Have a Happy Period!

[itself]

Gals,

Enjoy this, it is a TRUE story:


This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It's PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best webmail-award-winning letter.



Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women.

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants . . which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.'

Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out of your ***, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong'.

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep. Always.

Best,

Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX

[Karma007]

THAT is funny as hell!

[Tri Girl]

That's great! I always thought the "have a happy period" thing was pretty stupid. Yeah, mine is happy every month. I'm always overjoyed at it's arrival (actually I AM thrilled because it means I'm not pregnant and don't have to worry about being a terrible mother to a poor, innocent soul).
Classic. :D

[Biciclista]

rotfl!

I actually wrote a feminine products manufacturer critiquing one of their products and got gobs and gobs of coupons - which i used.

[channlluv]

Oh, now that is a hoot. Sketchy plan to go out in a blaze of glory, indeed.

I wonder what the exec thought about that letter. I wonder if they sent her a year's supply of coupons, too.

Roxy

[Ciao]

That's hysterical! Wonderfully written! :p

[GLC1968]

That is GREAT!

I just snorted out loud on a conference call when I read this:


I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants

And I had to fight tears of laughter at the rest of it. Beautiful!

[BikeDutchess]

I can't stop laughing! :D

[Flybye]

The first time that I unwrapped one of those babies I thought to myself "who was the idiot in charge of passing this phrase through to marketing". I did laugh though, but I like the irony of things.

[lph]

wonderful :D yowza!

I remember one ad that annoyed the h*ll out of me some years ago - a splitscreen ad, with one woman who used Libresse Night (I think) and some other poor soul who used some inferior product. The woman using Libresse Night slept soundly throughout the night and rose with a happy smile on her face to make breakfast for her kids, the other woman tossed and turned all night, was up awake several times, and looked like a hag the next morning.

Uh, did they really think that women are in discomfort and sleep poorly because their pads aren't good enough and they're afraid of staining their SHEETS? :eek:

[pinkbikes]

Wow! I had no idea they put slogans on them!

Not sure if they do this over in the USA but our ads on TV here feature blue liquid being poured onto the pads to show how absorbent they are! Blue liquid? Are they kidding!?

[Bron]

Well do you want to know what they actually use for testing them?

[pinkbikes]

I hate to think!:confused::eek:

[Dogmama]

Well do you want to know what they actually use for testing them?

OK, I'll bite...

Ooops, better make myself clear. Didn't realize I wasn't talking to a USA gal. Let me rephrase:

What do they use to test them?

[Bron]

That's fine, I understood.

Well one option is a mixture of egg white and blood orange juice. I can't imagine that that would look so good on an advert though!

[lph]

I always figured that the blue liquid was just because too many people would be grossed out by seeing something that actually looked like blood. Lots of people freak out just seeing blood from a scratch, not to mention the "unmentionable" type.

Come to think of it I read somewhere (BBC something on the "disgust" reaction) that blue is a colour people connect with clean, sterile, laboratory, non-biological, so they don't react negatively to it.

[Biciclista]

hey i just thought of a circumstance that would be "a happy period"
some poor woman with 3 kids in diapers who was afraid she was pregnant!!!!

:eek:

[Aggie_Ama]

Wow! I had no idea they put slogans on them!


What I find humorous is Playtex Sport Tampons have all these motivational statements printed on the outside of the wrapper. I don't have one handy but they are things with a message like "Stay in the game" or "You are a winner". Trust me I feel like neither getting in the game or a winner when I have to use said product. :rolleyes:

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well maybe I'm bucking the tide here, but I think that letter from the Austin woman was really rude. I understand what she was saying, but I think her language was incredibly inappropriate. I would never write to a company like that unless they had intentionally caused me harm in some way. (in which case my lawyer would be writing, not me)

Call me old fashioned, but I lament a society where people feel they can freely write to strangers with "f***ing" this and that and "get your head out of your a**", etc. Her letter would have been way more effective without the crude expressions and bad manners. There are a hundred other ways that letter could be just as funny and effective.

