Jezebel: Let It Bleed

Speaking Words Of Wisdom

Anna Holmes — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:10:00 EDT

[Los Angeles, April 22. Image via Pacific Coast News]

OCD Patient Forced To Deal With Period Blood In All-White Home

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT

On last night's Obsessed, a man with OCD — which, for him, manifests as germ phobia — endured exposure therapy that involved his therapist changing her tampon in his home, and then having him touch the washcloth she used afterward. More »

Feminine Hygiene Commercials Are Rarely Genius

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Over on AdAge, there's a commercial for a company called Libra. In the spot, a woman on a rooftop rocks out on guitar as video game shapes fall from the sky. The licks are hot, the chick is cool, and the tagline is: "Play with patterns." The product? Tampons. Because having your period rocks! Actually, the ad's not bad — at least there's not blue mystery liquid being squeezed from an eyedropper or a beaver involved. As AdAge's Charlie Moran points out: "We like rock 'n roll as a source of female empowerment, but doesn't such a contrived packaging gimmick like this play into stereotypes about the frivolity of those same young girls?" Ugh. Why is "feminine hygiene" such a tough product to sell? Women menstruate. They need tampons. So how come tampon commercials rarely hit the mark? More »

The Importance Of Being Able To Change Your Period Products In "Public"

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:00:00 EDT

Sharing experiences of certain bodily functions are milestones in intimacy with significant others, like pooping while they're in the house, vomiting on them when you're sick, or farting in from of them. Once you can do that shit (literally), you know that you're comfortable in your relationship. But there's one final frontier of unpleasantness that means you're really close: changing your pads and tampons in front of your boyfriend. (I say "boyfriend," because I'm assuming this isn't as much of an issue in lesbian relationships.) Some guys are apparently squeamish about this sort of thing, probably the same ones who are weird about period sex. But can you really have a lasting relationship with someone if you have to hide bloody cotton from them? More »