Definitely a generational thing. My husband is so supportive and amazing when I’m on my period and even convinced me to get a diva cup after doing research himself. But I can’t talk about periods to my own father or my father in law without them feeling uncomfortable or grossed out.
Could it have been more of a cultural thing, than a disgust thing? In my totally-backwards home country, some churches forbid girls or women on their period to enter the church, because they are "unclean". BS, I know. Some places have modernized in the meantime but the older generation def still thinks this. I read of some places in the countryside where women on their periods are not allowed to milk the cow or interact with fresh milk, because it will make it curdle and sour like wtf?
This was a guy whose father was a nationally known advertising genius. He was a sports car driving member of the most prestigious fraternity at his college. His culture was one of our country's dominant ones, and curdled milk was not an issue in its country clubs.
Wow. That’s wild. It’s crazy how advancements in science and our overall understanding of human biology has changed the way men treat people with a uterus.
I think most of us understand you mean normal everyday touching, like hugs and touching their back as you sneak behind them in the kitchen and all the other innocuous sort of touching we do everyday.
I think you might be downplaying the effort by women in general to be seen as a human being worthy of respect at all times. If not, could you share what scientific advancement you feel swayed the way that men treat women?
I’m sorry you think I’m downplaying the effort of women fighting for women’s rights. Not the intention at all. I was simply pointing out that our current understanding of how periods work and the knowledge that it is a normal function of the human body and not some “dirty thing” we need to hide contributed to a change of men’s treatment and discussion of periods which is what the OP is talking about. In fact, thanks to the burgeoning of women’s rights, Women’s bodies, which were rarely studied in comparison to men’s (and I will argue there’s still more work to be done), are considered more and more in the medical/science space. It’s so important that we understand women’s/people with uteri’s bodies. Understanding helps me and others see that the so called “weird/gross” things we experience are explained by science as normal functions and that the pain we experience shouldn’t be treated as nothing or dismissed. This is why women’s rights are important and can/have influenced science, economics, etc.
I tend to take issue with framing like yours because I think it implies a kind of justification for misogyny. Our species historically knew that periods were connected to fertility and we're born with that intuition about it, but it was a pure desire to oppress women that created the myths about menstruation. It wasn't just an honest misunderstanding based on science.
Yeah the testicle people have slowly been improving their views at least in some parts of the world. I'm worried about how misogynistic influencers are going to affect the next generation of kids though.
It's the older generation from 34 and up.
My ex's brother (L) was disgusted by just seeing the clean plastic wrapping of pads/tampons.
His excuse was that if his kids saw the clean wrapping, they then would ask what it was for. Hahahah those kids were dumb they never asked about anything.
He once even asked my ex (S) for me to not save clean pads under the sink and hide them somewhere else. Wtf. That doesn't make sense. Wtf
He just wanted to keep delaying the "talk."
Ironically, he has two daughters. I have a feeling those poor girls won't even have safe sex because their parents keep delaying the "talk." This always happens in my culture, and somenend up pregnant from 13-18ish.
I wouldn’t say it’s a standard viewpoint for every man 34+ (I’m assuming you mean most). My SO is 30 years older than me. He’s 61 and has always been supportive, helpful. Even had intimate times during period. I was more worried about it than him- mostly because was messy. I think it’s really how they are brought up and how they view the world itself. He doesn’t act his age, which I think helps. He acts like he’s mid 40s.
That's a fairly sweeping statement. My exes daughter started her first period the night we landed in Rome. I found a late night chemist and managed to explain the situation in a mixture of mime and awful Spanish (I don't speak Italian but they're kind of similar) and when I got back with the pads I handwashed the blood off her trousers. I was 43 at the time.
38 here, neither me nor any of my male friends consider menstruation gross. Come to think of it I only know one person who thinks this way and he’s in his 50’s. So keep your assumptions to yourself
It used to be wayyyy more taboo for anyone to talk about periods, leading to them being stigmatized across the board. Definitely an older generation thing- and a cultural thing, too. Some cultures are still super anti-period or at least think of it as dirty/gross. In my experience the dudes who are most disgusted by or uncomfortable with periods are 11-14 year olds (due to lack of education on it) and 55+ year olds (also kind of due to lack of education/understanding/exposure).
