BY ANA GAJIC
Brace yourselves, people – I’m about to dive into something very few of us have the guts (or the stomach) to talk about. We’re talking periods, menstrual cycles and all of the goodies that come with them.
I know, you’ve probably scrunched up your face at this point. Maybe you even dropped your laptop in a fit of horror. But before you completely stop reading this article, I’d like to ask you a question. Why are we all so grossed out by periods if most female-identified bodies experience them so regularly?
I recently tried the Diva Cup, a small plastic funnel-like object that once inserted into the vagina can collect secretions for up to 12 hours. It was honestly one of the most interesting and rewarding things I’ve ever done, and every time I spoke to my girl friends about it, they either stared at me in disgust, asked me to never ever bring up periods at dinner again, or unfriended me on Facebook. (Just kidding about that last one, but you really never know until you want to creep someone.)
image source : http://www.squawkfox.com/2008/06/13/10-reasons-the-diva-cup-can-change-your-life/
The more I thought about it, the clearer it became. From a young age, girls in our society (I think boys too, but I can only really speak from my own experience as a female), are taught to hide their private parts. I totally get that. You certainly can’t have kids running around naked and being inappropriate. But more than anything, we’re taught that our bodies are not to be talked about or even thought about.
This creates a type of silence and secrecy around the female body, which makes it hard for women to seek information about themselves. I don’t know about you, but my first experience with my period was brutal. Just brutal. Everyone’s been telling you that this is the way one truly becomes a woman, but deep down you’re really just confused about the pain in your stomach, the trillions of tampons and pads that exist, and how to use them. This is not news to anyone, but tampons are scary for a young girl who’s just hit puberty.
So I’m proposing to bring this private, hidden world of girlhood out in the open, and I think the Diva Cup is an excellent place to start.
I’m not going to lie to you, the first time I took a look at that thing I thought, ‘there is no way that is fitting in there.’ But, with a few attempts and about nine careful readings of the instructions, it became fairly easy to slip in. You simply fold the bendy plastic cup into a U-shape, and insert it similarly to a tampon applicator.
Then, of course, there is the whole debacle of getting it out. I had a few panic attacks at the thought of it getting stuck inside and floating around my body on a little sightseeing tour, but once I got over that irrational fear, I was able to concentrate on actually removing the cup. I figured out a technique that worked for me – a squat and push, à la childbirth, and it was all good.
It’s also a positive that the whole applying and removing processes only have to occur a few times during one cycle. Because you can keep this baby in for 12 hours and you don’t have to worry about the dangers of toxic shock syndrome (a potential tampon hazard), you’re not tied down by your period. You simply remove it, empty it, wash it with some light soap, and re-insert it.
The best part is that you really have to get to know your body. You have to know your cycle, know when to remove and empty the cup, and you have to know which application and removal methods work best for you.
Now I’m not saying that this cup will work for everyone. I’ve had friends who have hated it and friends who have loved it. But I think we should be more open to at least talking about our bodies, claiming them as our own, and experiencing them in new ways. The Diva Cup has permitted me to do this in a way no other feminine hygiene product ever has.
image source : http://boogersandjesus.blogspot.ca/2013/11/ladies-only-diva-cup-review.html
If you do decide to try out the Diva Cup, you’ll notice that it comes with a little flower pin that has ‘Diva’ written around it. At first, it seemed to me like a tacky thing to include in a menstrual cup package, something very Ardene’s circa 2004, but after using the cup, I proudly pinned it to my backpack. Only those who have used the Diva Cup will know what it is, and hopefully they too will see it as a symbol of female body claiming and awareness.