Category Archives: Confident Carry

Solution to the Ongoing Problem

This is my fifth post on the Galesburg High School concealed carry story and the #ConfidentCarry campaign to raise awareness of the plight of menstruating girls and women everywhere.

My comments would be incomplete without offering a solution to the ongoing problem of inappropriate and inconsiderate behavior toward menstruating humans, and the lack of confidence many who menstruate have regarding themselves and their experience.

What’s the solution?

As I see it, the answer is multifaceted.

  1. Girls / teens / women must become comfortable with their own cycles and with menstruation.  (So what if someone knows!?!? It’s normal, natural and good. It’s okay to be on your period. Truth!)
  2. We all (men and women – young and old) need to stand up against negative views of menstruation and attitudes.  These attitudes are degrading, demeaning, belittling and we shouldn’t stand for them.
  3. We need to release the fear of discovery and embrace the wonders of menstruation in ourselves and in others.
  4. If someone forces rules and regulations upon us that inhibit our ability to function in a healthy manner (physically as well as mentally/emotionally) then we need to stand together against it even if it means we protest. (Yes, I said the P word.)
  5. Alternative products must be viewed as normal, healthy options if they are to become the norm.  Girls must be taught that there are options available to them besides disposable pads and tampons.
  6. We must work (all of us) to end menstrual taboos and embrace menstruation.  If the world sees that we are no longer afraid to menstruate and refuse to be defined by the myths and silly rules that shame us into hiding the wonder and glory of menstruation, the world will change for the better.
  7. The need for period wise school administrators, teachers, nurses and student advocates is staggering.  If you are one…please, be one! If you can help educate one, please take the time to do so.

Join us on May 9 for Confident Carry.   #May9  #ConfidentCarry

Confident Carry – What Does It Look Like?

As we approach #ConfidentCarry day on #May9 many are questioning what it looks like to confidently carry menstrual products.

Most of us know what concealed carry looks like.  Menstrual products are hidden away from sight.

If you reverse the way you carry your menstrual products – from concealed to confidently, and carry them proudly and without concern that someone might see them…what would that look like for you?

And, what of #confidentcarry day on May 9?  What confident carry mode will you exhibit?  Will you go for the serious display of menstrual product?  Or, the wacky?

Will you carry them confidently

  • in a transparent bag,
  • sticking out of your jean’s pocket,
  • peeking from a shirt pocket,
  • in a book as a bookmark,
  • behind your ear,
  • in your hand,
  • on your desk along with your pen,
  • in a clear purse – proudly displayed,
  • on the dashboard of your car
  • pinned to your shirt,
  • as a bracelet made from tampons,
  • attached to your car’s antenna,
  • strapped to your arm,
  • stuck to your pants…your shirt…your body,
  • dangling from your ears like earrings,
  • attached to a chain and worn around your neck,
  • tied to your belt loop,
  • in a clear bag,
  • on your wrists,
  • tucked into a headband,
  • in the box they came in to share with others,
  • attached to your belt,
  • or, something else that I’ve not thought of yet?

How would you #confidentcarry?

The idea of #ConfidentCarry is to raise awareness of the cultural taboos against confident carry of menstrual products and to provide an opportunity for us all to become an example of what accepting menstruation as normal and healthy looks like.

Girls (and women as well) need to see that it’s okay to be comfortable with menstruation and that there’s no need to feel shame about the fact that they are menstruating and/or carrying period products.

It’s time for the social stigma against menstruation to end.  It’s time for girls and women to rise up and affirm that menstruation is good, honorable, acceptable and that shaming and shunning of those menstruating will no longer be tolerated.

Girls should not be embarrassed by their need for menstrual products and should not be put into a position of having to choose whether they will comply with a rule or break it so that they can keep menstrual products handy.

I say, Down with concealed carry!”  Let’s be open and confidently carry our menstrual products with pride.  And, if anyone says we shouldn’t, we need to remind them that negative attitudes is what brought us to this point where girls are suspended for concealed carry of menstrual supplies and bullying will not be tolerated.

Will you join in the #ConfidentCarry event on #May9?  That’s this Friday.

Be an example of #confidentcarry and let’s shake things up!  Do it for the girls you love.  They will thank you for it.

Happy or Meaningful?

Do you prefer your menstrual experience to be happy?

Or…meaningful?

“Happy” speaks of self – of attending to that which makes self content and which moves self in the direction desired.  Happiness focuses on self first.

“Meaningful” speaks of others – our actions toward others uplift and help move them in a direction that is empowering.  Meaningfulness focuses on others.

So, I ask again.

Do you prefer your menstrual experience to be happy?  Or, meaningful?

Can it be both?

Sure it can.

But, instead of starting with “what will make my period a happy one” begin instead with “how can my menstrual experience, wisdom, knowledge, and attitude be meaningful to others?”

As you focus on empowering others period wise, you will find true happiness and fulfillment in your own menstrual experience.

Make a meaningful difference in the life of your girl – empower her to be period wise.  Encourage her to embrace her cycle.  Let her know it’s okay (by example) to confident carry and to stand up to those who would seek to embarrass her and shame her into denying her menstruation.

#confidentcarry #May9

Confident Carry? Who Me?

What does confident carry look like?

You tell me.

When you confidently carry menstrual products, what do you carry and how?

If you’ve never confidently carried menstrual products, what do you think it would look like?  And, how would you confident carry?

Who me? Confident carry?

YES! You!

