We just found an interesting blog about women's issues that I thought might appeal to some in the gladrags community.  "Women's Rights" at change.org explores many different areas in a well written, concise, and interesting manor.  They write about a variety of topics from a feminist perspective from sports and politics to make-up and the media. In a recent entry mentioning yours truly, GladRags, the blogger critiqued a recent tampax commercial depicting an anthropomorphized version of Mother Nature destroying a young woman's dream by causing her to wake up to change her tampon.  Having recently seen this commercial on television, I was disgusted by its attitude toward women's natural processes.  Dorothee at Women's Rights succinctly expressed the problem with the advertisement and many similar advertisements.  In addition to her assessment, I also find it interesting that at the end of the ad, they say that their tampons last up to 8 hours.  I don't know about everyone else, but 8 hours is the minimum I need to sleep in a night.  I would much rather wear a cup or night pad with some extra inserts and not worry about toxic shock syndrome or leaking if I don't set an alarm.

I just ran across this article on www.examiner.com, about irritiations caused by disposable menstrual products. The writer, San Francisco gynecologist, Dr. Jennifer Gunter, lays out some facts, and mentions GladRags as a soft, safe alternative.

Here at GladRags, we hear these stories of irritation and relief from our customers quite frequently, but it is great to hear it confirmed by a medical professional.Thanks, Dr. Gunter.

 - Brenda

It doesn’t exactly look like spring here in Portland, Oregon. Nevertheless, they tell us it is in fact the first day of spring. In celebration of the new beginning that spring represents, we’re putting the Diva Cup on sale for the rest of month of March! If you’ve been on the fence about whether or not to try out menstrual cups, now is the perfect time to take the plunge. We don’t often get the chance to put these great cups on special, so get ‘em while they’re hot!

We just received a glowing review from the Pure Baby Love blog!  They review environmentally friendly products for pregnancy and families.  Check out the gladrags review and the other great environmentally friendly products they evaluate here.  Thanks guys!

Our friends at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI came up with the idea to have a menstruation party where they could open up a dialogue and celebrate their menses.  They asked GladRags to donate a sampling of our products.  Given how few women we hear from who have menstruation parties, we couldn’t resist giving to a cause that would promote positivity around our cycles.  Here is the email we received from Rachel and Anne Marie, the gracious hostesses of the party:

Last week we had our menstruation party at Grand Valley State University, and today we finished our project with an in class presentation on our experience. I wanted to say thank you for the GladRags donations and support of our menstruation party! I also wanted to tell you a little about the event.

    We had 15 guests, plus the two of us for a grand total of 17.  It ended up being a really good number for discussion. We  had originally planned for activities to take up most of the  party, but we ended up having a dialogue that lasted almost  an hour. Women were really excited to talk about their  experiences in a positive atmosphere, and everyone really  opened up about both positive and negative experiences.  There was such a diverse range of experiences that ranged from happy to sad to touching. It was really very moving, everyone was very open and supportive, and we could not have asked for a better outcome.

On top of the discussion, we had red-themed refreshments and decorations, created pages for a zine, and made menstruation-positive t-shirts.

   The products and information that you donated were a huge piece of the night. Part of our discussion was on reusable products, and why they are important for our health and our environment. We stressed that we did not want to push products on anyone, but that corporations that produce disposable menstrual products have a vested interest in keeping reusable products a secret, and that we all deserve to be informed on all of our options to make the best decisions for ourselves.

A large majority of the women there did not even know that reusables were an option and were educated about them for the first time. At first many were skeptical (and a little grossed out), but it was amazing to see how much the mentality changed within as little as a half an hour. When we did our door prize give away at the end, everyone was excited for a chance to get her first reusable pad, and many women were talking about making the switch.

Everyone, at both the party and in class today, took information, and seem very excited about the prospect of more sustainable, comfortable, and healthy products. And we have been inspired to keep the momentum going and hope to continue to host gatherings to promote positive menstrual mentalities.

It really was an amazing event, and your donations made it possible—it truly would not have been the same without them. I am including some pictures from the event. Enjoy!

Yours in menstrual solidarity,

Rachael & Anne Marie

Sounds like your party was a success!  Thanks for sharing your fun with us!

Hello, my name is Alex and I am new here at GladRags!  I thought I would share a little bit about myself.  I grew up in Muncie, Indiana.  In 2004 I moved to Portland, OR in order to attend Reed College, much like my friend and co-worker Elizabeth, and explore a different part of the county.  I graduated in the fall of 2008 with a B.A. in psychology.  Since then, I have worked with teenagers with Austism at an urban day camp.  My interests include reading, dancing, discovering Portland, biking, trivia, and snacks.  When I heard there was an opening at GladRags I was thrilled!  I am interested in learning more about how women make choices and talk about their own bodies.