I distinctly remember seeing "Have a happy period" the very first time. My response was something like "What idiot thought that was a good idea? And can I rip his intestines out through his mouth and use them for shoelaces?" Because of course this had to be from a man. Surely no woman was that stupid. My husband heard a 30 minute non-stop rant on the stupidity if this marketing idea. I married a smart and wise man. He was silent for the entire 30 minutes.
Had to laugh at your response about ripping out his intestines! Before menopause, I used to get such rage during my periods that I am so thankful I never succeeded in homocide of one of the male species! I had to stay away from the Nacho and BBQ potato chip aisle because I realized those were all "bitch chips" and gave me such rage I had to quarantine myself for the safety of anyone who would tick me off.
I was offered ,by a diffident specialist , at the age of 33 if i would consider an hysterectomy as my dodgy cervix cells were not going anywhere . I just about ripped his arm off shaking his hand. A period free life stretched before me like the yellow brick road to the wonderful world of Oz. Now 73 it's been fab.
@@priscillaroberts7945Oh, you lucky, lucky person! It took more than 10 years of asking, and finally a trip to the ER for hemorrhaging to finally be granted a hysterectomy. Best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I was 48. I’d have killed to have it done at 33.
i feel like having "put the hammer down, it'll be okay" or similar phrases printed on the lining instead would make for a much better cheer up phrase. "Park the car BEFORE yelling at passengers. You got this!"
That letter has inspired me to imagine what slogans they could put on the pads instead of "Have a happy period". They could frankly use it as a marketing ploy if they were funny, have a different one on each, so the woman gets a giggle (or at least an involuntary harumph) when she opens one. "Laxatives are for medical purposes, not revenge" "If done correctly, a snarl can be mistaken for a smile" "Crowbars are for opening crates, not men"
@BHQld but... No woman wants to hurumph or giggle as they're opening a pad; in fact, quite frankly, it's the WORST time to giggle and every women dreads laughing on her period because then comes... The Leak 😲🙈
Sofy brand pads (antibacterial/bright green packaging) have little slogans/quotes on the little paper over the sticky part. There are 5/6 different ones... I have them all under my bed.
Brilliant! I haven't had to suffer visits from Aunty Flo for a while now (thank you my little implanted mate!) but I certainly remember how periods made me feel, hence my implanted little mate! I've spent the last two decades or so watching the adverts and thinking, "Who the feck are these aimed at?! Horseriding? Tennis? Artistic gymnastics FFS?! More like curled up on the sofa with a hot water bottle filled with freshly collected magma, a bottle of elephant tranquilisers, the chocleatest hot chocolate and a box set of Angel! Horseriding, bloody tossers!"
I said good-bye to Aunty Flo more than a decade ago, but I have not forgotten how she made me feel. Whoever came up with that slogan should be ashamed.
@@eywine.7762 Not sure it could only have been a man. There are also a bunch of women who like to preach to others about how we should all be enjoying the "power" that comes with "natural cycles" and that if women just lived in "harmony" with their bodies as nature intended, periods would be enjoyable. I have likewise taken steps to avoid all that pain and hassle every month and I only wish I'd known it was an option sooner. Those smug people who think I'm betraying the natural power of womanhood by doing so can shove their patronizing BS where the son don't shine.
I'm old enough to remember the days of REAL maxi pads, and how you had to buy a harness to wear under your panties to hold the things on. They were big, bulky and messy. There was only aspirin for cramps, and I spent years of simultaneous vomiting and diarrhea every month, waiting for things to settle down so I could go to work on my feet for 8 hours the same day. So happy to hit menopause, and have never been sad about the end of my fertile years. Yeah, happy memories.
I cannot fathom why it took so long for someone to come up with the idea of putting some sticky tape on them to hold them in place. Perhaps they had a side-business in garter clips and elastic.
@@WaterNaiit was women who were suffering and they would never have spoken about their discomfort or their period, full stop. It was men who "invented" stuff, stuff with any hope of being produced and sold anyway. Men ruled the world and women put up with it. That's why it took so long to improve. You young 'uns have no concept really, of how much has changed for women in the past few decades. Long may that change continue.
😂🤣😂 Even though I don't have periods anymore I do remember the horrific experiences of starting a period and how it didn't matter how many pads I wore I would still leak 🙄 Because menstrual blood is not like the water they use in the adverts to show us how much the pads absorb it FYI They should be free too
"Have a happy period" Darling my pants don't fit, I feel like I've been kicked in the crotch, I've got a headache no amount of painkillers can touch, and I just started crying for no reason ... but sure. Yeah. That sounds great
When I was spayed decades ago because of rampant endometriosis, my dear older cousin reminded me that I could thumb my nose (or use the one-finger-salute) in the feminine hygiene aisle at the grocery store for now and forever. That little noteworthy piece of advice has always been cherished. :-)
In Australia the protective sticky cover on pads lists multiple trivia facts. Now when a woman comes out of the loo telling you random information you know shes menstruating.
I'm Aussie too. Reading those trivia bits is a somewhat useful way to pass the time when I'm sitting on the toilet bombing blood clots so big I'd struggle to fit them inside a matchbox of the little fiery sticks I'd like to use to set fire to my uterus. Bombing those giant clots into the toilet that they make a splash and contributes to the delightful mess, and I'm bearing down to push them through my cervix like I'm in frickin' labour. Then again, the pain blinds me from being able to read those fun little trivia facts. Thanks Adenomyosis for turning my uterus into a warzone.
@@frolickinglions "Now when a woman comes out of the loo telling you random information you know shes menstruating." I was raised in a generation where we were taught it was something you hide at all costs. I'm not saying that's the right attitude, but it's not an easy thing to shake something that's been beaten into you, something you learned 'at your mother's knee'. Yes, literally beaten. I was innocently playing with the paper strip that comes off a pad when I was little and my mother and much older sister stumbled onto me. Let's just say that's the kind of mistake you don't make twice. Then when I was 8 my mother's current husband started telling me what he was going to do to me as soon as I started menstruating. Then when I was 12 I had a male teacher who would ridicule us girls in front of the whole class about any need to go to the bathroom during class being period-related, right as we were starting to get ours for the first time. I would rather be run over than have anyone know.
I remember the first time I saw this advert even I thought it was a terrible marketing idea, and I'm a gay man on the autism spectrum. If I, with a reduced ability to properly recognise and correctly attribute signs of emotional reaction and absolutely NO experience or even interest in the workings of female reproductive organs, can spot the issue with this slogan it truly, truly confounds me that a multi-million dollar marketing department with focus groups can't do the same.
It's been 18 years since I went through menopause. During my period years, I never had the mood swings or homicidal rages described here, but I did have the mess and the fear of leaking onto my skirt or trousers at work (and my bedsheets at home), no matter which pads or liners I used. I was never so happy when I finally went a full year without a period.
Ablations are also a wonderful thing. Especially when I had to stop taking the bc I had used for 20 years to relieve periods that would gush for three solid weeks and make me anemic.
I was good until I hit perimenopause, and then it was like all the moods I'd been saving up all showed on my doorstep at once like all the prodigal exes appearing together, whining in unison like deranged christmas carolers. HRT ftw, only approximately 6 more years to go. Lol. *confirms location of George foreman grill*
@@vermiliongamboge155 I've been begging for one since I was 18. Sigh. On the downhill slide to 45, and I have finally scored a consult, and my blood iron level had to tank into the single digits to even get that. My endocrinologist: "hmm your iron levels are atrocious, what are we going to do?" Me: "Hey obvious child! Hysterectomy, helloooooo! Let's do this."
I'm almost 9 years post menopausal, but back before hormone balancing medication (MY main reason for taking "birth control"), I slept on a dark grey towel to save my sheets during my 7 days of Flo's Monthly Bloodbath; the towel was really only necessary for the first 2 or 3 nights (even with two Always Overnights in place), but I slept on it all 7, just to be safe. Worked very well.