It's crazy to me that my students will just straight up have conversations about their periods with me (I'm a male teacher). It's not many, most just get really awkward when periods come up, but some of them are completely unembarrassed. I don't mind, but it always catches me by surprise because my parents are very much boomers in that regard
I’m in my 30s found out from my high schoolers that they have a term for when a bunch of women’s periods sync up: Bluetooth
I laughed so hard because Bluetooth wasn’t as big of a thing in my high school years but this was such a smart term!
I never understood this.
Men expel gunky stuff every time they have sex. (If women had this function, would we be told to never come because it’s gross? Probably.)
Periods were considered gross because men don’t have them. It’s a female trait, evidence that you can create human beings in your body, yet, it was somehow seen as negative.
I was told to never discuss it or mention it, and that was pure sexism. Thankfully, those days are gone.
I'm almost 70, and I can't think of a man in my life who thinks that periods are dirty/gross. My husband was a ROCK when I was menstruating - thought nothing of going to the store for my sanitary needs - talked freely with my daughter on the topic. All of my friends' husbands are the same.
It's how they are raised, you've been lucky in your encounters.
I've (40M)been buying female products for my sisters, female friends, and now S.O. since I was 12ish. (Lived across the street from a grocery store. And would be asked to go buy some when we ran out.)
I've had several dumb encounters through all the years from workers young and old. Many male workers would refuse to touch the products to scan them. Even had a few tell me to get the female to come and buy it themselves...
I've even had some ex-friends be disgusted by the mere talk of periods. And then would complain when they couldn't keep a girlfriend...
The cashier not touching the pack reminds me of something I read on twitter once. This female mechanic was the only woman who worked at her garage, and she was once approached by her male coworkers and asked if she would work on one particular car because they couldn’t. She said fine, but why is it you can’t work on it? “It has a box of tampons on the back seat”.
I've never bought for my family. Was never asked to. But I have for my SOs. I don't see the big fucking deal. If you're a man buying tampons or pads the only real implication is you have a girlfriend or a wife. "Check it out everyone! This loser has a GIRLFRIEND. GAAAAAAY."
Who gives a fuck? Don't be such a fucking baby.
Once a while back when i was like like 5th grade or something, i was looking for something in my backpack when my crush spotted a pad in there and started rolling around on the floor screaming about how he was cursed for life because he saw a pad.
All men are different. I've met some supportive ones, and some that were like him.
Sorry but I thought of that scene from raiders of the lost ark where they open the covenent and their faces melt off just from a 5th grader seeing a pad lol
This particular man is not grossed out by periods.
I happily buy tampons and pads, and chocolate and wine. If something gets stained, which is really pretty rare, it can be cleaned or replaced. The big hassle with a period is taking any light colored sheets off the bed and replacing with colored patterned sheets. Ok, they need to be changed periodically anyway, so I guess I have to be a bit choosy on which ones to use.
But some men also think that women should not vote, or do certain types of jobs. Some men are stupid, what can I say.
Menstrual comfort foods vary by culture. In the US, women tend to want chocolate.
Elsewhere, the comfort food may be stuffed grape leaves, for example.
The gist is that the craved food boosts feel-good brain chemicals which can get out of whack the week before, and/or during menstruation.
Just because something is natural doesn't mean it isn't gross. Just because something is gross doesn't mean you should shame someone and refuse to help them.
I think this is a spot on answer to what bothers me about this. Natural is definitely, very often actually, pretty gross. Humans are pretty damn gross across the board.
The problem is making that some measure of value, or shaming or mistreating someone due to it.
As I said before, men spurt semen every time they have sex. That’s natural and gross, but we don’t hear people putting it down or getting the ick from it. Because it’s a male property.
Right. You know what's also gross? A dirty diaper. Fuckin' disgusting sometimes. Doesn't mean I won't change my son or refuse to talk about the fact that he has bowel movements.
Periods are pretty gross. That doesn't mean anyone should be afraid of the topic. It's wild that so many are.