Another thing- I fully realize that some women have a hard time during their periods. But I tire of the extreme cliches constantly being tossed around by some women...as though we all are 'homicidal maniacs' with 'out-of-control behavior' and want to shoot ourselves or rip our uteruses out with our bare hands when having our periods. Speak for yourself, but don't include me in this wild generalization. In my mind, the scale of pain and suffering would reach suicidal desperation somewhere in the burn victim or stomach cancer category, not in women having their periods.

Hmmm, maybe I'm just curmudgeonly in my old age. What the heck, I'll post this anyway. :rolleyes:

[jobob]

I think it was meant to be funny.

[Aggie_Ama]

Lisa- I actually agree with you to a point. While it being a letter is not too bad, this woman probably does this to the bank teller, her doctor's receptionist, her husband.

I worked my way through college at Lowe's and was amazed how rude people will be to complete strangers. On more than one occassion when they were unhappy with the policies (I worked returns and then worse was a front end manager) they called me stupid, a b*tch, one called me ugly, one told me with my brains it was no wonder I was in retail. I actually have training in mediation and conflict resolution so my managers usually gave glowing reviews of my handling of such situations. Now in my current job there is a lot of phone time, I get it some days from people we have a business relationship with!

While I don't enjoy my period and do not feel all sunshine and happy like those commercials would suggest, I am not homicidal or outwardly angry at the world. And prior to BC I had periods that would get me in so much pain and nauseated that I skipped classes I needed to be in or thoroughly enjoyed. I know bad periods but violence to others or myself has never been triggered by those awful periods. I may be a little less patient (especially with poor DH), I may bemoan being a woman that day but I still am capable of acting like a mature person. :rolleyes:

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I think it was meant to be funny.

I know that.

[SadieKate]

I've seen that letter before but it still remains hilarious. The satirical tone is priceless.

I highly doubt that someone who is that skilled at satire would be unnecessarily rude to others. If so, there are a bunch of book authors we should be boycotting.

[roadie gal]

Considering that fact that at this moment I am in the throws of a PMS so bad that it feels like my body is one size too small, that I can't stop eating, and I'm ready to kill anyone who looks at me funny... I think that letter isn't strong enough. Talk to me in a week, when I'm human again, and I might think it's over the top.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

So SK, you're saying that was not a real letter that was actually sent?

I like well written satire very much, and crude language can be funny (and fun) if used cleverly.... but I think if that letter were really sent to that company president, then it should have shown the bare minimum amount of decent manners that we would show to any stranger in the street. Others might think differently.

I agree, there's a whole lot of things in this world we should be boycotting. Probably not too many book authors though. :D

[sfa]

I've seen that letter before but it still remains hilarious. The satirical tone is priceless.

I highly doubt that someone who is that skilled at satire would be unnecessarily rude to others. If so, there are a bunch of book authors we should be boycotting.

I'm not so sure about that.

Personally I think the letter is very funny, and I particularly like the image of homicidal maniacs in capri pants.

But having a sharp wit like the author clearly has can lead to being unnecessarily rude. I do it myself sometimes, and you get into a bad habit of being biting and sarcastic because it's easy to do and it gets laughs. And it's not always nice, but you keep doing it because you like those easy laughs. I suspect that with an appropriate creative outlet (like a book, or a stand-up routine) you're less likely to see unnecessary rudeness, but since we don't know the author of this letter, it's impossible to say if her creative outlet of choice - a letter to a manufacturer - takes care of her satiric urges or if she also would bite the head off a bank teller.

Sarah

[SadieKate]

So SK, you're saying that was not a real letter that was actually sent?
What? I'm saying we can't assume someone who is a skilled satirist, in fiction or non-fiction, is going to be rude without regard. Otherwise, we'll need to add many political columnists and broadcasters to that boycott list also.

