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periods

Does anybody really love to get their period?

Periods have been giving people a run for their money since the beginning of time. It's a pretty safe bet that nobody likes them. If there was a way to replace them with a text message, email or post card that simply read, "not pregnant this month," people would happily sign up for that instead. There are so many better ways to deliver the message than debilitating cramps, irritability, headaches and the need for menstrual products.

Emily Vondy took to social media to show her attempt to psyche herself up for her period, and it's got people laughing. The woman appears to be standing in a mirror filming herself do a pep talk to prepare herself for her upcoming menstrual cycle. But it was honestly probably doing the opposite, though the song is clearly a bop.

"The average woman has about 450 periods in her lifetime, which adds up to ten years. Ten years of our lives will be spent menstruating and I don't want all those years to suck, so this is my attempt to gaslight myself into thinking my period is super cool," Vondy says to open the video.

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K.O. Tha Barber and his package of Always pads.

Some dads need a little bit of help getting up to speed when it comes to the world of feminine hygiene products. But that’s fine as long as they are willing to learn. A TikTok user named @k.othabarber, who we’ll call K.O., got the call to help out his daughter who got her period in school and one user said he hilariously “overstood the assignment.”

K.O. is a barber in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who posts videos of himself taking unflattering haircuts and turning them into something amazing.


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Menstrual leave in Spain would allow people with painful periods three to five days off per month.

How people experience menstruation can run the gamut, from minor inconvenience to debilitating pain and discomfort to everything in between. For some, it's a few extra bathroom trips and maybe a little moodiness for a few days. For others, the symptoms can include migraine headaches, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea and cramps that make it nearly impossible to get out of bed.

Societies and cultures around the world have taken different approaches to menstruation, from stigmatizing ostracization to celebration and respect. And generally speaking—other than perhaps putting period product machines in women's restrooms—the professional world simply pretends that menstruation doesn't exist. Employers aren't about to ask about it and considering the uphill battle to get women accepted in many professional settings, most women aren't going to openly talk about it.

But globally, women make up nearly 40% of the labor force, and in the U.S. that percentage climbs to nearly 50%. With so many women participating in the workforce, and with a good percentage of people who menstruate experiencing significant pain and discomfort, it seems logical that menstruation would at least be a consideration of some sort in terms of employment policies.

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Men try a period simulator.

Imagine how different the world would be if cis-gendered men had the ability to give birth? Would the state of Texas attempt to ban abortions after six weeks or would they be available on-demand?

Would we live in a country without mandatory paid maternity leave? How much more affordable would childcare be? Would there be a tax on period products? How would we treat people experiencing period pain?

A few brave men decided to see what life was like for people who have periods in a funny but enlightening video that's gone viral on TikTok. In a video posted by Benz Trap House that has over 1.4 million views, a group of guys tried a period simulator to experience what menstrual cramps really feel like.

Period simulators are essentially the same as labor simulators. They're called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machines that are designed to relieve pain. But when turned up a notch can create intense, debilitating discomfort.

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