Red Badge of Honor
written by Mara Smith
A compilation about girls' personal experiences revolving around the perception of menstruation.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
4
Reads
482
Firsts
Chapter 2
Most had first begun their period at the age of 11 or 12, but I was quite a late bloomer, to say the least. I got my period a bit after I turned 16.
"I got it at home. It wasn't a big deal"
"I was at home. I knew what it was and was expecting it. I was really calm and just took care of it, like no big deal."
"I was pretty fine about it... not too scared or anything"
"It happened at school, in gym class. I knew about bleeding to clean the system but was shocked and embarrassed. I had to ask my male teacher to get female staff to give me girly things."
"I remember that it was at home. I walked outside of our bathroom and my underwear got wet. I thought that it was because of the shower I was having so I didn't check on it. But then blood ran down my inner thights and I found it strange so I called for my mum and she explained it to me. I remember my brother saying something like: "Mama, she perioded in her underwear."
"I'd read about it but I kinda just hid in the bathroom as day looking on the Internet because I really hated talking to people especially about personal things."
For me, I realized I had gotten only when I had gotten home from a particularly stressful day, with I think, three tests, but I distinctly remember staying after school to work on an important project. I had to go straight to a violin lesson, and when I got home, I had noticed, but I didn't know what to do, so I just stuffed a bunch of toilet paper down my pants, and ended up being alright over night, and I told my mother the next day after she yelled at me for something or the other( I think it was my sadistic attitude, or something along those lines). It all made sense in the end.
Most girls confide in their mothers, as I did, and some, in close female friends, or a teacher, though some people do felt comfortable enough sharing the news with their father first.
"I got it at home. It wasn't a big deal"
"I was at home. I knew what it was and was expecting it. I was really calm and just took care of it, like no big deal."
"I was pretty fine about it... not too scared or anything"
"It happened at school, in gym class. I knew about bleeding to clean the system but was shocked and embarrassed. I had to ask my male teacher to get female staff to give me girly things."
"I remember that it was at home. I walked outside of our bathroom and my underwear got wet. I thought that it was because of the shower I was having so I didn't check on it. But then blood ran down my inner thights and I found it strange so I called for my mum and she explained it to me. I remember my brother saying something like: "Mama, she perioded in her underwear."
"I'd read about it but I kinda just hid in the bathroom as day looking on the Internet because I really hated talking to people especially about personal things."
For me, I realized I had gotten only when I had gotten home from a particularly stressful day, with I think, three tests, but I distinctly remember staying after school to work on an important project. I had to go straight to a violin lesson, and when I got home, I had noticed, but I didn't know what to do, so I just stuffed a bunch of toilet paper down my pants, and ended up being alright over night, and I told my mother the next day after she yelled at me for something or the other( I think it was my sadistic attitude, or something along those lines). It all made sense in the end.
Most girls confide in their mothers, as I did, and some, in close female friends, or a teacher, though some people do felt comfortable enough sharing the news with their father first.
