One of my favorite parts about my internship here has been talking to people about GladRags. Mostly because I loved watching people's reactions when they hear what GladRags is. When my friends and family ask me what I'm doing this summer, I got a little too excited to say "eco-friendly menstrual products," "cloth pads," "reusable menstrual cups," or "period." Basically all of my conversations went like this:

lets talk periods

Me: Hello, so and so! It's good to see you. How are you doing?

Person: I'm doing well, thanks. How's your summer going?

Me: It's going really well. I'm working at a small business in Portland.

Person: That's great! Where is it?

Me: It's called GladRags. They make and sell eco-friendly menstrual products. I don't know if you've ever heard of the menstrual cup or reusable cloth pads?

Person: No I haven't, but that's...interesting...

From there some people were actually interested, others carried on polite and awkward conversations about it, but most made a disgusted face and changed the subject.

As awkward as those conversations were, they reminded me that these taboos still exist. Yes, periods can be gross. But when we don't talk about these issues, we contribute to the problems surrounding conversations about women's bodies.

This internship opened my eyes to a whole new world and community for women, their periods, and environmentally conscious living. Periods represent a lot more than just a function of our bodies. It's important that we don't get embarrassed by our menstrual cycles or feel like we can't talk about it, which is something GladRags works to bring to women and the community.

No matter who I was talking to, I wasn't afraid to bring up GladRags, menstrual cups, or reusable cloth pads. I'm okay with making some people uncomfortable for the sake of another woman having the opportunity to find an alternative product for her period or finding empowerment in some period positivity.

So how do you talk to other people about GladRags? How did you get past the awkward conversations? Do you think it's important to talk about GladRags with other people? Let us know what you think! Like I said, we aren't afraid to talk about it.

bronteAbout the author of this post:
is the summer intern at GladRags and attends Willamette University, studying politics, history, and women’s and gender studies. She is passionate about education, dance, and hiking with her dog.