What are YOU Fighting For?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about change & those that have managed to make it happen. Maybe it's the looming election & all that goes with it. More often than not, I seem to find myself following link after link, opening tab after tab, finding page after page that in some way characterizes what I think is our newest women's movement. I'm calling it right now, there is a Hormone Revolution (TM) taking place. It could be the videos that teens are posting on U by Kotex's site or the taboo photos by Emma Arvida Bystrom recently posted on Vice. But one thing is for sure; the fact that everyone is always so up in arms about frank & open discussion of the stigma that is still attached to that-time-of-the-month is stopping fewer & fewer women from talking about it. Everywhere I turn, women are waking up. They are discovering hormones & their affect on us (www.myhormonesmademedoit.com). They are questioning the reasons behind our habit of using a softer voice when we say the words 'period' or 'tampon' or even 'vagina'. They are sick & tired of having to hide that they are sick & tired for at least a few days out of the month, if not 2 weeks. Women have spent such a long time proving that we are equal & can do anything a man can, that we somehow managed to be convinced that we need to pretend our cycle doesn't affect us. It does, & women everywhere are starting to own it. 

Personally, I couldn't be happier. It's one of the reasons I started my service. Let's face it, Periods suck. Aunt Ruby makes periods suck just a little less. After all, we put up with cyclical changes in our bodies that are often painful & tiring, sapping not only our energy but often our focus & even our patience. For most women, this happens for around FORTY YEARS of their life. Remind me again why we need to be quiet about it?

This Hormone Revolution is definitely in it's beginning stages, but I have no doubt it is here to stay. The freedom to speak openly about who you are as a woman & to own all that comes with that, is something we should all be demanding on a daily basis. The next time somebody shushes you when you are talking about periods or hormones, just tell 'em your Aunt Ruby said you have every right to talk about it. If they don't listen, just take an overnight max-pad out of your purse, open it up, peel off the label & stick it to their forehead. That should fix 'em. If you think I'm off my rocker, I'll remind you of some other ideas in history that people thought were crazy:

- Although the women's suffrage movement began in 1869, it wasn't until 1893 that the first state gave women the right to vote (go Colorado!) However it took 27 more years until the 19th Amendement was signed into law for all states. 1920 was a great year.

- The subject of birth control was considered obscene & banned through US mail until 1936

- Up until 1973, you could place a help wanted ad & state specifically that you wanted a man.
  (This is also the year that women were federally granted the right to abortion)

- Prior to 1993, there were still states in which, if a man raped his wife, that was fine by them.

 Is 2020 the year we get Paid Period Leave? Hmmmmm.... maybe you should get involved in the discussion so the movement goes in the right direction. Don't think your voice carries? You probably didn't know that the infamous 'Bra Burning' was only a 100 person protest (I didn't either). It got picked up by a syndicated columnist & the rest is history. I can't wait to see what our history will be!



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Finally! Exercise without Fear of Bear Attacks!

"Do Women On Their Period Attract Bears? New Study Busts This Myth" was the headline on the Huffington Post article I saw yesterday. Good job, Huff- certainly caught my eye. It got me thinking "I wonder what other myths people believe about their period that aren't true?" I thought about writing a blog post about it, but questioned myself. "Could there really be anybody out there that still believes crazy things about their cycle? In this age of rapid information relay, is it possible for someone to still be mis-informed or just not know?" Then I happened to have also seen an article about a woman that never saw Star Wars, so I figure anything is possible. Here goes:

*Myth 1 - Women with their periods get attacked by bears frequently.
Seriously? No. As a matter of fact, studies show that there are WAY more men attacked than women. The error thinking started when a woman with her period was attacked. I just have one question. What on earth was she doing camping while she had her period? I mean, I'm all for the fact that we women can do anything men can, but why would you want to? Oh, wait, there is always the probability that she didn't know when she was getting it. Poor dear.

*Myth 2 - If you swim during your period, your tampon will absorb water, you'll become completely saturated, and you'll sink.
This one is just downright funny & I couldn't resist putting it in. I saw it many forums. Swimming with a tampon is totally safe and in no way puts you at greater risk for drowning.

*Myth 3 - You shouldn’t exercise or do strenuous activities during your period. 
 Menstruation is a normal function. Your period is not a disability, you can do anything during your period that you can do when you’re not menstruating. Exercise is actually a great way to relieve cramps & give you more energy.

*Myth 4 – You can’t get pregnant if you've got your period.
It is less likely that you'll get pregnant if you have sex when you've got your period. But it doesn’t guarantee it. Menstruating is a sign that your uterus lining is shedding, but it doesn't definitely mean there's not an egg ready and waiting for the sperm.

*Myth 5 - Worrying About a Late Period Will Delay It
OK, guess what? I actually believed this one, too! Did you? On the contrary, while stress can affect your cycle, this common belief is incorrect. Stress can delay ovulation, but once an egg is released, the length of time until menstruation begins varies little from cycle to cycle. Therefore, your period is more likely to be delayed by stress that occurs at the beginning of your cycle (before ovulation) than toward the end.

What Menstrual Myths did you believe? Tell us! And as always, if you like this post, please like it & share it, thanks!

References:
http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/814166/weird-period-myths-1
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/14/women-period-attract-bears_n_1776474.html?utm_hp_ref=women&ir=Women
http://pms.about.com/od/myths/a/menstrual_myths.htm
http://www.ehow.com/about_5377801_myths-menstrual-cycle.html#ixzz23dELrjck
http://www.lovematters.info/female-body/menstruation/menstruation-myths

Olympic Overload- Evolution of the Uneven bars

Is anyone else as obsessed with the Olympic Gymnasts as I am? Gosh, I can remember being a little girl,  sitting for hours, wide-eyed & in amazement at what people could make their bodies do. Now, a couple of decades later, it seems we had no idea what we were actually capable of. I saw this video that chronicles the evolution of the uneven bars & just had to share it with you. Take 6 minutes and marvel at human potential...what we used to think it was & what it is now.

Kinda makes you wonder what we will be watching gymnasts do in 2048, doesn't it? Can you imagine if Gabrielle Douglas found a time machine & went back in time to hang out in a practice session with Nadia Comaneci? Surely, Nadia would tell Gabby she was out of her mind for suggesting such feats of gravity defiance!

There's something else about the evolution of the uneven bars that caught my eye...did you notice? The bars are a lot further apart. According to www.isport.com, "In the 1970s, the event began to change as companies started manufacturing the women’s uneven bars separately from the men’s parallel bars. The new uneven parallel bars were adjustable and used tension cables to stay rooted to the floor. The manufacturers also decreased the circumference of the bars, making it easier to grip. As a result of these changes, throughout the 1970s and 80s, the bars continued to get further apart and gymnasts started performing more and more complex release moves. The difficulty of the releases increased with each additional separation between the bars" Hmmmmm...you mean to tell me that women started doing more amazing things when they were given tools that took into account that they are actually different than men? Astonishing. Imagine what would happen to the feminine protection industry if there was a fresh perspective on what women go through at that time of the month & what they need to get through it with the least amount of pain & hassle. Wait a minute...that's already been done & AuntRuby.net was created to take care of today's woman!

If you like this post, won't you share it? Aunt Ruby would appreciate it!