For the guys who may have missed this, or are not aware: Always is another big maxi pad brand. Also, I personally think “have a happy period” has the same potential for massive explosive reaction as “calm down”
In the West, are there still people unaware of this brand? Considering they're the leading brand of maxi pads and have been advertising for decades, I'd assume most people would be familiar with it by now. I mean, it's not like I have to explain to a woman that "Axe" is a brand of male deodorant. Why would you assume men to be unfamiliar with your products that advertise during the same commercial breaks as ours?
Dear Description Writer at Letters Live RUclips Department, I am elated to have discovered this morning that time travel is finally possible. Upon reading your message explaining how Dawn O'Porter delivered a speech in October 2023, and your team was able to capture it and publish it on March 7th, 2023, I am truly amazed. Thank you for offering such a mind-boggling and future-bending service. Sincerely, Prathamesh Mere Mortal
Wonderful! Brilliant letter and marvelous interpretation. I think Always came up with a sure fire way for 'spillage' issues by putting those wings on. They guarantee that you won't get your underwear messy, but it will conduct the fluid to your trousers.
Slightly off topic but I've noticed a couple of ads recently where they use red dye/ animation to depict the blood in the pads. The women in the ads are still being free spirits, skating, running, dancing, jolly full lives but a small step in a more accurate direction.
@@jsemplefelton5348 Is it not more scary to start unexpectedly bleeding from their vaginas? Proper representation on TV, etc coupled with good quality education should normalise periods and make them less scary.
@@hannahk1306 - no matter how much young girls think they know what to expect, suddenly finding blood in your underwear is scary. I speak as a mother of two girls who I prepared for this eventuality. I personally don't think the graphic commercial advertising of hygeine products on TV Is necessary just to sell their wares. Quality education on the other hand is entirely different. So is the guidance from parents.
@@jsemplefelton5348 As someone who has been through it, I disagree - I have no memories of being scared of my first period. I just don't see how red liquid instead of blue on an advert is going to scare children. If they even notice it at all, surely it's a good teaching moment? A lot of the older ads make menstrual products look like incontinence products, especially as they use the same blue liquid for nappies and incontinence pads.
@@hannahk1306 - if you are depending on commercial ads to educate young girls there is something wrong with your mindset. Education begins at home. Followed by biology lessons in school.
Jfc, this is actually FLAWLESS. Perfectly written, brilliantly read, just….everything I’ve ever wanted to say to Always brand. Oh, but with an additional “DO YOU EVEN FUCKING KNOW WHAT ADHESIVE IS SUPPOSED TO BE??!”, but aside from that, flawless.
IKR. So many brands seem to think nonstick adhesive is a miracle of modern science instead of a new kind of mess to clean up. I resorted to buying the kind with wings and duct-taping them together and a rolled piece of duct tape in front and in back
@@christineheminger7762 I’ve found that panties with a narrow gusset allow me to fold the wings overlapping a bit which keeps them in place a bit, but I’ll admit, I did try my scrapbook adhesive strip roller-thing first. 🤣
"Dawn O'Porter joined us at Letters Live at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2023 to read it" We are hearing from the future! Loved this, well read and more importantly..so well written 🙂
Wendi Aarons' letter & Dawn O'Porter's reading/performance were brilliant! I'm 64, & it's been a while since I've had a "happy period", but I thoroughly enjoyed this, nonetheless.
My gynecologist sent me to the hospital due to many nodes in my uterus. It HAD to be removed. I'm no fan of hospitals. But the cramps were brutal and the bleeding was both embarrassing and costly in monthly products. Of course my period came 'whenever', so on the date of the first hospital appointment I'm bleeding all over the surgeon's floor. The Mr. had the bloody nerve to ask me why I WANTED a hysterectomy. I mean: who would WANT to lose such a happy period? Right?
Only two times was I happy about having a period: proof I wasn't pregnant and finishing the last day of my last one. Did anyone else have MAS, or 'Mood-Swing Amnesia"? This is the sister syndrome to PMS, a phenomenon whereby you are in the midst of a suicidal crying jag brought on by hormones, but you FORGOT it was a certain day of the month and continued to be miserable until the heavens shone on you again (meaning, the hormones had shifted and your sadness lifted), only to repeat the cycle monthly and still not join the dots until you reach middle age, and finally figuring out that it came like clockwork, coinciding with monthly cycle. Correlation IS causation in this case.
I figured it out that on the days when I would fill my car with petrol and NEED to grab 2 chocolate bars on my drive to work my period would be arriving in the next day or so. My chocolate consumption would take off about 3 days prior, then the nitgh before a massive headache then THE DAY! I worked in a laboratory with dangerous chemicals, acids, flames knives, deadly bacteria (It was a food testing lab) and how I didn't go on a rampage and either kill some of my fellow workers or people n the hour long drive home is a mystery to me. For that week, I was the mad scientist, looking for ways to blow stuff up if I could get the chance.
Just effing brilliant! SO MANY TIMES I thought of writing a letter about this ridiculous campaign. Never did, but I couldn’t have written anything even coming close to this. Wonderful. 😅
I couldn't wait for the menopause! Luckily my hot flushes are few and brief, my memory is almost intact and my bladder still keeps it in. Crawling on all fours because of the pain and then being told by my well-meaning GP that having a child might improve things. I changed GP.
It is a brilliant letter and I enjoyed it immensely, but I have also thought it sad that so many women feel there is no such thing as a happy period. Sure, it's always nicer not be on it, but still... I remember when there were no such things as maxi pads, or pads with side protections no matter what size. I remember waking up dreading the discovery of bloodied underwear and bedsheets. When bigger pads with side protection first showed up, I found them miraculous and they do make my life happier. Anything that saves me from washing bloodied clothes makes my period, in the very least, a happier period. Edit: I'd just like to add that normalising hellish periods - basically saying that suffering horrors is normal for women in general and if a woman doesn't have that same experience she's a lucky one - is dangerous. Hellish periods should be seen as NOT NORMAL. As something is WRONG and we need to help whoever is suffering unnecessary horrors. Saying monthly hell is normal, is saying 'tough it out, lady, it's just bad luck you were born female', and that is the absolutely wrongest mindframe anyone could ask for. I grew up being told the opposite and, thankfully, so have a lot of women I know, some of whom would have been suffering monthly hell since teenagers had the overall mentality been 'Hell is normal'.
I've only heard in the past year or so that hellish periods are not normal. During one of my early periods (I was 12 or 13), I was lying on my bed moaning, and my mom came upstairs and told me to knock it off. I was so embarrassed by the whole idea of menstruation that I never even sat out gym class. The pain was wicked, but the embarrassment would have been worse. I took off work only once in my life because of it, and that period was so painful that I imagined a little man inside of me with a scraper scraping the inside of my uterus. Ibuprofen was a miracle drug that got me through my later periods. I was absolutely thrilled to learn I had gone through menopause and all this was in my rear-view mirror! I am so glad that these things are being discussed more openly nowadays, and young girls today hopefully don't have to suffer like we did.
Sadly, while there are treatments for some of the conditions that cause that sort of pain, there's still no cures. While some of those treatments work in varying degrees for many woman, there are still a lot of us who spent decades actively seeking and trying many treatments and not finding one that worked short of ending periods.
I get what you're saying. But not having to wash bloodied sheets while Jerry Seinfeld wonders why detergent ads advertise washing off blood is a very very low bar for happiness. Not having to wash blood off should be the norm. Happiness is a big word.
The only possibility that my doctor suggested was a pill that stops periods completely (or, at least, is supposed to); it has side effects so horrible even the doctor hesitates to prescribe it-considering the side effects they willingly prescribe and claim “You’ll get used to it ,” there was no way I’d bother trying it.
