It's Wonderful Being a Girl

When I was in the 6th grade, the nuns at my school herded the girls from our class into the auditorium. We didn't really know what they had in mind, but we knew it was going to be different and no boys were allowed.

The school nurse stood on the stage and told us we were going to learn about important changes our bodies were about to go through. Roll film.

(From the Journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics, Vol. 27, 1961)
It's Wonderful Being A Girl: 16 mm., color, sound, showing time 19 minutes. Produced in 1959 by Audio Productions Inc., for Personal Products Corporation, Milltown, N.J.
The purpose of this film is to encourage a healthful knowledge of the menstrual process and positive attitudes for girls who are just beginning to menstruate. On her 14th birthday, Linda Brown decides that it's wonderful to be a girl growing up, It's wonderful to have parties and dates, make new friendships, learn new skills, and develop your talents. It's wonderful to know about yourself, recognize your bodily changes, and understand what menstruation is and how to live with it happily.

This film story covers a year of Linda's life and shows how she arrives at these happy conclusions. She learns from her mother what to expect when menstruation occurs. She begins to scorn the old wives' tales she has heard and the superstitious attitudes she has seen. When she begins to menstruate, she finds that it need not hamper her in successfully meeting the challenges of everyday life.

At school a teacher's thorough explanation...provides Linda with the important facts about how she became the girl she is. Discussions in the class reveal that a girl's menstrual periods need not limit her activities.

This film is to be commended for its emphasis on the fact that menstruation is a perfectly normal process in the life of girls. It helps to create proper attitudes for girls who may have some problems in adjusting to menstruation, particularly in the beginning. The story is well developed and the film is effective because it closely approximates life situations for girls in this age group. Good mother-daughter and teacher-student relationships are demonstrated.

This film was actually produced by a division of Johnson & Johnson, and included prominent product placement. Still, it got the job done and the nuns were off the hook as far as discussing menstruation. After the film, a motherly lay teacher met with us and discussed hygiene and discretion--hey, it was 1972 and the first Tampax commercial was still many years away.

Product placement. Samples. We all got samples. Thick, bulky sanitary napkins--they were nothing like today's streamlined, multi-option, self-stick, individually wrapped, maxi-pads. In retrospect, I suppose the samples came along with renting the film.

Although my friends and I snickered at this whole episode for weeks, as an adult, I realize that we were fortunate that somebody took the time to take us through the facts of getting our period. We probably weren't really ready for what was ahead, but at least we had some idea of what to expect.

When I think about the African girls who are the daughters of the women I know, I feel like they are, culturally speaking, back in 1972. Nobody discusses the start of menstruation until it actually starts, and even after that, there's not much to be said. Television is full of commercials for tampons, maxi-pads, panty liners, Pamprin, and happy periods, yet for newcomers to our culture, this is an appalling breach of decency. Can you imagine trying to reconcile this paradox if you're a young refugee girl in America?

These girls have no way to get the supplies they need to manage monthly periods, their fathers control the money (so no asking there), and the moms aren't really current on this topic themselves. The host culture gives the message that having a period is just another bodily function and there's no need to let it impact day-to-day life. At home, it's an off-limits discussion. How does a girl ask for what she needs to fit in here, like a normal kid?

I propose this: A maxi-pad drive. There are many ways to handle distribution--that is not a problem at all. Bring on the pads and we'll take care of the rest.

Is this bizarre? Absolutely. Is it necessary? Without question.

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--SM