[SadieKate]

. . . but since we don't know the author of this letter, it's impossible to say if her creative outlet of choice - a letter to a manufacturer - takes care of her satiric urges or if she also would bite the head off a bank teller.

SarahExactly. And we don't know if this letter was published publicly, like an op-ed, either.

[lph]

I think it's hilarious, and I think she's wording it so obviously over the top that even the recipient might find it funny. I've written a similar letter (not as funny, I'm afraid) to some company that insisted on billing me a gazillion times for a magazine I'd cancelled, and my intent was to get my point across strongly, with humour. And I swear - I've never bitten the head off any bank teller or shop assistant :)

edited to add: I guess "tiny middle-manager brain" was a bit unnecessarily rude. Unless it was actually directed to somebody at the top, in which case he can probably handle it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well it's good that we can all express our thoughts about it. :)

(hopefully without biting each others' heads off or ripping each other's uteruses out.)

(uterii??)

[maillotpois]

There's an attorney here who's known for his incredibly mean yet very funny letters to opposing counsel. That "tiny middle manager" thing reminds me of a letter he wrote once that went something like: "I can almost picture you sitting at your deck crafting that sentence. However, since I don't know what you look like, I have to imagine a clown sitting at their desk."

The whole thing was pretty darned funny. I actually scan and save letters like that that I get in some of my more litigious cases.

[SadieKate]

Subject: The United States of England You Go Cleese!

Message from John Cleese
To the citizens of the United States of America:

In light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus
to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your
independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other
territories (excepting Kansas, which she does not fancy). Your new prime
minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a governor for America without the need
for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A
questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you
noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules
are introduced with immediate effect:

1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then
look up "aluminium," and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed
at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. The letter 'U' will be
reinstated in words such as 'favour' and neighbour.' Likewise, you will
learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix
"ize" will be replaced by the suffix "ise." You will learn that the suffix
'burgh' is pronounced 'burra'; you may elect to respell Pittsburgh as
'Pittsberg' if you find you simply can't cope with correct pronunciation.

Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable
levels. (look up "vocabulary"). Using the same twenty-seven words
interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an
unacceptable and inefficient form of communication.

2. There is no such thing as "US English." We will let Microsoft know on
your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of
the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of "-ize."

3. You will relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The Queen",
but only after fully carrying out Task #1 (see above).

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday. November 2nd will be
a new national holiday, but to be celebrated only in England. It will be
called "Come-Uppance Day."

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers or
therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows
that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled
by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone
or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.
Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more
dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to
carry a vegetable peeler in public.

6. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your
own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.
All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start
driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go
metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables.
Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense
of humour.

7. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been
calling "gasoline")-roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.

8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are
not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are
properly called "crisps." Real chips are thick cut,fried in animal fat, and
dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

9. Waiters and waitresses will be trained to be more aggressive with
customers.

10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer
at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as
"beer," and E uropean brews of known and accepted provenance will be
referred to as "Lager." American brands will be referred to as "Near-Frozen
Gnat's Urine," so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

11. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good
guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English
characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in "Four
Weddings and a Funeral" was an experience akin to having one's ears removed
with a cheese grater.

12. You will cease playing American "football." There is only one kind of
proper football; you call it "soccer." Those of you brave enough will, in
time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American
"football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or
wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an
event called the "World Series" for a game which is not played outside of
America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a
world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.

13. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's
Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies
due (backdated to 1776).

[Jones]

Exactly. And we don't know if this letter was published publicly, like an op-ed, either.

I thought this letter was hysterical, so I Googled the name of the author, Wendi Aarons, and found this at Breakthechain.org.