HERE!! HERE!! that letter to the fictional Mr Thatcher never gets old! so glad that absurd move is now used as one of the top 10 examples of what NOT to do in brand management. :-D
They clearly haven’t learned. Have you seen those absolutely ridiculous migraine-medication commercials where a woman who allegedly has a migraine is running around in the backyard smiling and playing with her daughter like a “good mother”, when anyone who has actually had a migraine knows that as much as one might want to play in the sunshine, that sort of activity will literally bring vomiting followed by tears while curled up on the ground in the fetal position, shading your eyes from the blazing sun.
@@WaterNai All medication commercials should be banned. They are all exactly the same: insanely happy people cavorting about the screen, while a dour voice lists all the horrifying side effects which somehow always include suicidal ideation. I tell you, if my doctor decided any of those medications were "right for me" I would immediately get a different doctor!
@@DonoVideoProductions I think that might be a specifically American twist to medication commercials where somehow they're simultaneously allowed to claim amazing benefits and required to list every single possible side effect. I certainly don't recall ever seeing one like that in Czechia. I think Czechs would poke fun at it mercilessly; a lot of our medication ads actually tend to be slightly humorous/quirky, now I think about it.
@@beth12svist It changed years ago when they actually amended our laws to allow medication commercials. We poke fun at them too, but they must work, or they wouldn't spend the millions and millions running them. 'Course, there's also the systemic issue of people wanting to just take a pill for everything, and doctors wanting to prescribe them because it's easier and faster for them. Not to mention the incentives they get (think oxycontin, etc).
@@WaterNai .. and don't forget the blood curling screaming like Reagan from the Exorcist.. "Make it stop! Make it stop!!!" and "Keep your goddamned hands away from my.." due the stabbing pain and the urge to just throw up even if would be projectile.
Still, the winged pad changed everyone’s life for the better. What a revelation! We live in the best times. Think about being a scullery maid in 1700. Using cloths, CLOTHS, people, and NO sick days even when you felt like death, heavy flow, cramps.
Considering I have no access to sick leave (if I don’t work, I don’t get paid) and work in a pool, periods are just omfg kill me now! The best I can hope for is that my heavy days are on my short shifts. I swear it can be a nightmare on my long shifts. We get no loo breaks so yeah. Fun fun fun! Have a happy period indeed! 🙄
Using cloth is really not that bad at all. I use cloth pads and find them more comfortable than disposable ones. There is a youtuber called Abby Cox who wore a menstrual apron for a while, which is what would have been used in 1700. According to her it was also very comfortable.
@@andreagriffiths3512 No breaks to go to the toilet? Is that actually legal? I have a hard time believing it is. You should check that with a lawyer, or just Google (or whatever search engine you use). Because where I live it would absolutely not be allowed. It sounds horrible, everything you described.
Shoot during my monthly the only thing I'm using a George Foreman grill for is cooking every damn edible thing I can get my hands on! If it fits I grill it LOL. The hunger is real. 😂😂
The finishing blow with 'Always' suddenly reminded me of Alan Partridge telling a story how he shouted in the face of ex TV presenter Peter Purves. " DON'T BE BLUE...PETER!"
Many years ago, I was sitting around a friend's apartment watching TV. Said friend was reading a magazine and came across a full-page print ad for tampons. This was right after the rash of tampon-related Toxic Shock Syndrome deaths were in the news, and after considering the ad for a moment, my friend turned the magazine around to show it to me and deadpanned the slogan with an editorial addendum: "It's new, it's neat, it's discreet, and it hardly _ever_ blows up any more." I laughed until I felt faint.
We had a brand of pads in Australia that had trivia printed on the removable bit of paper that exposed the sticky undie side down. I didn't mind that for the first few months.Then it was the same trivia every fucking time.
I have never liked Always pads, I've used Stay free ultra thin overnights with wings for at least 20 years, but I think over 25. This just reinforces my feelings that though Always products have way more shelf real estate in stores, they are far from the superior product. Well said Wendy.
Indeed. In fact, most women do not turn into raving ogres during the week before their periods begin, and immense pain is not normal. The misconceptions surrounding menstruation and what is standard and what is not never cease to astound me.
We may not indeed turn into ogres, but I will assure you that a normal, normally heavy flow is distinctly unfun, and I'm just impatient enough to be done with it before we even start.
It can also be polycystic ovarian syndrome, the way the womb is positioned or even high levels of hormones. All men have testosterone, not all of them are overcompetitive jerks.
SO many things. Endo, PCOS, fibroids, adenomyosis... Advocate for yourself! It's especially difficult and costly for us (in the US, at least) because these things are all internal and ultrasounds aren't gonna give the best results. My doctor (a woman, even) wouldn't go forward on checking me for endo, because it would require incisions and she thought that would be worse than the supposed endometriosis itself, I guess (referring to adhesions from scar tissue). I didn't push the issue because I knew I wouldn't be able to afford it, even with insurance. My choice is basically "or suffer."
Me here, in March 2023, looking at "Dawn O'Porter joined us at Letters Live at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2023 to read it." Amazing all the things progress and technology allow us to do ! 😉😁
😂😂Hilarious 👏 "Have a happy day, started after hearing this letter read. The presentation was brought with the extended punch of reality required 😂😂Magnificent!!
Don't know if 2007 already counts as "different times", but I hate this _women turn into non-humans during their period and can't manage to have a single rational thought_ -narrative! It strengthens sexism like "an upset women? Well she's probably on her period, because why else would a woman have a strong opinion?!" and "throwing chocolate at that monster makes me a good husband, no need for empathy"
I 100% get where you're coming from, and it should never be used as a reason for why we're "unfit" for jobs... But at the same time it's absolutely true for me, at least. I can *feel* when it's no longer me at the controls, for want of a better explanation. I'm full of rage and tears for absolutely no reason, I want to snap people's heads off for the slightest transgression (or no transgression at all), and I cry even more easily than usual. I can't help any of that. Sure, I can--and do try to--moderate how I respond, but those feelings are completely involuntary and it SUCKS. I really do feel like I've got someone else operating the controls.
Yeah that made me uncomfortable too. That's the narrative that makes people not want to hire women for responsible positions..while we .mght feel psychologically terrible we can still control ourselves, often better than testosterone-fueled humans.
Actually what's terrible is that men are irrational twice a month with their hormone cycles, and that's totally acceptable.... And men aren't considered unfit to work.
The only time I have ever wanted to write Mr. Thatcher was when they invented dry weave in the early 2000s. That was a great thing. I wani to complain when they invented like cucumber melon scent.
Pre-Menopause, every month, I transformed into Cujo in a woman's body. I really felt rabid. I dreaded it, the wrenching pain, the pendulum between crying and irritability, the constant threat of "leaking." I welcomed Menopause like a ticket to paradise. But the most infuriating thing about having to endure that monthly curse was the lack of understanding or empathy from most men and some women. For a huge corporation that makes it's living from women, you'd think they could spend some marketing dollars to determine how whatever they would print on their products would be received. Seriously, do they not have wives, mothers, sisters?
This makes me think of my house sharing days. An ad came on the TV one day with a happy, smiling woman in white shorts roller skating, anticpating the tag line my housemate sang out "Just for the taste of it!" thinking it was a cola advert only to discover it was a Tampax ad!🤣🤣🤣 We never let her live that one down!😁
I remember this... it went around in those days before youtube and facebook, when jokes were send via vast mailing lists. Email days. I still have a collection of funny videos from the naughties ...
I had resorted to full on adult diapers for sleeping when my period was still heavy and awful. But about 4 years ago I got an IUD and my periods have basically disappeared (hallelujah), so haven't had to do that in several years now. Night two and three used to be the worst. Now I rarely even have to put on a pad.