Confident Carry day on May 9 is an opportunity for all to embrace menstruation as normal and natural – NOT something to hide or be ashamed of.  It’s an opportunity to raise awareness to the plight of girls and women all over the world who are shamed into secrecy about all things period wise.

Who would benefit from seeing you confidently and openly carrying feminine hygiene products? Your daughter?  Granddaughter? Your mother? A niece? Your BFF? A student? A girl new to menstruation? A woman with years of experience?  Your partner?

Who could you / would you impact by participating in Confident Carry Day?

At the very least, Confident Carry Day (if you choose to participate) will impact YOU.)

Before you say, “This is not for me because I…” let me say this: male or female, not currently menstruating / never have / or never will again – all are role models for the girl or the boy in your life.

Yes.  Confident Carry is not just about girls and women.  It’s about men and boys, too.

#ConfidentCarry on #May9 is for all.

Confident Carry

The Galesburg teen who was suspended for concealed carry (of menstrual supplies) shed light on a problem that sadly still plagues us – a lack of confidence among those who menstruate and a lack of understanding among those who do not.

Social taboos and menstrual myths abound and affect all.

Rules are established – and followed – without real consideration to the needs of half (and perhaps over half) of the population of a school…group…gathering…attendees of functions….

Special needs? No, I’m talking about normal needs.  Needs and the rights to meet those needs in a way that does not invade privacy or bring undo attention to the individual.

For a menstruating teen to be told she must obtain a medical permission slip from her doctor in order to carry a small purse containing feminine hygiene needs smacks of sex based discrimination. It’s demeaning, degrading, indefensible, and an invasion of privacy.

Schools should be a place where all students feel confident with themselves and within themselves.  Bullying is against the rules…but administrators can tell a menstruating girl that she must have a doctor’s slip if she’s to be given permission to carry concealed feminine products? And, she’s suspended when she doesn’t?  Hmmm….

These taboos place hardships on girls and undermine their confidence instead of providing practical wisdom that gives them wings and encourages them to fly high.

Oh, how I wish all girls and women felt confident enough with their menstruation to confident carry – to carry their menstrual products in such a way that they are in plain view without embarrassment and with total disregard to the social norms.  Maybe you are willing to give this a try on May 9 as a part of Confident Carry Day.

Menstruation is not a medical disorder to be ashamed of.  It’s a normal occurrence that we should all embrace, fully, completely, confidently.

#May9  #ConfidentCarry

Concealed Carry

A day ago I posted Concealed Carry or Confident Carry? and suggested the girls at Galesburg High School confident carry until the rule banning purses was rescinded, and ended with a call for a day of confident carry for us all on May 9.

In some instances and settings, concealed carry is not possible and confident carry could generate negative and unwanted attention.  So, in light of that, let me say this:

Menstrual cups rock concealed carry as well as confident carry.

Why?  How?

Menstrual cups can be carried within even before your period starts.  That’s concealed carry as well as confident carry!

What a difference it could have made for the Galesburg High School student, suspended for concealed carry of menstrual supplies, if someone had shared with her the wonders of menstrual cups.

Lunette, SoftCup, Keeper, DivaCup, and others offer a safe, discrete concealed carry option (internal) that other menstrual products can’t.  Cups are a great option whether you are new to menstruation or have years, or even decades of experience.

For more information on menstrual cups, click on the links above / contact the companies via email or through social media, visit the Menstrual Cup Support forum, and read Why it’s time to give ’em a try.

Concealed carry shouldn’t put you in suspension at school or prevent you from doing what you love.

#ConfidentCarry  #May9

Concealed Carry or Confident Carry?

The recent suspension of a 17 year old girl for carrying a purple clutch containing feminine hygiene supplies caught my attention.  It reminded me of the “all clear” rule enacted last year by the NFL.  However, this goes a step farther and bans everything that would allow students to conceal anything.

That anything includes feminine hygiene products.  Apparently the Principal’s position is that teenage girls should feel confident enough to place their feminine hygiene needs in a clear bag for all the world to see and carry it with them to class throughout the days they are menstruating, or expect to become menstrual.

And, perhaps that’s what these girls should do until this rule is struck down. Perhaps the girls should band together and bring feminine hygiene products in a clear confident carry bag every day whether they are menstruating or not.

I wish all girls and women were so confident in themselves and with menstruation that they were comfortable doing just that.  It would go a long way in ending the embarrassment that so often (and unnecessarily) accompanies things period wise.

And, it would also put an end to the idiotic assumption that menstruation requires a doctor’s permission slip because it’s a medical issue.

A medical issue?  Um…the last time I checked the definition of “medical” it said the word related to the treatment of illness and/or injury.

Menstruation is NEITHER.

It’s a normal function of the female body.  Treating it as anything otherwise is ignorant and sexist.  It’s demeaning, degrading, indefensible, and, it smacks of sex-based discrimination.

I call for a day of confident carry on May 9 to raise awareness about the plight of menstruating girls and women everywhere.  Let’s end these ridiculous menstrual taboos and stereotypical assumptions about those who menstruate.  Let’s put a stop to the assassination of confident menstrual lifestyles by those who assure us they mean well and that it’s for our own good.

Girls at Galesburg High, and in schools across the land, are you willing to band together in support of your right to menstruate confidently, whether privately or publicly, as YOU choose and not as it’s chosen for you?  Join me in carrying feminine hygiene products where all can see on May 9.

Period wise women buck the norm.  What’s your norm and are you brave enough to step out of it for just one day for confident carry?