"This humorous editorial was originally titled "An Open Letter to James Thatcher, Brand Manager, Proctor and Gamble" and was, indeed, written by Wendi Aarons of Austin, TX. It was originally published on "Timothy McSweeny's Internet Tendency," an online creative writing journal site, in March 2007."
She has written many things and has several blogs.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

There's an attorney here who's known for his incredibly mean yet very funny letters to opposing counsel. That "tiny middle manager" thing reminds me of a letter he wrote once that went something like: "I can almost picture you sitting at your deck crafting that sentence. However, since I don't know what you look like, I have to imagine a clown sitting at their desk."

Personally, I think this is way funnier and more clever than the "Pull your head out of your a**, man!" school of satire. But to each their own! :D

John Cleese?- always funny.

[jobob]

This all reminds me of a hillarious Ebay auction a couple of years ago - "LOT OF POKEMON CARDS THAT MY KIDS TRIED TO SNEAK BY ME". I had put the link to that auction on my blog but it's no longer on Ebay, alas.

But the good news is, the author of that post started her own website (http://www.becauseisaidso.com/) and blog and she posted the original auction page here (in pdf form):

http://www.dawnmeehan.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/pokemonauction.pdf

And even better, she wrote a book that's to be published in April.

I think that's really cool. :)

[Tri Girl]

Subject: The United States of England You Go Cleese!

Message from John Cleese
To the citizens of the United States of America:


That was awesome! :) I missed that when it came out... 4 or 8 years ago.

[Trekhawk]

This all reminds me of a hillarious Ebay auction a couple of years ago - "LOT OF POKEMON CARDS THAT MY KIDS TRIED TO SNEAK BY ME". I had put the link to that auction on my blog but it's no longer on Ebay, alas.

But the good news is, the author of that post started her own website (http://www.becauseisaidso.com/) and blog and she posted the original auction page here (in pdf form):

http://www.dawnmeehan.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/pokemonauction.pdf

And even better, she wrote a book that's to be published in April.

I think that's really cool. :)

YAY!!
Thanks for posting the link Jo. I remember this one and I laughed myself stupid the first time I read it. Good to have another belly laugh today.:D

[shootingstar]

Well maybe I'm bucking the tide here, but I think that letter from the Austin woman was really rude. I understand what she was saying, but I think her language was incredibly inappropriate. I would never write to a company like that unless they had intentionally caused me harm in some way. (in which case my lawyer would be writing, not me)

Call me old fashioned, but I lament a society where people feel they can freely write to strangers with "f***ing" this and that and "get your head out of your a**", etc. Her letter would have been way more effective without the crude expressions and bad manners. There are a hundred other ways that letter could be just as funny and effective.

Another thing- I fully realize that some women have a hard time during their periods. But I tire of the extreme cliches constantly being tossed around by some women...as though we all are 'homicidal maniacs' with 'out-of-control behavior' and want to shoot ourselves or rip our uteruses out with our bare hands when having our periods. Speak for yourself, but don't include me in this wild generalization. In my mind, the scale of pain and suffering would reach suicidal desperation somewhere in the burn victim or stomach cancer category, not in women having their periods.

Hmmm, maybe I'm just curmudgeonly in my old age. What the heck, I'll post this anyway. :rolleyes:


I guess definition of satire is different this days. I always thought satire was abit more cleverly written.

And even if the letter was satirical, the frequent joke or inference that menopausal women are homicidal maniacs or in alot of pain/discomfort once every month, is gettin' abit threadbare and tiresome..especially for a significant portion of women that I personally know who don't suffer much at all when they had their periods. General attitude is: yea, I got my period. Let's move on..what is really new and interesting in life?

[jobob]

I don't experience anything when I get my period. Seriously. Maybe a tiny ache a half-day beofe it starts. Sometimes I don't even know it's starting until it's too late. Luckily I wear cheap underwear. :rolleyes:

But I do know women that go through hell every month and I certainly don't presume to speak for them.

Sometimes humor is a good antidote for pain.

Some thought this post was funny. Some don't.

So let's just quite the patronizing and move the hell on.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

So let's just quite the patronizing and move the hell on.

