My first period story takes place in the summer of 1964. I was a bubbly, active thirteen-year-old who was excited for the many summer activities of camping, swimming and picnics by the lake my family had planned. With the sun on my heels and warm wind in my hair, I knew this summer would be special.
But I didn’t realize it would be special in “that” kind of way…
I remember the day like yesterday, and rightly so, without it The DivaCup would never be the success it is today.
We had just moved to a growing neighborhood that had lots of kids. I was growing up with three brothers and I was a tomboy at heart. The freedom we had in those days was fantastic as we were outdoors from morning to night.
When I got my first period it was something I was not prepared for at all! I did not know too much about the menstrual cycle, had no access to the type of sustainable menstrual products we see today and the disposable products that were available in the 1960s were bulky, uncomfortable and messy.
On this “special” warm summer day, my family and I were just about to head out for a family picnic by the lake when, it happened. In a bit of a panic, I asked my mom about the blood in my underwear and she told me not to worry, it was just my period. She also told me that I would have to stay home and rest because young girls aren’t allowed to swim when they have their period.
“Not allowed to swim!?”
Right away I knew this period business was bad news. I remember thinking that if being a girl means you have to stay home and miss out on all the fun – I wanted nothing to do with it! More so, I felt that because of my period, and because I was a girl, I couldn’t be who I wanted to be.
To make matters worse, I was sadly informed that now that I was a “woman”, my time of acting like a tomboy had come to an abrupt end.
So my grandmother and I stayed home while my family left for day at the lake. I walked to the bathroom in tears, shifting through the cupboard for the brown paper bag, I often saw my mother carry in from the drugstore. The huge pads had to be attached to your underwear with safety pins – at the time there was no such thing as adhesive backing! I remember thinking, “there had to be a better way to care for your flow”. It was in this moment, that the design of a reusable menstrual cup came to my mind. I never could have imagined that twenty-eight years later I would discover such a product, and later develop one of my own.
I’ve hung onto the memory of my first period story because every time I think of it, I am reminded of how important the work I am doing is to the future comfort and empowerment of young girls and women everywhere. Thank you for letting me share my first period story with you. I look forward to hearing all of your stories and hope that by joining together we can have a better, healthier period experience.
Told by Francine Chambers
President & Founder of The DivaCup
Click Here, to share your first period story with us!