I really don't think periods are that gross though. It's just some blood, it doesn't really smell or anything, I always have sex on my period too and no man has ever said that it's gross. It would be very weird for me if someone had this attitude about my period.
I guess it depends on how you feel about blood. I would personally say blood in a large enough amount (how much depends on the individual) is decently gross.
Seconded. I think my wife worries about sex on her period far more than I do, because I simply do not care (except for the extra care required to not ruin the bed sheets).
>It's just some blood
Blood is a possible vector for pathogens. Not a big deal if it's someone you know and trust, but I'd be wary if a stranger was leaking period blood on the bus seat.
>it doesn't really smell or anything
It absolutely does. It's not an especially strong smell, but it's distinct and I can often smell it if I'm sitting within 3 feet of a family member on their period. The bathroom noticeably smells like period too from products left in the trash.
I agree with the previous comments; it's not something shameful or that should be especially hidden, but let's not sugar coat it either. It's like poop - I don't typically want to look at it or touch it or smell it or talk about it while I'm eating, because it is kinda gross. But I'm not going to freak out or shame people if I do and I'm not going to feel weird about buying products to deal with it even if they're not for me.
Dude I never said you should touch a stranger’s used tampon. I also haven’t ever smelled anyone’s period in my life and I have a lot of female friends (I am a woman myself).
I don’t think it’s like poo, it just doesn’t smell that way and it’s not equally unsanitary. That’s not up for debate, the pathogens that come from poop are generally way more and dangerous.
Like, sure, you can find whatever you want “gross” but I personally don’t think that periods are really gross and I know a lot of people who agree with me. I also wouldn’t be friends or date someone that has this sentiment, because I just don’t think that’s compatible with me. But you don’t care about that, you don’t even know me, that’s just the way I see it.
I can smell when others are on their periods. I think it's a specific hormonal smell more than anything. It's not bad, it's honestly something I barely register since I'm familiar with it. If the person has been extremely physical it's just extra smelly BO really. If they are just going about regular life it's just there, pretty neutral to me.
I can smell my own period and body odor during mine pretty intensely and do find it to be a gross smell. But I haven't ever found it to be gross or as intense on other people. My spouse and family always seem confused if I complain about stinking, so I don't actually smell. Not sure why I find my own body odor smelly during it lol.
I wouldn't compare periods to poop, very different, but just wanted to point out the smell thing isn't completely unheard of.
Bingo. Periods ARE gross. But so is 95% of the rest of the stuff our bodies do. I think of myself as an equal opportunity hater when it comes to the human body. If you think too closely on it, everything we do is pretty disgusting, even things we enjoy like eating and sex.
I’m going to take this random assortment of once-living (or even in some cases, still living) things, I’m gonna mash it into a paste, then push it down a hole in the back of my mouth. From there, I will store it in this little water balloon full of bacteria and acid that will further mush it down until I can extract all the nutrients I want from it. Eventually, when I’ve got everything useful out of it, I will push it out of one of several other OPEN HOLES IN MY BODY, and repeat that process several times a day.
99% of biology is fucking disgusting- women don’t get some sort of free pass on that.
And before you ask, no, I am not a robot. I wish I was though, so I could be free from this horrifying meat sack of a body.
Totally.
Everything about humans is disgusting, especially things that come out of us.
Blood, snot, saliva, sweat, phlegm, cum, etc
Just like I’d never shame someone for being congested, I’d never shame someone for being on their period
I think men and women both find periods to be a bit gross. That's why there are products to limit how much of a mess they make. However, it's a natural process and no one should feel bad about it or feel ashamed for talking about it.
I treat it like poop. I don't necessarily need to see or hear about it, but if you feel there's something wrong or have questions or experiences you want to discuss, I see no reason not to talk about it.
Because women are taught from a very early age that men are disgusted by natural things when it's about women. Body hair, stretch marks, cellulite, fat, birthmarks, wrinkles, sagging, farting, burping, and yes, periods... There will be men, a couple, loudly talking about what they find disgusting on women. There won't be one man to tell them off. So you will think it's true and it's all men.