My hormones were all out of whack. I found great positive changes towards a lighter and more ideal period from taking Vitex (aka chaste tree berry extract), and then even more benefit when I added in Shatavari and Royal Jelly. These are inexpensive, over-the-counter nutritional supplements. I highly recommend looking into them and talking to your healthcare practitioner. They aren’t prescription or anything, it’s just that they do affect the hormones and one should be informed before doing things that interact with the body that way.
It feels so...I don't know, validating to hear other people going through this. I've never broken down and bought Tenas or anything like that, but I've thought about it SO often. All that bullshit about "It seems like a lot, but you really only bleed about 2 tablespoons' worth every period!" Right, that's why I have to get up twice a night because my menstrual cup has overflowed and I'm about to reenact Carrie on my bedsheets (even with 2 pads on in addition to the cup!). I was recently on BC and had to stop because it was not only giving me heart palpitations, but it also sent my anxiety through the roof. And that just frustrates me, because it's like my choices are "be in immense pain every month and bleed like a butchered animal" or "Multiply every mood swings you've ever had and make them all happen at once, every day."
@@veryberry39 I'm going to do my best to respond to all your points, but full warning I'm on my phone and can't see everything you wrote or everything I will write so this might be many comments... 1. I have had heavy periods since I started at 13, I really wish I had sucked up the humiliation (made up in my head) of using a diaper for my overnights, because it was so liberating and so much more comfortable weirdly. I slept better because I wasn't worried as much. People can say whatever they want but everyone is different, my mom used a tampon and a pad and changed them every two hours, I needed at least 3 overnight pads a day on my heavy days (can't wear tampons). So I say give it a try. 2. Have you considered an IUD? I had been on birth control but it wasn't working right for me any longer, my periods weren't reducing in length or intensity, and although I didn't realize it at the time they were messing with my emotions. At my boyfriend's recommendation I talked to my doctor about an IUD, and she said well you're too small for the non hormonal copper one (I'm a big girl but my uterus is tiny apparently), but the good news about the IUDs with hormones is that the hormones seem to stay more centralized in your uterus and don't cause as many mood swing issues (can confirm this is 100% true for me). And my periods have basically become nonexistent, in fact I used two pads this period over the course of twenty four hours approximately, and then went back to next to nothing. I will never stop singing the praises of an IUD, talk to your doctor and see if it will work for you, it was the best decision I've ever made and I wish I would have known about them back in my 20s.
@@veryberry39 also I'm so sorry you're going through all that. Period drama is such a pain. I used to have special shorts to sleep in on my period because they were already stained so I didn't care. And one of the best things I used a lot is a bed pad from a hospital stay my mom had once, it's quilted with a slicker side on one side and a cotton more absorbent side on the other and I would put that under me when I was on my period to protect my sheets. Worked 99% of the time. Another thing I used was puppy pads since they are water proofed on one side, but they are kinda small and slide around a little too easy. But they do work to keep your sheets clean.
I asked my ex-girlfriends youngest daughter once, is it possible to have a "happy period?" She replied, quite forcefully and in a manner which told me to never ask her again, "NO!"
Some men have been given the ‘happy’ opportunity to experience simulated period pain by having electrodes strapped around their lower abdomen: the intensity is increased gradually to a point where they beg for mercy. That’s when the woman controlling the dial says, “That’s just a taster… now we’re going for the Adenomyosis level.” 😊
Had a Hysterectomy at the Age of 34, 2017 because of bening tumors. Best thing that ever happened to me. Six years without that horrible messy stuff. And for the rest of my life. 🥳
I'm very old now but remember how terrible it was when I was in school, because my periods were so heavy they went through pads and pants and I had to go home not only for more pads but more underwear!
Because it's Always on your mind. In the back or front, doesn't matter. Doesn't even care what you do to it because it will still haunt you even after you think you've gotten rid of it.
James Thatcher (probably) also came up with the "Enjoy the Go" slogan for Charmin' as well. Notice that no one put, "Have a Happy Jock Itch", on the cream for men!
I distinctly remember seeing "Have a happy period" the very first time. My response was something like "What idiot thought that was a good idea? And can I rip his intestines out through his mouth and use them for shoelaces?" Because of course this had to be from a man. Surely no woman was that stupid. My husband heard a 30 minute non-stop rant on the stupidity if this marketing idea. I married a smart and wise man. He was silent for the entire 30 minutes.
Had to laugh at your response about ripping out his intestines! Before menopause, I used to get such rage during my periods that I am so thankful I never succeeded in homocide of one of the male species! I had to stay away from the Nacho and BBQ potato chip aisle because I realized those were all "bitch chips" and gave me such rage I had to quarantine myself for the safety of anyone who would tick me off.
I was offered ,by a diffident specialist , at the age of 33 if i would consider an hysterectomy as my dodgy cervix cells were not going anywhere . I just about ripped his arm off shaking his hand. A period free life stretched before me like the yellow brick road to the wonderful world of Oz. Now 73 it's been fab.
@@Dan5819 Same, dude. same. Sigh. I bit my dear dad's head off on Memorial Day.
I had pretty much the same reaction. I was like “what f*cking moron wrote that BS?!”
I’ve never had a “happy” period. Don’t know anyone who has.
@@priscillaroberts7945Oh, you lucky, lucky person! It took more than 10 years of asking, and finally a trip to the ER for hemorrhaging to finally be granted a hysterectomy. Best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I was 48. I’d have killed to have it done at 33.
"Are you f*cking kidding me..."
Every woman in the hall applauding and most rightfully so.
In all fairness, that would be a better slogan 😂🤣.
and the men sitting there with blank looks...
i feel like having "put the hammer down, it'll be okay" or similar phrases printed on the lining instead would make for a much better cheer up phrase.
"Park the car BEFORE yelling at passengers. You got this!"
'Just so you know - the words "just" and "cramps", they don't go together.' - Ginger Fitzgerald
Unless it's, "Honey. am I buying you the painkillers for just cramps, or do you need something stronger?"
Even then, tread cautiously.
That letter has inspired me to imagine what slogans they could put on the pads instead of "Have a happy period". They could frankly use it as a marketing ploy if they were funny, have a different one on each, so the woman gets a giggle (or at least an involuntary harumph) when she opens one.
"Laxatives are for medical purposes, not revenge"
"If done correctly, a snarl can be mistaken for a smile"
"Crowbars are for opening crates, not men"
@BHQld but... No woman wants to hurumph or giggle as they're opening a pad; in fact, quite frankly, it's the WORST time to giggle and every women dreads laughing on her period because then comes... The Leak 😲🙈
“Flaying someone alive is much more effort than you’d think, and the cleanup is a nightmare”
"Your period is a week but manslaughter is 8-12 years"
@@mparker6823 the red flash flood! (I remember those days…I’m now happily post menopause! 🥳)
Sofy brand pads (antibacterial/bright green packaging) have little slogans/quotes on the little paper over the sticky part. There are 5/6 different ones... I have them all under my bed.
All the women laughing and cheering, the men trying to remember if there is a george foreman grill at home.
😂
Ha ha
😂😂😂😂😂
LMAO! Best comment!
Brilliant! I haven't had to suffer visits from Aunty Flo for a while now (thank you my little implanted mate!) but I certainly remember how periods made me feel, hence my implanted little mate! I've spent the last two decades or so watching the adverts and thinking, "Who the feck are these aimed at?! Horseriding? Tennis? Artistic gymnastics FFS?! More like curled up on the sofa with a hot water bottle filled with freshly collected magma, a bottle of elephant tranquilisers, the chocleatest hot chocolate and a box set of Angel! Horseriding, bloody tossers!"
