"Have a Happy Period": Actual Letter to P&G?

[lynnejanet]

http://www.snopes.com/humor/letters/always.asp

[Syllavus]

Am I the only woman on the planet for whom a period is little more than an inconvenience? Occasionally my stomach will feel a tad ooky, and of course I'll feel a bit bloated, but those over-the-top descriptions have never applied to me.

Am I alone?

[Lainie]

If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like "Put Down the Hammer" or "Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong", or are you just picking on us?

How about "Don't forget to eat your chocolate"?

[Buckle Up]

Originally Posted by Syllavus

Am I the only woman on the planet for whom a period is little more than an inconvenience? Occasionally my stomach will feel a tad ooky, and of course I'll feel a bit bloated, but those over-the-top descriptions have never applied to me.

Am I alone?

No! Frankly, I think the letter is a teensy bit...misogynistic! I know a woman wrote it, but that's no excuse.

I've never liked the seemingly omnipresent messages in the media that women turn into homicidal, crazed, crippled, irrational jerks every month. They're all over-emotional, they're all chocolate freaks, they're all in severe pain and incapable of doing anything but lying around in a bathrobe eating Mallomars...to me, this is no different from the assumptions and stereotypes made about certain races or any other oppressed group.

Periods can be bad for some women, but I think the majority handle it with strength and elegance, and this letter is just one more example of an anti-woman tirade that pigeonholes us even further, something we really don't need.

[Wicked Tinkerbell]

... I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period".

"Are you f…..g kidding me?"

I had the same thought the first time I saw that little message. (It is printed on the peel-off strip covering the adhesive backing.) I thought about writing a letter similar to this myself.

But in another thread, someone mentioned that a banner containing a similar slogan appeared on TV show (Red Dwarf?). I will have to search.

ETA: It was in the Unglamorous thread, posts 104 & 106 by Bring the Noise.

[Christie]

What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness - is possible during a menstrual period?

This has got to be a joke. I'm hoping some guy's idea of a joke because would a woman really believe that every single woman in the world is a miserable bitch 7 days out of every month?

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Syllavus

Am I the only woman on the planet for whom a period is little more than an inconvenience? Occasionally my stomach will feel a tad ooky, and of course I'll feel a bit bloated, but those over-the-top descriptions have never applied to me.

Am I alone?

Not at all. I do understand that many women have an uncomfortable or painful time of it, but not everyone does. For me it's at most a minor inconvenience-- I barely even think about it anymore. Once in a while I get minor cramps or irritability, but mostly not. I usually retain some water-- the biggest inconvenience of the whole thing is the day my body decides to let the excess water go.

And come to think of it, I think that when I was a teen, I was way more scared about the whole thing than I needed to be partly because of commercials that imply that having a period can make life a whole lot less fun (unless you buy the advertised product, natch). Mom tried to tell me that I'd get used to it and it might not end up being a big deal every month, but I didn't believe it.

But a "happy period'? C'mon. I feel pretty neutral about periods, especially now that I can use the pill to control when I have mine (never on the weekends! woot). But there is no feminine hygiene product that will ever make me happy about having a period.

Pregnancy scares, on the other hand...

Bee

[justusfour]

Originally Posted by Christie

This has got to be a joke. I'm hoping some guy's idea of a joke because would a woman really believe that every single woman in the world is a miserable bitch 7 days out of every month?

There's a talk show host here who actually argues that women deserve to be paid less because they work 12 less weeks than men do because of montly cycles.

[snapdragonfly]

Originally Posted by Christie

This has got to be a joke. I'm hoping some guy's idea of a joke because would a woman really believe that every single woman in the world is a miserable bitch 7 days out of every month?

I think the letter is a joke too.

But actually I do know some women who have a pretty darn miserable time of it, for whom it's more than just a minor hassle. I won't go so far as to call them a bitch but they are sure miserable.