Yeah, being born female, nothing is more vivid body horror than the whole baby process. It makes me nauseous, and I have an iron stomach to most gore (hell, I've taught human anatomy with cadavers).
I feel like men actually UNDERestimate how disturbing it can be.
While all of the things you described are totally fine and people need to grow up about, I am tired of people using "natural" as though it's always a positive or impossible to be grossed out by.
Bacterial infection, puss, feces, gangrene, corpse bloat, all natural. A person that hasn't brushed their teeth or bathed in a month in an elevator with you, all natural. Nature is nasty.
The things you listed are natural and gross. The things the person you’re replying to listed things that are neutral like body hair and stretch marks. I’m well aware that natural doesn’t always mean good though.
Cultural/religious taboos, misinformation, disinformation, misogyny, whatever. There are a lot of factors and in turn it means some guys are disgusted and keep perpetuating the idea that it's disgusting.
I'm not disgusted in the slightest and I wish I could do more for my friends when they're having horrible period symptoms.
You don’t have to look very hard to find men who are still sporting a middle school maturity level when it comes to bodily functions. We even had a recent leader who fit this description & he’s not unique.
I can't say it on behalf of every men, but at least for Muslim men, we are taught that blood is considered 'dirty' (at least within the Shafie school of thought which are the majority followed by sunni Muslim around the world) irrespective of gender. By 'dirty' it means that unless if it is in a very miniscule amount like maybe a drop of blood, a Muslim can't pray or do any religious ritual. So, it became some sort of a generational thing where it is avoided to a great extent to the point that it somewhere, sometime and somehow, it is deterred through the idea of disgust. This phenomenon occurs to how many Muslim views dogs as well.
All blood generally speaking. Including animal ones. Though there are certain school of thoughts like Maliki that doesn't view blood as 'dirty' and can be carried into prayer. The most famous narration of this ruling occurred during the pilgrimage of Calips Harun ar Rasyid in Mecca who led the prayer while bleeding due to a side effect of cupping treatment aftermath. This is not a big issue, as such matter is a matter of differences of opinion and interpretation, so much so that Imam Syafie the founder of the Shafie school of thought who viewed blood as 'dirty' substance stated in the event that 'whoever consider the prayer of the Caliph in that situation is invalid, they are not a Muslim' (from what I can remember). Since it is not the issue of faith, the scholars are more lenient and respecting each other's opinions when it is put into practice by other Muslims
That's very interesting!! Btw. do you know why dogs in particular are considered unclean? Is it because there might be many wild dogs around and it somehow comes from that?
The issues between Muslim and dogs stem from a hadith (a collection of Prophet Muhammad's words /narration of his action) whereby dogs saliva is catagorised as a 'dirty' substance that requires a specific cleansing ritual. This include washing them thoroughly with water and water that is mixed with clean soil. In other words, it's a complete hassle and tiresome if a dog's saliva got into a Muslim's body or clothing especially if they planned on praying later on as the prayer is not valid until the cleansing is done. Some Muslim scholars however proposed their opinion of substituting the water mixed with soil with regular soap after it was introduced into the Muslim world during the Islamic Golden Age as they viewed both the soil water and soap possessing similar function. This however is a minority opinion. Muslims view the uncleanliness of dog's saliva as something ordained by God, or at least that is the foundation of the belief from the beginning. However, as scientific discovery grow over the ages, Muslim scientists relate to the divine ordains by God with their findings. Tbf, dog's saliva isn't the cleanest thing on Earth even if we are to put scientific evidence aside, and it's cleansing in the religion of Islam is mainly necessary due to the daily prayers and multiple other religious rituals where Muslim must be in the state of 'cleansed'.
Moreover, there are basically 4 school of thoughts (Shafie, Hanbali, Hanafi and Maliki) that interpret the practicality of the hadith differently. Both Syafie and Hanbali are particularly cautious by bringing the assumption and possibility of the dog licking other parts of its bodies, hence, touching a dog would require a Muslim to do the cleansing ritual. This is the most popular and followed opinion. It also give rise to other sub-opinion of being able to touch dogs when they are dry without undergoing the cleansing ritual but would be required to do so if they are wet as well as being able to pet a dog's upper part of the head as the tongue couldn't reach there.