I said good-bye to Aunty Flo more than a decade ago, but I have not forgotten how she made me feel. Whoever came up with that slogan should be ashamed.
@@eywine.7762 It could only have been a man. Probability a single one!
@@ModelsExInferis No doubt you're right.
@@eywine.7762 Not sure it could only have been a man. There are also a bunch of women who like to preach to others about how we should all be enjoying the "power" that comes with "natural cycles" and that if women just lived in "harmony" with their bodies as nature intended, periods would be enjoyable. I have likewise taken steps to avoid all that pain and hassle every month and I only wish I'd known it was an option sooner. Those smug people who think I'm betraying the natural power of womanhood by doing so can shove their patronizing BS where the son don't shine.
Whenever that commercial came on and I heard the slogan to “have a happy…” I’d yell at the tv to go eff itself.
I love this letter!
I also have yelled at the TV for the same offense
I'm old enough to remember the days of REAL maxi pads, and how you had to buy a harness to wear under your panties to hold the things on. They were big, bulky and messy. There was only aspirin for cramps, and I spent years of simultaneous vomiting and diarrhea every month, waiting for things to settle down so I could go to work on my feet for 8 hours the same day. So happy to hit menopause, and have never been sad about the end of my fertile years. Yeah, happy memories.
Oh, God, yes. I remember those days. I'm 68 now and do not miss menstruating at all.
well said K. S. K.!
I cannot fathom why it took so long for someone to come up with the idea of putting some sticky tape on them to hold them in place. Perhaps they had a side-business in garter clips and elastic.
@@WaterNaiit was women who were suffering and they would never have spoken about their discomfort or their period, full stop. It was men who "invented" stuff, stuff with any hope of being produced and sold anyway. Men ruled the world and women put up with it. That's why it took so long to improve. You young 'uns have no concept really, of how much has changed for women in the past few decades. Long may that change continue.
The day the doctor said you need a hysterectomy was close to being the happiest day of my life!
😂🤣😂
Even though I don't have periods anymore
I do remember the horrific experiences of starting a period and how it didn't matter how many pads I wore I would still leak 🙄
Because menstrual blood is not like the water they use in the adverts to show us how much the pads absorb it
FYI
They should be free too
If it helps they are free in the men's toilets. 🙄
@@daisyhoward5472 🤭
That wouldn't surprise me
In this new upside down scary world that we are living in 😳🙄😳
"Have a happy period"
Darling my pants don't fit, I feel like I've been kicked in the crotch, I've got a headache no amount of painkillers can touch, and I just started crying for no reason ... but sure. Yeah. That sounds great
When I was spayed decades ago because of rampant endometriosis, my dear older cousin reminded me that I could thumb my nose (or use the one-finger-salute) in the feminine hygiene aisle at the grocery store for now and forever. That little noteworthy piece of advice has always been cherished. :-)
In Australia the protective sticky cover on pads lists multiple trivia facts. Now when a woman comes out of the loo telling you random information you know shes menstruating.
Thats genuis. Subtle and effective
I'm Aussie too. Reading those trivia bits is a somewhat useful way to pass the time when I'm sitting on the toilet bombing blood clots so big I'd struggle to fit them inside a matchbox of the little fiery sticks I'd like to use to set fire to my uterus. Bombing those giant clots into the toilet that they make a splash and contributes to the delightful mess, and I'm bearing down to push them through my cervix like I'm in frickin' labour. Then again, the pain blinds me from being able to read those fun little trivia facts. Thanks Adenomyosis for turning my uterus into a warzone.
Fuck me, let's not make that a thing elsewhere. That is mortifying.
@@burnyizland What's wrong with it?
@@frolickinglions "Now when a woman comes out of the loo telling you random information you know shes menstruating."
I was raised in a generation where we were taught it was something you hide at all costs. I'm not saying that's the right attitude, but it's not an easy thing to shake something that's been beaten into you, something you learned 'at your mother's knee'. Yes, literally beaten. I was innocently playing with the paper strip that comes off a pad when I was little and my mother and much older sister stumbled onto me. Let's just say that's the kind of mistake you don't make twice. Then when I was 8 my mother's current husband started telling me what he was going to do to me as soon as I started menstruating. Then when I was 12 I had a male teacher who would ridicule us girls in front of the whole class about any need to go to the bathroom during class being period-related, right as we were starting to get ours for the first time.
I would rather be run over than have anyone know.
I remember the first time I saw this advert even I thought it was a terrible marketing idea, and I'm a gay man on the autism spectrum. If I, with a reduced ability to properly recognise and correctly attribute signs of emotional reaction and absolutely NO experience or even interest in the workings of female reproductive organs, can spot the issue with this slogan it truly, truly confounds me that a multi-million dollar marketing department with focus groups can't do the same.
Soooo relatable! First time I saw that line on a pad my eyes rolled back so far I could see yesterday.
It's been 18 years since I went through menopause. During my period years, I never had the mood swings or homicidal rages described here, but I did have the mess and the fear of leaking onto my skirt or trousers at work (and my bedsheets at home), no matter which pads or liners I used. I was never so happy when I finally went a full year without a period.
I wholeheartedly agree. If I'd known how marvelous it was to never have a period, I'd have had a hysterectomy WAY SOONER than I did.
Ablations are also a wonderful thing. Especially when I had to stop taking the bc I had used for 20 years to relieve periods that would gush for three solid weeks and make me anemic.
I was good until I hit perimenopause, and then it was like all the moods I'd been saving up all showed on my doorstep at once like all the prodigal exes appearing together, whining in unison like deranged christmas carolers. HRT ftw, only approximately 6 more years to go. Lol. *confirms location of George foreman grill*
@@vermiliongamboge155 I've been begging for one since I was 18. Sigh. On the downhill slide to 45, and I have finally scored a consult, and my blood iron level had to tank into the single digits to even get that. My endocrinologist: "hmm your iron levels are atrocious, what are we going to do?" Me: "Hey obvious child! Hysterectomy, helloooooo! Let's do this."
I'm almost 9 years post menopausal, but back before hormone balancing medication (MY main reason for taking "birth control"), I slept on a dark grey towel to save my sheets during my 7 days of Flo's Monthly Bloodbath; the towel was really only necessary for the first 2 or 3 nights (even with two Always Overnights in place), but I slept on it all 7, just to be safe. Worked very well.
For the guys who may have missed this, or are not aware: Always is another big maxi pad brand.
Also, I personally think “have a happy period” has the same potential for massive explosive reaction as “calm down”
OK, well now you're starting to sound like your mother.
@notme222 how? 😂
I'm fairly sure people would have got as much from the title...
In the West, are there still people unaware of this brand? Considering they're the leading brand of maxi pads and have been advertising for decades, I'd assume most people would be familiar with it by now. I mean, it's not like I have to explain to a woman that "Axe" is a brand of male deodorant. Why would you assume men to be unfamiliar with your products that advertise during the same commercial breaks as ours?
Dear Description Writer at Letters Live RUclips Department,
I am elated to have discovered this morning that time travel is finally possible. Upon reading your message explaining how Dawn O'Porter delivered a speech in October 2023, and your team was able to capture it and publish it on March 7th, 2023, I am truly amazed.
Thank you for offering such a mind-boggling and future-bending service.
Sincerely,
Prathamesh
Mere Mortal
And.... They still haven't cottoned on
@@Polkadot2 😬😂
Autocorrect is a b--ch. I dictate so I know all about it. It is correct until I push the send button.
@@WVgrl59 story of my life
🙄🙄🙄
Wonderful! Brilliant letter and marvelous interpretation.
I think Always came up with a sure fire way for 'spillage' issues by putting those wings on. They guarantee that you won't get your underwear messy, but it will conduct the fluid to your trousers.
I thought I was the only one😮
Yep.
Yep!
Yep.
