You know the saying, empowered women empower women.  Well, it all started with women empowering women.  

I stumbled upon international women’s circles over 6 years ago and that’s when my life changed.  I unknowingly tapped into the ancient energy of sisterhood, an energy I knew nothing about and likewise, much of the modern world is also unaware of. There is something very natural about women coming together to support women; to witness each other in their lives and dreams, to safely ask and receive advice from those  who’ve encountered similar experiences, to hold each other accountable, and to offer help when needed; truly a safe place to be real and raw.  It’s in women’s nature to be together in community, empowering each other.  The safety created within the women’s circles allowed for many vulnerable topics of all kinds to be openly discussed.  And it was here that I first started to see a pattern.

Naturally periods would arise as a topic of conversation in a safe community of women.  I began to notice that every woman had the same variation of a first period story - being unaware of what would really happen when she got her period and unprepared for the experience, which led to an embarrassing situation, finally ending with feelings of shame and loneliness.  Does this sound familiar? I couldn’t believe it.  My  story was every woman’s story!  But why was this every woman’s story?  

For goodness sakes, every girl receives the pleasure of one lesson in health class, chapter 5 of a human bodies textbook.  How could she not be aware and prepared?  Wink Wink.  Seriously though, how can anyone expect a young woman to understand what will happen to her body as she steps through the rite of passage into womanhood from a textbook?  And why should she have to wait until that predetermined classroom curriculum to learn about it?  The reason every woman has the same story is because no one talks about periods.  

And here I was  in women’s circles learning all about just how sacred and special it truly is to be a woman.  Again, this is not a concept the majority of the modern world has fully embraced.  Yes, it is an honor to be a woman, and getting our first period is the literal, embodied rite of passage into womanhood!  Now I felt like I was on to something, not only should periods be talked about, they should be celebrated. 

But we’ve gotten ahead of ourselves.  First things first, why aren’t women talking about their periods?  It boils down to the fact that mothers and caregivers tend to follow the way their mothers and caregivers taught them (or didn’t) and so on.  It’s no one’s fault really, since such private matters like what goes on in a woman’s body has not been an appropriate topic of discussion for decades, it’s no wonder.  But I wasn’t satisfied with that answer.  Because honestly there is nothing inappropriate about a woman’s period.  A woman having a period is as natural to the body as sweat...no one has a problem talking about sweat do they?  It is not a sign of something wrong or bad, dirty or gross, in fact quite the opposite.  If a woman is not having a period, that may be a sign of potential health concerns.  And it’s not like women get to choose the period’s biological process naturally occurring in the body.  Sure, it isn’t glamorous shedding uterine blood each month, but not many (if any) bodily functions are.

Then a terrible thought occurred to me: if  periods aren’t talked about and girls don’t have full awareness and understanding of how natural, healthy and sacred their periods are, they are not empowered (or celebrated) as they step into womanhood.  They become disempowered about being a woman instead.  The embarrassment, shame and loneliness they feel when “becoming a woman” inevitably carries with them consciously or unconsciously.  And from that moment forward, being a woman is riddled with feelings of shame. 

While I was contemplating all of this, as coincidence would have it my close friend Samina’s daughter, got her first period! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to practice what I’d been preaching (as I don’t have any children of my own).  Samina was receptive to bringing a new kind of awareness to her daughter’s period experience, different from her own which had the familiar tones of embarrassment, shame and loneliness.  That’s when Normalize the Period was born.  I had a vision, we could change the conversation through conversational clothing, close community and re-education & free women from the shame and embarrassment that has stigmatized their monthly cycles for so long.

“I’m honored to be part of the Normalize movement, an inspirational and eye-opening experience! I know that other women will feel the same.  My daughter and I are grateful for the safe and open space that Christy created for all women to share personal experiences, ask questions and support each other without shame. My daughter and I are closer from working with Christy on Normalize and it’s a comfort to know this resource is out there.” - Samina Ali, friend and supporter of Normalize the Period.

Author Christy Guyer, Founder of Normalize the Period

Can you relate to Christy’s experience? Want to help us change the conversation?

There are so many ways you can get involved:

Join us with conversational clothing and buy yourself or a loved one a  Normalize the Period sweatshirt. Don’t forget that $1 from every product purchased goes towards a re-education program for young girls.

Join the Free the Womb Facebook group and get actively involved in ‘how’ we change the conversation to be one of more acceptance & inclusion.

Tag us in any posts that raise awareness for important women’s issues, we’re here to spread the word, together.