Lots of women, happily, don't have it that bad. I do, but only for about 2 days.

[Christie]

Originally Posted by snapdragonfly

I think the letter is a joke too.

But actually I do know some women who have a pretty darn miserable time of it, for whom it's more than just a minor hassle. I won't go so far as to call them a bitch but they are sure miserable.

Lots of women, happily, don't have it that bad. I do, but only for about 2 days.

I used to have it pretty bad for a couple of days as well and my daughter has, sadly, inherited that from me. But even so there are mighty few women who are miserable for the entire time. And the idea that women cannot possibly be happy during "their special time" is just nuts .

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Christie

I used to have it pretty bad for a couple of days as well and my daughter has, sadly, inherited that from me. But even so there are mighty few women who are miserable for the entire time. And the idea that women cannot possibly be happy during "their special time" is just nuts .

I may be happy during that time, but it's not because I'm having a "happy period" in the same way I would have a "happy birthday."

[Christie]

Originally Posted by Lainie

I may be happy during that time, but it's not because I'm having a "happy period" in the same way I would have a "happy birthday."

I agree. I was addressing this part of the letter:

What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness - is possible during a menstrual period?

when I said that. Not the whole "have a happy period" concept. Which does strike me as goofy...to say the least.

[Aud 1]

When I have a period the troublesome time is before the bleeding starts. (Isn't that why it's Pre menstrual syndrome.)That's when the world comes down with a case of the stupids and all I want to do is sleep.

[Toys For Big Boys]

I feel like topping myself, and the most minor thing will make me cry. Like an advert for a mobile phone shop where a mobile phone was being mistreated...

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Christie

I agree. I was addressing this part of the letter:



when I said that. Not the whole "have a happy period" concept. Which does strike me as goofy...to say the least.

Ah, I see. That does make sense.

[DawnStorm]

I remember that ad. My happiest period will be the last one I have. Kinda hard to be happy when there is an icepick working its way through your head, going through your right eye and emerging on the left side of your nose. Ever have a migraine, bub? Obviously not!
A lame slogan is certainly no reason to boycott a product you like though.

[lynnejanet]

Originally Posted by Buckleupp

No! Frankly, I think the letter is a teensy bit...misogynistic! I know a woman wrote it, but that's no excuse.

I've never liked the seemingly omnipresent messages in the media that women turn into homicidal, crazed, crippled, irrational jerks every month. They're all over-emotional, they're all chocolate freaks, they're all in severe pain and incapable of doing anything but lying around in a bathrobe eating Mallomars...to me, this is no different from the assumptions and stereotypes made about certain races or any other oppressed group.

Periods can be bad for some women, but I think the majority handle it with strength and elegance, and this letter is just one more example of an anti-woman tirade that pigeonholes us even further, something we really don't need.

Even though I think the ad campaign is ridiculous, I agree with you, to some degree, Buckleupp. I agree with those who think the letter is a joke; at least, I think it's a piece of hyperbole, not to be taken very seriously.

It's mildly offensive, and mildly humourous, at the same time. In other words, I won't be forwarding it!

The "have a happy period" is just plain dumb. Bleeding for five-six days every month is not something to jump up and down about, because sometimes even the slightest movement can cause major trickling. I think the only time you can have a happy period is if it's your last one before menopause, or you don't want to be pregnant.

I've never experienced the stereotypical symptoms like they portray in the media (although the Bob Rivers parody "PMS" is hilarious). I can tell when it's going to come because my breasts get tender and sometimes I'll get a headache. Then when Aunt Flo arrives, the soreness is gone and I just deal with the bleeding and occasional cramps. I take two ibuprofen and the cramps are gone.

Not only is this letter misogynistic, but it has to win the "most usage of hyperbole" award for the month. Yeesh.

[Mouse]

I know I'm a traitor to my gender but I laughed my head off at the OP. Maybe it's because my cycle can be best summed up in three words: descent into Hell.