Slightly off topic but I've noticed a couple of ads recently where they use red dye/ animation to depict the blood in the pads.
The women in the ads are still being free spirits, skating, running, dancing, jolly full lives but a small step in a more accurate direction.
A bit too graphic for me. Could be scary for young girls watching.
@@jsemplefelton5348 Is it not more scary to start unexpectedly bleeding from their vaginas? Proper representation on TV, etc coupled with good quality education should normalise periods and make them less scary.
@@hannahk1306 - no matter how much young girls think they know what to expect, suddenly finding blood in your underwear is scary. I speak as a mother of two girls who I prepared for this eventuality. I personally don't think the graphic commercial advertising of hygeine products on TV Is necessary just to sell their wares. Quality education on the other hand is entirely different. So is the guidance from parents.
@@jsemplefelton5348 As someone who has been through it, I disagree - I have no memories of being scared of my first period. I just don't see how red liquid instead of blue on an advert is going to scare children.
If they even notice it at all, surely it's a good teaching moment?
A lot of the older ads make menstrual products look like incontinence products, especially as they use the same blue liquid for nappies and incontinence pads.
@@hannahk1306 - if you are depending on commercial ads to educate young girls there is something wrong with your mindset. Education begins at home. Followed by biology lessons in school.
Blimey, WELL SAID WENDY! I mean you spoke for us all in the most powerful of ways and with out a hammer but with a lethal keyboard. 😘❤👏👏👏
Jfc, this is actually FLAWLESS. Perfectly written, brilliantly read, just….everything I’ve ever wanted to say to Always brand. Oh, but with an additional “DO YOU EVEN FUCKING KNOW WHAT ADHESIVE IS SUPPOSED TO BE??!”, but aside from that, flawless.
Their new BS is "fits every body" coupled with "no leaks" and the only think I can think is, "Lying Liars"
IKR. So many brands seem to think nonstick adhesive is a miracle of modern science instead of a new kind of mess to clean up. I resorted to buying the kind with wings and duct-taping them together and a rolled piece of duct tape in front and in back
@@christineheminger7762 I’ve found that panties with a narrow gusset allow me to fold the wings overlapping a bit which keeps them in place a bit, but I’ll admit, I did try my scrapbook adhesive strip roller-thing first. 🤣
If Wendi Aarons isn’t already a professional writer, she should be.
I thought the happy period was the three weeks you didn't have a period.
This. This should be the TOP comment.
😂😂😂😂😂
Yes except that now ovulation is more painful than PMS for me. And once my period comes through I seem to be better.
3 weeks? Try 8 days...
This is the best series ever, I have laughed hysterically from one letter and cried over the next. Thank you!
I just discovered this channel 2 hours ago. I'm so thankful. Guess what I'll be doing for the foreseeable future
"Dawn O'Porter joined us at Letters Live at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2023 to read it" We are hearing from the future! Loved this, well read and more importantly..so well written 🙂
I can't wait. How do I book tickets?
Wendi Aarons' letter & Dawn O'Porter's reading/performance were brilliant! I'm 64, & it's been a while since I've had a "happy period", but I thoroughly enjoyed this, nonetheless.
What an absolutely brilliantly-written letter. Fantastic.
My gynecologist sent me to the hospital due to many nodes in my uterus. It HAD to be removed. I'm no fan of hospitals. But the cramps were brutal and the bleeding was both embarrassing and costly in monthly products.
Of course my period came 'whenever', so on the date of the first hospital appointment I'm bleeding all over the surgeon's floor. The Mr. had the bloody nerve to ask me why I WANTED a hysterectomy. I mean: who would WANT to lose such a happy period? Right?
this made me reflect on the emotional bs i went thru during those bloody years
Only two times was I happy about having a period: proof I wasn't pregnant and finishing the last day of my last one.
Did anyone else have MAS, or 'Mood-Swing Amnesia"? This is the sister syndrome to PMS, a phenomenon whereby you are in the midst of a suicidal crying jag brought on by hormones, but you FORGOT it was a certain day of the month and continued to be miserable until the heavens shone on you again (meaning, the hormones had shifted and your sadness lifted), only to repeat the cycle monthly and still not join the dots until you reach middle age, and finally figuring out that it came like clockwork, coinciding with monthly cycle. Correlation IS causation in this case.
I figured it out that on the days when I would fill my car with petrol and NEED to grab 2 chocolate bars on my drive to work my period would be arriving in the next day or so. My chocolate consumption would take off about 3 days prior, then the nitgh before a massive headache then THE DAY!
I worked in a laboratory with dangerous chemicals, acids, flames knives, deadly bacteria (It was a food testing lab) and how I didn't go on a rampage and either kill some of my fellow workers or people n the hour long drive home is a mystery to me. For that week, I was the mad scientist, looking for ways to blow stuff up if I could get the chance.
My girls would use a highlighter pen to block out one week each month. That week, they knew not to ask, winge or whine about Anything.
Here! Here! That slogan has ALWAYS irritated me. And they've been using it for like 20 years!
Just effing brilliant! SO MANY TIMES I thought of writing a letter about this ridiculous campaign. Never did, but I couldn’t have written anything even coming close to this. Wonderful. 😅
I love the fact that the written word is the most powerful on the planet. ❤😂
Even better than the spoken word? The Devil, you say!
@@jayviolentmob8309 It is thought through.
... spoken out loud
I couldn't wait for the menopause! Luckily my hot flushes are few and brief, my memory is almost intact and my bladder still keeps it in.
Crawling on all fours because of the pain and then being told by my well-meaning GP that having a child might improve things. I changed GP.
It is a brilliant letter and I enjoyed it immensely, but I have also thought it sad that so many women feel there is no such thing as a happy period. Sure, it's always nicer not be on it, but still... I remember when there were no such things as maxi pads, or pads with side protections no matter what size. I remember waking up dreading the discovery of bloodied underwear and bedsheets. When bigger pads with side protection first showed up, I found them miraculous and they do make my life happier.
Anything that saves me from washing bloodied clothes makes my period, in the very least, a happier period.
Edit:
I'd just like to add that normalising hellish periods - basically saying that suffering horrors is normal for women in general and if a woman doesn't have that same experience she's a lucky one - is dangerous.
Hellish periods should be seen as NOT NORMAL. As something is WRONG and we need to help whoever is suffering unnecessary horrors. Saying monthly hell is normal, is saying 'tough it out, lady, it's just bad luck you were born female', and that is the absolutely wrongest mindframe anyone could ask for. I grew up being told the opposite and, thankfully, so have a lot of women I know, some of whom would have been suffering monthly hell since teenagers had the overall mentality been 'Hell is normal'.
I've only heard in the past year or so that hellish periods are not normal. During one of my early periods (I was 12 or 13), I was lying on my bed moaning, and my mom came upstairs and told me to knock it off. I was so embarrassed by the whole idea of menstruation that I never even sat out gym class. The pain was wicked, but the embarrassment would have been worse. I took off work only once in my life because of it, and that period was so painful that I imagined a little man inside of me with a scraper scraping the inside of my uterus. Ibuprofen was a miracle drug that got me through my later periods. I was absolutely thrilled to learn I had gone through menopause and all this was in my rear-view mirror!
I am so glad that these things are being discussed more openly nowadays, and young girls today hopefully don't have to suffer like we did.
It's a very big issue. It's often just shoved under the rug :(
Sadly, while there are treatments for some of the conditions that cause that sort of pain, there's still no cures. While some of those treatments work in varying degrees for many woman, there are still a lot of us who spent decades actively seeking and trying many treatments and not finding one that worked short of ending periods.
I get what you're saying. But not having to wash bloodied sheets while Jerry Seinfeld wonders why detergent ads advertise washing off blood is a very very low bar for happiness. Not having to wash blood off should be the norm. Happiness is a big word.