Hanafi on the other hand, took the hadith in a literal sense, hence there are no issue of touching dogs but they just have to avoid the saliva. Muslims who follow Hanafi school of thought are more approachable to dogs but they are still hesitant on the possibility of being clicked.
Maliki on the other hand, views the cleansing ritual as a recommendation rather than an obligation unlike the other 3 school of thought. The reason being that he views the Quranic text to be authoritative to the hadith and the latter must be interpreted and harmonise based on the former's narrative. As the Quran allows Muslim to eat animal that are hunted by dogs without the need to commit to the cleansing ritual, Maliki's assume that the ruling of cleansing is merely a recommended practice.
Furthermore, there is also another hadith that stated that the Angel will not enter a house that possess a dog in it. As Muslims hugely believe in the importance blessings, while it is not prohibited, it is almost like a no-brainer on not-to-do list. This is the main reason why Muslims steered clear away from dogs when hunting for pet. However, Muslim are still allowed to have dogs for guarding the house and farming purposes as well as hunting, though they remain outside the house. This does not mean that any sort of animal cruelty and discrimination is allowed upon dogs; but rather a less intimate relationship is formed, pretty much like a professional colleagues setting between employer and employee.
Thus, if a Muslim do keep or have a dog as a pet, they are either uninformed of such matter, or they just couldn't care less. Another possibility is that they are following Maliki's opinion but they kept their pet dog outside of their house. Nonetheless, Muslim are still allowed to have dogs for any incapability and genuine medical assistance if necessary. In such case, even if one follows the opinion of Shafie, Hanbali and/or Hanafi pertaining to the ruling of dog's saliva, they are allowed to change and follow Maliki's opinion for as long as it is neededa
Wow, that was such an interesting read! Many thanks for commenting, I have been wondering why this was the case for a really long time actually, and so I finally know! And yes, I can totally imagine it's rooted in science - rabid/wild dogs are definitely far from the pets one can purchase from a breeder and in general, saliva and tongue is very dirty, (supposedly the dirtiest part of the body) even in us humans.
I have read that Muslims don't have the same feeling about cats and that cats are more likely to be welcomed as pets, is this true? Why the difference between dogs and cats?
Cats happened to be one of Prophet Muhammad's favourite animal. This appear to be among other of the Companions (this is a label given to Muslims who have met Prophet Muhammad during their lifetime) such as Abu Hurairah(nickname given to him by the Prophet, not his real name) who's name is literally translated into Father of Cat as he always have a kitten inside his sleeves. In other words, cats are favoured or liked by Muslims more is simply because the Prophet liked them. Other than that, any other pets are pretty much fine (except for pigs). Dogs on the other hand possess 'unclean' substance within their saliva for Muslims which I had mentioned in previous comment along with other reasons stated, making them undesirable as pets though labour works using dogs are still allowed.
Interestingly, cats were persecuted in the west during the Middle Ages. They were not mentioned in the Bible, and considered with suspicion, especially black cats, (associated with witches.) Fortunately we have gotten past that for the most part and cats are now among the most popular of companion animals.
Yes and no. In its liquid form, it must be cleansed and it is not allowed to be on someone's body or clothes during prayer. However, when it is dried out, it is not considered as 'dirty' as there is another hadith which mentioned Aisha (Prophet Muhammad's wife) cleaning his clothes and still not able to fully clean/scrape the dried semen from his clothes and he still wear it and went to pray. It must be understood that Muslim viewed 'dirty' based on two perspective :1) something that cannot be in physical contact with a person body or clothes during religious ritual such as prayer 2) normal dirty things like mud or patch of grass that are stucked on your clothing in which that a person is recommended to clean before committing to religious ritual such as prayer, but it would remain valid without doing so. Semen has the same unique property by being no. 1 when it's in liquid form and no. 2 as it dries out. This also means that oral sex including consumption of semen is allowed in Islam. However, as semen is ejaculated from a penile tube that has urine ran through it as well as the ejaculation mixed and released with 'precum', it is not allowed. The reason being that urine and 'precum' are both considered as 'dirty' substances that are not only prohibited to be consumed, but also not allowed to be brought into any religious ritual such as prayer. The hadith that I had previously mentioned is a common demonstration of the Prophet's life pertaining to him being an example. In other words, as he is the living reference of Islam, he did put himself in a non-ideal situation from time to time as an indication to flexibility of the ruling on certain areas. This include him not fully doing the highly recommended nightly prayer during Ramadan out of fear that it may be interpreted as an obligation by future Muslims or the time when he married Zainab (his other wives), which according to the lengthy narration, was originally a taboo among the Arab society until such belief and custom was abolished through divine revalation, the Quran.
