Adventures in Feminine Hygiene

Being a girl isn’t always easy. When it comes to feminine hygiene, there’s lots of room for major embarrassment! Here, real girls dish on their most mortifying moments. (All you can do is laugh about it, right?)

Mood Monitor
My little sister had this kid over to play Wii with her, and he had to use the toilet. I had a box of pads on the bathroom sink, and the boy asked my sister what was in the box. She said, “Oh, those? They’re just those things Claudia puts in her underpants when she’s in a bad mood.” Nice. -- Claudia, 14

Pray Tell!
This is the most embarrassing thing ever! I got my period while I was at church, but I didn’t have anything with me. It hadn’t gotten on my dress, so I folded up some toilet paper and placed it in the crotch of my underwear. I walked (pretty fast) back to the pew to tell my mom we had to leave. As she and I were heading up the aisle toward the exit, I saw it. ... The bloody tissue had fallen out of my undies and onto the floor! My mother nonchalantly knelt down, scooped it up and slipped it into her purse. Bless her! -- Kara, 13

Landing Pad
When I was at the skating rink when I was about 6 years old, I noticed the dispenser in the ladies room and put some coins in to find out what it was. Two maxi pads came out, but I thought they were kneepads! I stuck them to my knees, and went onto the rink. I was skating like that for a while before my aunt pulled me aside and took them off. Later that night, my mom had “the period talk” with me. -- Sandy, 15

Stick Figure
I was ready to try tampons, so my mom bought me some. Everybody had told me that it doesn’t hurt, that I wouldn’t even feel it. But it felt really awkward! I decided to wait and see if I got used to it. I was walking around the house looking all stiff when my big sister was like, “What is wrong with you?” I told her about the tampon, and she said, “Something is not right.” She showed me the directions on the tampon box, and it turned out I had left in part of the cardboard applicator. Stupid, but now I’m a pro! -- Camryn, 13