thesocietyfor at 8:25 PM on October 16, 2012


Oh lawks! Mike Koenig.
posted by unliteral at 9:33 PM on October 16, 2012 [6 favorites]


those cups are very uncomfortable. Plus when you're sleeping they leak since gravity isn't working with them.
posted by aacheson at 10:15 PM on October 16, 2012


Is that fart the new Wilhelm scream?
posted by TwelveTwo at 10:20 PM on October 16, 2012


That fart makes me laugh out loud fairly uncontrollably every time.

OK, that's true of most farts.

I'm a 43-year-old 11-year-old boy.
posted by yiftach at 11:38 PM on October 16, 2012 [1 favorite]



and this is why IUS/IUDs with hormones are the most wonderful thing in the world: they lighten and possibly eliminate menstruation.


O RLY? The copper-only one had quite the opposite effect. I'm not keen on taking anything hormonal/potentially mood-changing, but it would be nice to not have to deal with that.

I like the idea of a menstrual cup but I can't work out what you'd do about it in a public place. I can use the disabled toilets at work without conscience as we don't have any physically disabled staff, but it's not always an option everywhere.
posted by mippy at 1:55 AM on October 17, 2012


There was an ad in Spain some two decades ago where the model a joke about blue liquid, then used fresh orange juice (with the pulp) to show the absorbency of the sanitary pads. No, not blood oranges, but it was pretty pulpy.
posted by kandinski at 4:06 AM on October 17, 2012


those cups are very uncomfortable. Plus when you're sleeping they leak since gravity isn't working with them.

Does gravity really have anything to do with it? I thought they worked by creating a seal between your vaginal wall and the cup. Also, they come in various different sizes and lengths, and you can trim the stem as much or as little as you like. I have never had any problems with leaking at night, unless I'm having an incredibly (like, super duper) heavy flow, and then it's just overflowing, not leaking as such.
posted by catch as catch can at 5:02 AM on October 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


Mippy- I think changing and cleaning a medical device is a totally valid reason to use an accessible toilet. I mean, lots of places put the diaper change table in the accessible toilet or stall- so they're obviously not just for people with limited physical mobility.

Having said that, I just empty the cup, give it a wipe with some toilet paper, and stick it right back in- no big deal!
posted by cilantro at 5:37 AM on October 17, 2012


Worst thing about periods poll?

The periods themselves? Laundry. (I believe you understand why.)

The worst thing about the week before is the mild moodiness and the havoc it wreaks on my digestive tract.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:42 AM on October 17, 2012 [2 favorites]


O RLY? The copper-only one had quite the opposite effect.

That's why I specified an IUD with hormones - it's called an IUS (Intra-uterine system) in the UK and brand-named as Mirena in the US/Canada. The copper-based IUD will increase flow and cramping and is not recommended for women with either -- but the hormone-based IUD reduces/eliminates both.

On cups: they are great and a life-saver. I could never use tampons without a pad as well, but my cup never leaks. You shouldn't be able to feel them at all - that sounds like its too big or sitting in the wrong place. Also, they don't work by gravity but by sealing, like a diaphram or cervical cap (both designed to seal in many different positions). Diaphrams can actually be used as menstruel cups - they don't hold as much but you can have sex with them in. No more messy sex.
posted by jb at 6:03 AM on October 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


I don't have a cup but I also understand you don't need to change them nearly as often as you do a tampon, which makes the public place issue a lot less concerning.
posted by Miko at 6:14 AM on October 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I've actually never had to deal with my cup in public more than a once or twice (I can go 12 hours on a heavy day) because it holds so much. It's pretty easy and quick to deal with, though, because the blood, etc. just clumps together so you can empty it out and put it right back in; I don't wipe it off. I'm confused why you'd need a handicapped stall...why would you need more room? It's easy to deal with in a regular sized stall since you're sitting down for it all.

Comort wise, since ladies are shaped differently it's not a one-size fits all or even a viable option for everyone, some of my friends think they just don't have the right shape. It just seems insane that something that makes periods so much cheaper and easier to deal with is still relatively obscure.
posted by thesocietyfor at 9:16 AM on October 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


This is totally evil of me, and I would understand the mods deleting this, but I see NO trolls in this thread telling us what we feel, or should do, or how what we say affects them worse than us. This tells me that in any anti-feminist thread, all we need to do to resolve the situation is say MENSTRUAL BLOOD, and ta-da! Trolls begone! Who knew it was that easy?
posted by b33j at 2:57 PM on October 17, 2012 [4 favorites]


Was I the only one who, on seeing her drink the blue fluid, immediately remembered this?
posted by Wordshore at 5:08 PM on October 17, 2012


a 'Bodyfarm' sounds like it'd be pretty creepy

It should. It's what they call a research facility where human decomposition can be studied in a variety of settings.
posted by caryatid at 5:54 PM on October 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


Dammit, and I searched for Bodyfarm before I posted that, too.

Anyway:


I'm not looking forward to menopause

Menopause itself is not fun, but it doesn't last forever. It's only a few short years. Post-menopause, you get blissful years of no periods, no need for birth control, no cramps, and no bleeding to enjoy for the rest of your life. It's very nice.

Also, you can wear beautiful, expensive, lacy underwear every day if you want to.
posted by caryatid at 6:09 PM on October 17, 2012


My period worry has been a thousand times better since I started using a cup. I don't have any trouble with it ever. I have a Diva and a Meluna like this one (the purple with a loop). The loop makes it much more comfortable.

I've also switched to cloth pads, which are washable. I know it sounds like a mess, and probably gross, but it's really a lot less gross than the disposable sanitary napkins I used to wear. This one, from Talulahbean.com is one of my favs. It doesn't stain, and I wear it on my heavy days. It's actually a little huge and made for use after having a baby, but it's great. I recommend giving them a try.
posted by persephone's rant at 7:36 PM on October 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


why didn't humans evolve continence for this blood dripping thing? it's really unintelligent design.

During most of human evolution women basically didn't have periods - women of childbearing age were almost always pregnant or breastfeeding. Menstruating more than ten times in a lifetime was unusual. Why evolve continence for a process that basically doesn't happen?
posted by medusa at 8:48 PM on October 17, 2012 [2 favorites]


b33j: "This tells me that in any anti-feminist thread, all we need to do to resolve the situation is say MENSTRUAL BLOOD, and ta-da! Trolls begone! Who knew it was that easy?"

Once again, real life imitates Mean Girls.
posted by schmod at 8:50 PM on October 17, 2012


schmod, Barack Obama doesn't appear to be a troll in that video.
Disclosure: neither American nor have I ever seen mean girls

Oh I look forward to post-menopause with glee (c'mon, someone find appropriate video for THAT) and I'll wear my frilly knickers any time I damn well please, even when I'm menstruating.
posted by b33j at 9:09 PM on October 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


Regarding pads and tampons, I was brought up to believe night-time tampons would lead to toxic shock syndrome, but as someone who maintains a healthy bush, pads can lean to clotted blood in the pubic hair, and that's kinda of itchy and lumpy.
posted by b33j at 9:11 PM on October 17, 2012


My wife just put this on her ipad in front of me 2 minutes ago. Viral, indeed.

iPad?
posted by homunculus at 12:53 AM on October 18, 2012


Boy, is his face red!

So, he earned his red wings?
posted by homunculus at 1:01 AM on October 18, 2012


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