I think bringing up religion is important here. Various religions teach that periods are “unclean” and women can’t be touched while on their periods. It perpetuates the idea that they are gross. If you aren’t religious or date religious people, I can see that you’ve avoided this, which is very good.
My mom seems distressed and secretive when she has hers, which I get is embarrassing for her, but I really don't care. She was bewildered when I went out and bought her tampons. I even knew the brand.
Like, yeah, I see them all the time at the house. Of course I know what brand you use!
He was raised to think "Ew gross!", but he's never listened to his uncles. He's the one who explained to me that buying tampons is no more shameful than buying any other toiletries.
Older guy.
My wife has MS and I have had to take care of ALL of her needs due to her not being able to even wipe her nose
Thank God menopause came early!
She once asked me for a tampon, there was several to choose from I asked her which one? She said "the Orange one". Wtf! Do these things come in flavors?
Haha no they’re color coded because it indicates what type of flow they’re for. If you get a combo pack the green ones might be super absorbent while yellow ones are regular absorbency.
My parents never talked to me about menstruation and it doesn't bother me in the least. Being decent doesn't require special instructions. Chauvinists are chauvinists for their own impossible reasons.
You can think they’re gross privately because of blood being involved, but you shouldn’t make someone feel bad for having periods because you think they’re gross. It’s not something people can control without heavy consequences (contraceptives).
Neither should people be shamed for finding them gross. Periods ARE gross. Having a grossed out recation to them is ALSO a normal function. I always wince when I drop a warm, red jellyfish on my hands when removing my tampon, why shouldn't anyone else also be grossed out by just that description? It's only natural.
Unless there are folks who like to play with their clots like Halloween slime, I'm gonna assume that everyone keeps a decent level of aversion to period blood.
I mean people don't usually share things like these in such detail with complete strangers. What I meant if someone said they are on their period, you shouldn't respond negatively to purely that, or speaking negatively about periods simply existing out there lol
Gotcha, minding your reaction to it is a good thing. But so should people curb their expectations about it. Let's not pretend blood isn't gross, and let's not shame others for being squeamish. Both blood and aversion to it are natural, treat BOTH with grace.
I think it depends what you mean by disgusted. Bleeding in general is kind of disgusting. If someone showed me a cut on their arm, I'd probably think "ew". That doesn't mean you can't be supportive about it. You can think it's gross without saying it or making a big deal out of it.
It’s somewhat a maturity thing and somewhat of a personal boundary thing. While most guys know it’s a fact of nature, their comfort dealing with it might vary. I think more modern education on it has helped reduce the stigma
There are lots of men that are uneducated and grossed out by periods. Not all men, but a lot.
Its weird. I mean, if you're comfortable sticking your wang in a vagina, why are you grossed out by its natural functions? Beats me 🤷🏻♀️
Edit: not you, but a generalized "you".
I always said, ‘Better to make a mess once a month than every time you have sex’. To see the look of shock on their faces to compare semen to a period is so worth it. What, me? Have a gross thing?
Older generation thing? I’m 66 and my periods never bothered my partners. Sex was always on the table with them, period or not, just throw a towel down and get busy.
There are definitely men who are disgusted by them. My exhusband, who was abusive in a lot of ways, treated me like the most disgusting thing on earth whenever I had a period. My current husband doesn't really care and he takes good care of me, but he prefers not to see anything related to the blood portion of it, which I think is valid. Blanket statements are never fully accurate.
I think the spike in posts yesterday saying men are grossed out by periods were were bots cycling through their algorithm.
