Friday, May 13th, 2016
138 5th Avenue, New York, NY
When I was a little girl, there came a point where I was just waiting to hear a person me behind gasp over my first period stain. Even before I started having my period, I knew that it would be something that would be messy and embarrassing. My first period arrived when I was in the privacy of my own home, but I still didn’t want anyone to know about it. Now at age 35, I don’t care who knows I’m on my period and wished everyone felt the same way about what I like to refer to as my lady-time-of-the-month. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, and that’s why I was so excited to see a period pop-up shop.
It’s not that I like capitalism. Trust me, I wish it wasn’t a “shop,” but I do like the point college student Sarah M. was trying to make when she blogged about her idea for the shop, saying that if there can be stores that specialize in different flavors of hot sauce or types of shaving cream for men, why can’t there be a “space where women can feel comfortable, safe, respected and revered while shopping for their period.” The shop succeeded in its mission and it feels worth noting that all proceeds went to Susan’s Place, a transitional residence for homeless women in New York City.
The majority of the items for sale in The Period Shop came from women-led businesses and artists–including the above hilarious tampon sweatshirts by Aelfie.
There were also artfully displayed boxes of Midol and Advil lining the shelves, a dry erase board where women were given markers and encouraged to fill in the blank: “My period is…” I wrote “coming soon” and it did (today, in fact). Other responses included:
- My period is an old (annoying) friend.
- My period is ruining my weekend!
- My period is expensive.
- My period is painful.
- My period is an agonizing gift because I’m not pregnant.
- My period if an excuse for even more chocolate.
- My period is a glass cage of emotion.
- My period is everything!!
- My period in unpredictable.
Blue and pink tampons hung from the ceiling, mirrors had the phrase “You’re beautiful” inscribed on them just as all mirrors should, and a “heavy flow of comedy” show was hosted by one of my favorite NYC comics, Sue Smith. Highlights of the comedy show included Smith admitting she actually uses a Diva Cup (it was especially funny all things considered). Janelle James explained what a “thigh gap” is and how she’s proud not to have one. Josh Gondelman quoted Margaret Atwood (as all male comics should). Jessica Delfino sang the funniest songs about vaginas and bicycles. Essentially, it was a blast and it was free.
I was especially fond of the audience interaction since there were so many teenage and college-aged women in the audience, a demographic I don’t often see too much of in most comedy clubs. At one point a comic asked if anyone was on their period and a few women raised their hands. Then the same comic asked if any women get “horny” on their periods and many women raised their hands while laughing and applauding in agreement. It was the kind of beautifully celebratory moment of women’s bodies and hormones that can only happen when a bunch of women are gathered in one place celebrating something so many of us regularly experience, but usually suppress talking about.
Oh and let’s not forget the free photo booth with the tampon backdrop. (See the top of this page.) Let’s just say I received free tampons for posing, but I would have gladly posed with a tampon backdrop even without the incentive. Truthfully, I didn’t use tampons until I was in my mid to late 20s because my family was so religious when I was growing up that they didn’t condone tampon use. Uh huh. So while I do use more natural alternatives to tampons now (what’s up, sea sponge), I can still appreciate a tampon hanging from the ceiling as art or as a design on a t-shirt as a symbol of something very female-body-positive–even if I don’t always use them and am a teeny bit scared of them (#ToxicShockSyndrome), but to each her own.
