Liz’s Story

I think one of the interesting things about doing this project for me has been realizing there's just certain things you get used to. I realize how much I don't talk about menstruation and how much I instinctively just hide it. Not intentionally, like I have had partners who are very open to knowing and sharing about it, which I appreciate. But beyond that, I feel like I do just kind of deal with it on my own and then don't really bring it up very much. 

I think that was an interesting kind of realization to see that as much as I think of myself as being open, as you get older you realize the things you just kind of adjust to and stop questioning as you move into different stages of your life. Reflecting on that, I realized, because I was trying to think of my relationship to my period, that I don't even remember many things.

It's taking me time to develop an intuitive attachment to that part of me. I realized that when I first got my period, I actually didn't tell anyone. I don't know if I even told my sister. I know I didn't tell my mom. I had an older sister, so I knew a little bit about how to deal with it and so I just started taking pads and stuff.

Then after a while, I think my mom asked me, but there's no real reason for me doing that cause I'm pretty sure like she would've been open to talking about it. And I think my sister had a conversation with her, so I don’t really know why that was my default decision. But I think that is kind of like a representation of how I dealt with that change and it extends to other things too.

I knew a few other people who had similar reactions. I think it's interesting to realize how many layers there are to the weight of it and how many things you kind of take on without realizing you're even doing it. 

-Liz, she/her, 32