The only possibility that my doctor suggested was a pill that stops periods completely (or, at least, is supposed to); it has side effects so horrible even the doctor hesitates to prescribe it-considering the side effects they willingly prescribe and claim “You’ll get used to it ,” there was no way I’d bother trying it.
Her sweet smile at the end!😂😂😂
Happy International Woman Day!
HERE!! HERE!! that letter to the fictional Mr Thatcher never gets old! so glad that absurd move is now used as one of the top 10 examples of what NOT to do in brand management. :-D
They clearly haven’t learned. Have you seen those absolutely ridiculous migraine-medication commercials where a woman who allegedly has a migraine is running around in the backyard smiling and playing with her daughter like a “good mother”, when anyone who has actually had a migraine knows that as much as one might want to play in the sunshine, that sort of activity will literally bring vomiting followed by tears while curled up on the ground in the fetal position, shading your eyes from the blazing sun.
@@WaterNai All medication commercials should be banned. They are all exactly the same: insanely happy people cavorting about the screen, while a dour voice lists all the horrifying side effects which somehow always include suicidal ideation. I tell you, if my doctor decided any of those medications were "right for me" I would immediately get a different doctor!
@@DonoVideoProductions I think that might be a specifically American twist to medication commercials where somehow they're simultaneously allowed to claim amazing benefits and required to list every single possible side effect. I certainly don't recall ever seeing one like that in Czechia. I think Czechs would poke fun at it mercilessly; a lot of our medication ads actually tend to be slightly humorous/quirky, now I think about it.
@@beth12svist It changed years ago when they actually amended our laws to allow medication commercials. We poke fun at them too, but they must work, or they wouldn't spend the millions and millions running them. 'Course, there's also the systemic issue of people wanting to just take a pill for everything, and doctors wanting to prescribe them because it's easier and faster for them. Not to mention the incentives they get (think oxycontin, etc).
@@WaterNai .. and don't forget the blood curling screaming like Reagan from the Exorcist.. "Make it stop! Make it stop!!!" and "Keep your goddamned hands away from my.." due the stabbing pain and the urge to just throw up even if would be projectile.
Absolutely brilliant!!!
Still, the winged pad changed everyone’s life for the better. What a revelation! We live in the best times. Think about being a scullery maid in 1700. Using cloths, CLOTHS, people, and NO sick days even when you felt like death, heavy flow, cramps.
I was truly happy the day I finished my last period, yes, I can say that.
Considering I have no access to sick leave (if I don’t work, I don’t get paid) and work in a pool, periods are just omfg kill me now! The best I can hope for is that my heavy days are on my short shifts. I swear it can be a nightmare on my long shifts. We get no loo breaks so yeah. Fun fun fun! Have a happy period indeed! 🙄
Was the big difference that scullery maids got the point?
Using cloth is really not that bad at all. I use cloth pads and find them more comfortable than disposable ones. There is a youtuber called Abby Cox who wore a menstrual apron for a while, which is what would have been used in 1700. According to her it was also very comfortable.
@@andreagriffiths3512 No breaks to go to the toilet? Is that actually legal? I have a hard time believing it is. You should check that with a lawyer, or just Google (or whatever search engine you use). Because where I live it would absolutely not be allowed. It sounds horrible, everything you described.
I've learned to not make any sudden moves, and when to keep my head down.😁
Love the fact that this is from the future, how awesome!!
Absolutely Brilliant ❤
SO PERFECT!!!
Shoot during my monthly the only thing I'm using a George Foreman grill for is cooking every damn edible thing I can get my hands on! If it fits I grill it LOL. The hunger is real. 😂😂
The finishing blow with 'Always' suddenly reminded me of Alan Partridge telling a story how he shouted in the face of ex TV presenter Peter Purves. " DON'T BE BLUE...PETER!"
Many years ago, I was sitting around a friend's apartment watching TV. Said friend was reading a magazine and came across a full-page print ad for tampons. This was right after the rash of tampon-related Toxic Shock Syndrome deaths were in the news, and after considering the ad for a moment, my friend turned the magazine around to show it to me and deadpanned the slogan with an editorial addendum: "It's new, it's neat, it's discreet, and it hardly _ever_ blows up any more." I laughed until I felt faint.
Brilliant 👏👏
I love you, Wendi Aarons!
What a pearl! This surely made my day 🤣
Now firmly in menopause, I am in awe of my restraint, endurance for those 44 years of routine agony.
We had a brand of pads in Australia that had trivia printed on the removable bit of paper that exposed the sticky undie side down. I didn't mind that for the first few months.Then it was the same trivia every fucking time.
I have never liked Always pads, I've used Stay free ultra thin overnights with wings for at least 20 years, but I think over 25.
This just reinforces my feelings that though Always products have way more shelf real estate in stores, they are far from the superior product.
Well said Wendy.
If you have immense pain during your periode please inform yourself or ask your doctor about endometriosis.
Indeed. In fact, most women do not turn into raving ogres during the week before their periods begin, and immense pain is not normal. The misconceptions surrounding menstruation and what is standard and what is not never cease to astound me.
We may not indeed turn into ogres, but I will assure you that a normal, normally heavy flow is distinctly unfun, and I'm just impatient enough to be done with it before we even start.
It can also be polycystic ovarian syndrome, the way the womb is positioned or even high levels of hormones. All men have testosterone, not all of them are overcompetitive jerks.
And it can be a thyroidproblem. I have severe cramps, because of my thyroid.
SO many things. Endo, PCOS, fibroids, adenomyosis... Advocate for yourself! It's especially difficult and costly for us (in the US, at least) because these things are all internal and ultrasounds aren't gonna give the best results. My doctor (a woman, even) wouldn't go forward on checking me for endo, because it would require incisions and she thought that would be worse than the supposed endometriosis itself, I guess (referring to adhesions from scar tissue). I didn't push the issue because I knew I wouldn't be able to afford it, even with insurance. My choice is basically "or suffer."
The only acceptable message in a box of maxi pads should be coupons for chocolate and wine.
"Put down the hammer" 🤣🤣
Thanks. ✌🏻👊🏼
Me here, in March 2023, looking at "Dawn O'Porter joined us at Letters Live at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2023 to read it."
Amazing all the things progress and technology allow us to do ! 😉😁
I WROTE A LETTER TO THEM TOO. OMG.
I've missed seeing Dawn. Lovely lady. Wendi Aarons thank you for this. I am imagining Mr Thatcher hiding under his desk... 😈😬😈
Wendi Aarons, you are a legend!
October 2023... she's from the future!
I saw that and was about to say the same but thought I'd check to see if anyone else had mentioned it first!😉
All true!! Love it!
Totally agree with this letter.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😂😂Hilarious 👏 "Have a happy day, started after hearing this letter read. The presentation was brought with the extended punch of reality required 😂😂Magnificent!!
It's a funny letter, and cool that she traveled into the future to perform it! ;)
I love it! 😍
Don't know if 2007 already counts as "different times", but I hate this _women turn into non-humans during their period and can't manage to have a single rational thought_ -narrative! It strengthens sexism like "an upset women? Well she's probably on her period, because why else would a woman have a strong opinion?!" and "throwing chocolate at that monster makes me a good husband, no need for empathy"
I 100% get where you're coming from, and it should never be used as a reason for why we're "unfit" for jobs... But at the same time it's absolutely true for me, at least. I can *feel* when it's no longer me at the controls, for want of a better explanation. I'm full of rage and tears for absolutely no reason, I want to snap people's heads off for the slightest transgression (or no transgression at all), and I cry even more easily than usual.
