I got busy with something and didn't get a chance to respond to Trish's reply about my comment. When I talked about the Kickapoo Indians, it was this part of your comment I was responding to. I was raised in Oklahoma and actually knew some of the tribe members, and thought it was interesting to share in support of your post. I didn't mean to throw you a curve ball like I wasn't paying attention.
That's okay, I was a little confused because I was talking about the books, and... I was confused. It's all good.
Honestly, the images ya'll are putting in my head. I'm going to have some very strange nightmares. Did you just say I picked up a cervix? I don't think they're supposed to go bang, Catrin. I'm scared.
@Nicoel What is the stigma around a woman sloughing her uterine lining once a month? It is not something people see a sexy thing, but it is normal and natural thing. What does the vulva have to do with anything? It is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it is not some new mysterious thing that has just been found by medical science. Natural process and genitals don't have a stigma to them. Just somethings should be kept in private, as they are unsanitary for the vast majority of people. Thats ok to keep somethings in the bathroom, the world is not going to be impressed by bodily waste in any form. So the stigma issue is trying to make it a bigger deal than it should be. Women have periods, fine, just don't wave it fresh from the vagina out to the public. It is not polite, and is a wee bit gross.
There are actual tears running down my face from laughing, and I've just realized you guys got me to say ya'll repeatedly. Hilarious.
That's because, despite my apparent lack of cervix (issues) I am not a man, so I do not think like one. But I also have to kinda agree with that statement in an entirely different and inappropriate context.
Thanks man . Honestly though it was right there, I just couldn't resist. Yeah sorry @Nicoel. We've been a little naughty. But it was kinda worth it, if I do say so myself . Besides it was totally @Trish 's fault she started it
Idiots. So many have hangups about buying this stuff, but those of us that have no problem are the darlings of the stores. Seriously, a female checker in a bad mood will brighten when she sees me buying them, treat me well, and then go back to nasty for the next person in line. This needs to be explained to men and more men would have no issues buying. I actually look forward to buying them; it is a stroke to my ego to have women smile at me and treat me well, and is such a big deal that a few checkers have told me to find them when I am single. I would imagine that a guy that has no problem buying these items is probably easier to deal with all around.
Interesting thread, this is. It brings up a slew of social prejudices, extenuations, and even a little feeling of TMI in some folks. So here's what this nearly 70-year-old man thinks of the subject of menstruation, and of its place in literature. It's no big deal. I've lived with several menstruating women. None of them has made a big deal of it ... they point out when it might be a factor in some decision regarding travel or recreation, the guys take it into account, and we move on. Nobody gets freaked about it. I've even shopped for tampons for them, as they've shopped for condoms for me. Of course, we've generally lived in cities where nobody cares, rather than at the only rural general store for a hundred miles around. That might make a difference. As for putting it into your story, I don't see the harm unless you're going out of your way to fetishize it. But as a slice-of-life thing for the protagonist, it's fine. If she's making a shopping list, put it on there; if she says that she was a few minutes late because she had to make an unexpected stop at the store for tampons or napkins, that's all right, too. It's not like she's making a big deal of it ... it's just part of her life, like stopping for a bite if she's hungry, or hitting up the ATM when she's low on cash. Not many readers would mind if you put the latter two circumstances in your story, as long as she wasn't stopping at the restaurant or the bank every third page. (I also think that taxes on tampons and sanitary napkins is unfair. It should be in the same category as food and drugs. "I think that for laughs, I'm going to use a tampon today, " said no woman ever.)
To be honest, if she's heavily injured, and her period is what's on her mind, I'm gonna have to agree with archer88i. I would have to ask, "Why is she worried about her period?" And it would stand out and come off as pandering.
