Menstrual Taboo

There, I said it right in the title. Obviously if you're at all squeamish or incredibly uninterested in matters of the menstrual cycle, you'd better skip this entry. I find it irritating and ridiculous that it's so taboo. Sex, childbirth, even birth control are somehow acceptable topics but not this part of the cycle of life. I read somewhere years ago that if it was men that had periods they'd be constantly comparing notes and bragging about how long or heavy theirs were. Tongue in cheek of course, but why are the majority of women (and most of the men around us) so intent on pretending it doesn't happen at all?

I didn't just bring it up to bang a sociological drum though - I found some good info for anyone who cares about the environmental impact of the hordes of diposable menstrual supplies we go through. (Full of bleach and other chemicals by the way, and we actually place them inside our bodies.) There is a BC company called Lunapads that makes and sells cloth pads and distributes the Diva Cup and a few other items. I really like their tone, style, mission and yes, service. There are a lot of fun and fascinating links off of theirsite and they break them down into essentially menstruation related articles, feminist zines/sites, and envrionmental links.

And who wouldn't be curious about a company called Vinnie's Tampon Case? To read his story go to AdiosBarbie. It's a gutsy business idea, gotta give him credit.