I can't help any of that. Sure, I can--and do try to--moderate how I respond, but those feelings are completely involuntary and it SUCKS. I really do feel like I've got someone else operating the controls.
it's part of the joke
Yeah that made me uncomfortable too. That's the narrative that makes people not want to hire women for responsible positions..while we .mght feel psychologically terrible we can still control ourselves, often better than testosterone-fueled humans.
Actually what's terrible is that men are irrational twice a month with their hormone cycles, and that's totally acceptable.... And men aren't considered unfit to work.
Her hair looks like it gives +2 armor against bludgeoning damage.
The only time I have ever wanted to write Mr. Thatcher was when they invented dry weave in the early 2000s. That was a great thing. I wani to complain when they invented like cucumber melon scent.
….simply put…”we re here for you”. !!! « we ve got your..… »Delightful letter👏👏👏🌹
Pre-Menopause, every month, I transformed into Cujo in a woman's body. I really felt rabid. I dreaded it, the wrenching pain, the pendulum between crying and irritability, the constant threat of "leaking." I welcomed Menopause like a ticket to paradise.
But the most infuriating thing about having to endure that monthly curse was the lack of understanding or empathy from most men and some women. For a huge corporation that makes it's living from women, you'd think they could spend some marketing dollars to determine how whatever they would print on their products would be received. Seriously, do they not have wives, mothers, sisters?
Anybody remember when Cathy Rigby advertised maxi pads while doing Olympic gymnastics routines in a white leotard? 😵💫
I'm a gay guy, but if I was brand manager I would have at least gone with, "I'm sorry, girl 😕"
This makes me think of my house sharing days. An ad came on the TV one day with a happy, smiling woman in white shorts roller skating, anticpating the tag line my housemate sang out "Just for the taste of it!" thinking it was a cola advert only to discover it was a Tampax ad!🤣🤣🤣
We never let her live that one down!😁
BRAVO!!
I was very happy that an IUD stopped my menstrual issues. No periods but no menopausal symptoms either. But I know they don’t work for everyone.
"I am reassured by the knowledge that there is an F-16 in my pants."
I remember this... it went around in those days before youtube and facebook, when jokes were send via vast mailing lists. Email days. I still have a collection of funny videos from the naughties ...
OMG! LMAO! This same exact thing happened to me. 🤣😂🤣
Fantastic!!
Ms. Aarons only forgot to mention the "joy" of period poops, unless she's lucky enough not to have them. Brilliant writing! Brilliant reading!
This is just excellent and hilarious 😂
I laughed waaaayyyy too hard at "put down the hammer."
I appreciate that the ad for this was Thinx period underwear.
Especially for the Haemorrhage periods 😢 . Over night Tena or poise pads
I had resorted to full on adult diapers for sleeping when my period was still heavy and awful. But about 4 years ago I got an IUD and my periods have basically disappeared (hallelujah), so haven't had to do that in several years now.
Night two and three used to be the worst. Now I rarely even have to put on a pad.
My hormones were all out of whack. I found great positive changes towards a lighter and more ideal period from taking Vitex (aka chaste tree berry extract), and then even more benefit when I added in Shatavari and Royal Jelly. These are inexpensive, over-the-counter nutritional supplements. I highly recommend looking into them and talking to your healthcare practitioner. They aren’t prescription or anything, it’s just that they do affect the hormones and one should be informed before doing things that interact with the body that way.
It feels so...I don't know, validating to hear other people going through this. I've never broken down and bought Tenas or anything like that, but I've thought about it SO often. All that bullshit about "It seems like a lot, but you really only bleed about 2 tablespoons' worth every period!" Right, that's why I have to get up twice a night because my menstrual cup has overflowed and I'm about to reenact Carrie on my bedsheets (even with 2 pads on in addition to the cup!).
I was recently on BC and had to stop because it was not only giving me heart palpitations, but it also sent my anxiety through the roof. And that just frustrates me, because it's like my choices are "be in immense pain every month and bleed like a butchered animal" or "Multiply every mood swings you've ever had and make them all happen at once, every day."
@@veryberry39 I'm going to do my best to respond to all your points, but full warning I'm on my phone and can't see everything you wrote or everything I will write so this might be many comments...
1. I have had heavy periods since I started at 13, I really wish I had sucked up the humiliation (made up in my head) of using a diaper for my overnights, because it was so liberating and so much more comfortable weirdly. I slept better because I wasn't worried as much. People can say whatever they want but everyone is different, my mom used a tampon and a pad and changed them every two hours, I needed at least 3 overnight pads a day on my heavy days (can't wear tampons). So I say give it a try.
2. Have you considered an IUD? I had been on birth control but it wasn't working right for me any longer, my periods weren't reducing in length or intensity, and although I didn't realize it at the time they were messing with my emotions. At my boyfriend's recommendation I talked to my doctor about an IUD, and she said well you're too small for the non hormonal copper one (I'm a big girl but my uterus is tiny apparently), but the good news about the IUDs with hormones is that the hormones seem to stay more centralized in your uterus and don't cause as many mood swing issues (can confirm this is 100% true for me). And my periods have basically become nonexistent, in fact I used two pads this period over the course of twenty four hours approximately, and then went back to next to nothing. I will never stop singing the praises of an IUD, talk to your doctor and see if it will work for you, it was the best decision I've ever made and I wish I would have known about them back in my 20s.
@@veryberry39 also I'm so sorry you're going through all that. Period drama is such a pain. I used to have special shorts to sleep in on my period because they were already stained so I didn't care.
And one of the best things I used a lot is a bed pad from a hospital stay my mom had once, it's quilted with a slicker side on one side and a cotton more absorbent side on the other and I would put that under me when I was on my period to protect my sheets. Worked 99% of the time. Another thing I used was puppy pads since they are water proofed on one side, but they are kinda small and slide around a little too easy. But they do work to keep your sheets clean.
Oh so beautiful.
I asked my ex-girlfriends youngest daughter once, is it possible to have a "happy period?" She replied, quite forcefully and in a manner which told me to never ask her again, "NO!"
Wish they had said " Please don't kill anyone this month!" or " you really don't want to say that right now"
Some men have been given the ‘happy’ opportunity to experience simulated period pain by having electrodes strapped around their lower abdomen: the intensity is increased gradually to a point where they beg for mercy. That’s when the woman controlling the dial says, “That’s just a taster… now we’re going for the Adenomyosis level.” 😊
Had a Hysterectomy at the Age of 34, 2017 because of bening tumors. Best thing that ever happened to me. Six years without that horrible messy stuff. And for the rest of my life. 🥳
"An inbred hillbilly with knife skills." My new favorite way to describe a period! 🤣🤣🤣
Wendy Aarons, the author of the letter, is a very intelligent and humorous woman. I’m not surprised she wrote that letter.
I always liked the roller skating lady being pulled by dogs - oooooh bodyform, bodyform for youuuu
I'm very old now but remember how terrible it was when I was in school, because my periods were so heavy they went through pads and pants and I had to go home not only for more pads but more underwear!
That was funny and well read too!
Why is a product that is used for about a week once a month called "Always"?
Because it's Always on your mind. In the back or front, doesn't matter. Doesn't even care what you do to it because it will still haunt you even after you think you've gotten rid of it.
I always (sic) thought it should be called “Sometimes”!
@Cal Rob My guess is 'Always (there for You. Dependable.)' Brand message says: You Can Count on Me. Always The One You Turn To. (just riffing)
Well, they also manufacture panty liners which can be used between times.
@gerardacronin334 👍
These are the reasons I swapped to a cup and period panties for extra security.
I love the men's nervous smiles while women around them are hailing and clapping😂
James Thatcher (probably) also came up with the "Enjoy the Go" slogan for Charmin' as well. Notice that no one put, "Have a Happy Jock Itch", on the cream for men!
Thought her shirt said “Cheese Love” at first 😅 That’s why I came but stayed for the hilarious content ❤😂