No need to be quite so polite, Jobob. :rolleyes:

[Crankin]

I suffered horribly with PMS and my period. I was glad when it stopped. Menopause was nothing compared to what i went through from age 11 to 48.
However, I don't think I would have written that letter, at least in that tone, with those words. While I don't like the patronizing attitude that stupid saying implies, it's not going to ruin my life.
I wasn't a homicidal maniac, just in physical pain. I took a Tylenol and tried to carry on.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

But I do know women that go through hell every month and I certainly don't presume to speak for them.

But that's just it!- they presume to speak for us! The women you hear from most are the ones who talk about 'women' (and they usually do refer to women as a group, not just referring to themselves) becoming homicidal maniacs, etc. during their periods. They make it sound like all women are like this, that's my only beef. They pretend to speak for all of us when they talk like in that letter:

As Brand Manager in the Feminine Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women....
...Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period?...FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

Yes, it's funny in a superficial sort of way, but it also perpetuates a way of thinking that paints women as hysterically driven by their hormones, not unlike the pervasive Victorian notion of women's 'fits of hysteria' or 'having the vapors'- an attitude we look down on today...a way of saying women were not in control of their behavior because of some sort of biological weakness, and therefore were not to be taken seriously. I realize this may over-analyzing the issue a bit but please forgive me- I like to think in depth about the underlying meanings of all kinds of things. I have been enjoying hearing other women's opinions about this. I know there is no all right or wrong, but rather shades of grey in all things, depending on one's own perspective. And we all do have different perspectives, and yes we can only speak for ourselves, not for all women. I am speaking only for myself.

One of my daughters has to literally spend the day in bed once a month, in terrible pain, faint, weak, and nauseous. I feel so bad for her! Happily, this is not typical of most women.

I personally feel it's not so hilarious anymore to overdo the homicidal maniac school of menstrual humor about women, regardless of whether the comedian is a man or a woman. It's become a cliche about women and is not very accurate. They can speak for themselves, I'm all for that, but I just don't enjoy being lumped in with it. Let them talk about their own horrific periods, but not describe it in terms of women in general. ;)
That's all i'm saying. (are we 'allowed' to post anymore?)
This is still on topic for the "Happy Period" theme. :D It's always interested me in fact, and I'm glad to be able to express my longtime feelings about it. I have no great malice about it.

P.s. In fact, I just had a happy one, and actually smiled and laughed during it! :)

[shootingstar]

But that's just it!- they presume to speak for us! The women you hear from most are the ones who talk about 'women' (and they usually do refer to women as a group, not just referring to themselves) becoming homicidal maniacs, etc. during their periods. They make it sound like all women are like this, that's my only beef. When they say things like "Have YOU ever had a period?" to men it sounds like it includes all of us.

One of my daughters has to literally spend the day in bed once a month, in terrible pain. I feel so bad for her! Yet this is not typical.
I personally feel it's not so hilarious anymore to overdo the homicidal maniac school of menstrual humor about women, no whether the comedian is a man or a woman. It's become a cliche about women and is not very accurate. They can speak for themselves, but I just don't enjoy being lumped in with it. Let them talk about their own horrific periods, not mine as well. ;)
That's all i'm saying. (are we 'allowed' to post anymore?)
I feel this is still on topic for the "Happy Period" theme. :D It's always interested me in fact, and I'm glad to be able to express my longtime feelings about it. I have no great malice about it.

P.s. In fact, I just had a happy one! :)

I'm trying to get out of calm period..it's just hanging around too long this time. It annoys no one but...myself and my partner. :rolleyes: And that's all in this world who needs to know my happy period status on a regular basis. ;):D

It is annoying the presumption by some people, especially some men who think that periods always that disrupt women in a major way each month. All is takes is a few women who want to do expresss (frequently) to others who wish to hear..men or women..that they are not feeling well, their hot flashes. I used to hear it all the time from our receptionist at a former workplace with her hot flashes. Everyone knew about them every month.

