Tara+D's+Final+AmEx+2015+Speech

=** Periods **=

Okay, so I’m gonna do my talk on Periods. My first sentence probably already got half of you guys uncomfortable, and I honestly don’t understand why. Do you? Is it icky or something? Girls have had it for as long as humans have been around and here we are today in a society where girls are embarrassed of it, and a lot boys are disgusted by it. It’s become some type of taboo in society like the chamber of secrets or something, where it shouldn’t be, since it’s a natural thing. It’s gotten to the point where my FIRE student opened my backpack to see a HORRIFYING pad! Oh my god, no! What was I thinking? Why would I have one of those with me?! He acted like it was the end of the world as he knew it and had the most disgusted tone in his voice I’d ever heard.

Not only do people find it “awkward” to talk about periods in front of guys, they find it unsettling to ask for pads or tampons too. I have a friend that’s usually really loud and fun that doesn’t really get embarrassed very easily, but just a few weeks ago, she was on her period and called me over really quietly and urgently. I thought something serious was going on with her because she’s pretty open anything and everything most of the time but when I walked over to her she only asked for a pad. Well I didn’t have one so she asked someone else, who did, and I just expected her to hand her a pad like you would hand off anything else, but instead, she slid the pad as fast as she could into my friend’s bag.

I was left kinda pissed that society makes us think we have to hide the fact that we’re on our period because some boys can’t get over it. Now, I think some of the blame is on the boys because I have a cousin that goes to an all girls school, and from what I’ve heard from her, there’s absolutely nothing to hide there! Have cramps? Just say the word and someone will give you a painkiller. Need a tampon? Shout it from across the room. Someone’s more than willing to give you a few, and no one cares if you ask for one out loud. It’s high time for guys to get over it because really the only time they say anything about periods, is when they complain about a girl PMSing when a she gets even slightly mad at them. All i have to say is STOP. It’s inaccurate and annoying and 99% of the time the girl probably has a valid reason to be pissed off. But don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t do all guys out there justice, because a lot of them, like you guys, you guys are chill, probably don’t give two shits about periods at all and are totally comfortable about the topic. A lot of it’s ingrained in girls since they lived their whole lives thinking it should be something they needed to hide. They think it’s something to be embarrassed about because society taught them that way, when in reality, it shouldn’t matter.

Everyone knows girls get periods and everyone took health in high school so why is it still such a big deal? Most girls I know, when they need to change their pad or tampon or whatever, will hide it in their bra, or put it in their waistband or pocket, and I admit I do it too, but it feels ridiculous to have to do that! Why does it need to be a secret? Im sure girls are sick of doing this all the time and it’s so unnecessary.

I don’t know if you guys understand how bad cramps are too, because honestly, it feels as if some evil spirit is reaching into your intestines, squeezing them, and twisting them around. Personally, I don’t get them very often but I really feel for those who do and you guys out there should be cheering us on for what we have to go through.

Some people may say they don't want to talk about their period because it's personal, and that's fine. I totally get that and I hope that later on, that'll be the only thing that's stopping women from being open about it. Not from embarrassment. I know this speech is just a lot of me complaining but the future I envision a place where periods aren’t an awkward thing anymore. When I’m old, wrinkly, and I’ve hit menopause, I want to live in an America that doesn’t need to hide periods.


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