How do you explain getting your period to your daughter? For that matter, how did your Latina mami explain it to you? I remember a weird and slightly awkward conversation with my mom, when she got pregnant with my younger brother. Well, if you lived in 1946, then you may have actually seen this handy video from Disney, in collaboration with Kotex, explaining "the story of menstruation" and (gasp!) even using the word vagina way back when.
I admit: the video is a little bit weird in parts and definitely a little bit on the sexist side, like when it tells female viewers that they can still go on about their "usual" activities while on their periods—like finishing household chores, according to The Daily Mail. Hey now, what if I want to actually go out and have FUN while on my period?
Read more ¿Qué más? Want to gross out your daughter? Throw her a period party!
Despite this backward thinking (which, well, was kind of typical back then and, depending on who you talk to, even prevalent today), the video DOES do a pretty good job of explaining why a woman's body changes the way it does (there's talk about glands and ovaries) and even encourages girls to exercise when the announcer woman says that "as for the old taboo against exercise, that's nonsense, exercising is good for you during menstruation."
To be honest, I'm kind of amazed by Disney's "all life is built on cycles" video and talking honestly about what exactly is going on. In fact, I'd say you should watch this one with your daughters. Of course, you'll still want to have your own talk since this video skips the whole "sex" aspect of your period but it DOES boast scientific accuracy and I think that's a good start.
Embedded content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDDcn0BroiY
Image via YouTube