I have a close, long-time friend who had disabling periods that put her in bed once a month. Once, she nearly fainted as we walked along on a hot summer day. She refused to see a doctor (she was conservative Mennonite) until..it got to a point she had surgery. Long story, some unpleasant details which I will skip. I sympathize the small group of women like her. I did everything to convince her that she had to see a doctor.

Until I started to hear about some menstruation and menopause jokes later in life, I thought menstruation was the most normal and calm thing every month. Why should I not think this way? :) I have 4 other sisters and mother who never went beserk, never in pain and probably rarely crawled into bed for relief. So I got indoctrinated right at home....:p Dear father and brother who saw enough boxes of sanitary napkins stocked up in the closets. But no big deal. This probably all stemmed from my mother's attitude how she raised her daughters... menstruation is not a big deal, just to be dealt with. And her attitude probably came from being with 5 other sisters..we have heavily female-dominant families. :)

I agree with you Bleekerstgirl.

[Aint Doody]

C'mon, y'all. It's just supposed to be funny. Don't take it so seriously. It's not a comment on womanhood for cryin' out loud!

And the Pokemon cards! All my mascara is now on my sleeve.

[SadieKate]

C'mon, y'all. It's just supposed to be funny. Don't take it so seriously. It's not a comment on womanhood for cryin' out loud!

And the Pokemon cards! All my mascara is now on my sleeve.What are you doing wearing mascara on a weekend? :p

[itself]

Hi Gals,

I posted it for simply a laugh. Sure it can be perceived as overboard, but my goodness, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

Women have monthly periods
Women have PMS, some more than others
Women bear children
Women go through peri-menopause
Women go through menopause

Men simply don't have to bear with the bodily changes that women do. Women are ignored on all medical fronts. If I see one more drug for erectile dysfunction I will pewk. The Breast Cancer Awareness is a wonderful thing, but I hope you all know that heart disease is the number one killer of women. Now prostate cancer has taken the forefront for men due to Lance Armstrong.

The world is run by men, and I truly resent it. The letter allowed me a moment to just laugh about it, and not take it all so seriously...

Lisa :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

That's fine too. I think it's good that we can all express our various thoughts about it!

Lisa :)

(hey is there an echo in here?) :eek:







.

[Fujichants]

Hmm...I didn't find the letter that funny either.

Maybe it was meant as a joke, but damn, I would not want to run into her when she's on her period!

[Dogmama]

Well, I'm one who really suffered & not just physically. I planned my life around my periods. I had my wedding in the middle of my menstrual cycle to make sure that my evil twin sister would be asleep. Seriously, it was like another person came out & she bore a remarkable resemblence to the Wicked Witch of the West. I menstruated for 45 years, starting at age 9. Next month I will be one year without periods and I am rejoicing.

If you were a coworker or casual acquaintance,you did not know because I was good at keeping my feelings under wraps. Perhaps the most frustrating thing was trying to get medical help. Male doctors' eyes just glazed over & I could see them thinking, "Hysterical Female."

So, yeah, I laughed my butt off.

Itself - you're spot on. I worked at a well known heart center for 11 years. The director would lament that although heart disease was the #1 killer, cancer got more funding - both public and private.

As far as E.D. - I agree. If I see another grey haired man with his trophy bride who can't...you know. I want to scream, "Get over it! You married an old man! You traded money for sex!"

But, I no longer scream at the TV because I don't have periods. :p:p:p

[Tuckervill]

Didn't Lance have testicular cancer, not prostate?

Karen

[Aint Doody]

What are you doing wearing mascara on a weekend?

I was so bored that I was playing in some new makeup. Cabin fever:D!

[snapdragen]

Didn't Lance have testicular cancer, not prostate?

Karen

Yes.

snap "happy period free" dragen

[smurfalicious]

If you've never seen Sarah Haskins she is awesome. She pokes fun at the things marketed to women and the stereotypes they use to do so. I loooove this one about birth control.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFr9RK1L5pI