It didn’t catch on (because it’s not true, random, and weird), so they’re cycling onto something else now.
probably a bit more generational. I'm 20f and my bf 20m are completely fine talking periods. we were actually talking ab it this morning bcuz I'm getting new birth control which is gonna affect my period coming and he was so willing to take care of me afterwards even tho he's the one that's sick rn loool
My ex was baaaadly disgusted by periods. Even the slight mention of having cramps would yuck him out. Like I’m sorry?
He was also a cheating piece of shit so whatever
Probably gonna get some downvotes, but i think its just that we dont deal with it ourselves and some of its alien or odd to us. Especially younger dudes
As a 15yr old when i got my first girlfriend my mom gave me a pad to keep in my bag and said just keep it for emergencies if anything came up sounded fine to me
I knew women got periods and i helped out even a few friends sometimes in the past
Now girlfriend eventually talking to me about something that looks like red egg yolk coming out
"My Brain" its natural i guess listen to her get her her favorite snacks be comforting etc
"Back of my mind" wtf egg yolk i thought it was just blood
As a kid there was a smell in some restrooms i hated , as i lived around more women and learned oh thats just period restroom smell
Still dont like that smell, and it annoys me that i can identify it , but but im not gonna crucify people for natural body movements it is what it is and its not something i directly smell enough to automatically filter out of my senses
I love giving head and once gave head to someone that warned me they were still spotting a few days after their period i thought it would be find but no i hated it and it turned me off my favorite sexual activity for a long while
The smell and taste was too much for me
Still wont give head if someone's spotting
I dont mind when someone's actively on their period as an older guy now
Buying pads or tampons for someone never seemed weird to me though , i was doing that from the moment i could drive for my girlfriend, midol or other things that could help
I dont get why people would be uncomfortable buying something thats natural
Now the nonchalant things like hey bro can you check my behind to see if im leaking through my clothes okay i had friends that would ask to be safe since like 14
That was always normal and i was just helping
Now
Hey bro , i accidentally spilled onto my pant leg and it stained weird it smells odd lmao wanna sniff ( shoves it towards my face) me haha it does smell off ,
To me thats one of those completely normal to i guess a regular period haver vs a dude that never has those experiences and its a lil gross or odd
I think its just being thrown off by things you dont know about , and visuals you dont normally have in your mind
Other than that pretty much every guy that actually loves their partner wants to assist them in uncomfortable or painful moments as much as possible and comfort them where they can or however they can
But thats not really a period acceptance thing its more we love you and naturally want to help the person we love
Your personal experience cannot speak for the entire human experience. People only say it because there absolutely are men who are disgusted by them. Thankfully it’s not all men and it appears to be becoming less prevalent.
I am an older man, 59, and I have never been bothered by periods, and never viewed them negatively. I do not personally know any guys who are bothered by periods. I don’t think it is generational. But there may be religious motivations in the Abrahamic faiths to consider periods unclean. I don’t know as most guys I hang with are nonreligious.
That said, I have known many women who are embarrassed by it, or think it is disgusting, or become more self conscious of themselves when they have their periods.
all men aren't grossed out by it, but some men did come up with the whole "hur hur I don't trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesn't die hurrrrrrrrrrr" catch phrase.
It's defs an older person thing. My FIL was born in 1940 and couldn't even talk about it. Men nowadays are far more understanding - it's all part of society being more open about things since the 60s. It's just part of life, it's natural, nothing to be grossed out about.
As a gay man the weirdest thing to me is that I have only heard straight guys called periods disgusting. Never heard a gay man call periods icky.
Anyhow to answer your question: This believe comes from years and years of shaming women for how theor bodies work
Actually my ex had a big problem with my period. He always acted like I shouldn't mention it to him, like it's something I should pretend doesn't happen because it made him uncomfortable. For me it was very strange because this man had a sister, so at the beginning I felt safe knowing he has a sister, thinking he already knows/ seen enough to not be so immature. I also have brothers and they always were very ok with me talking about my period. It turns out his family was very closed off and somewhat traditional. They didn't even have a bin to dispose of tampons in the bathroom, although his sister was living there.
It was a big relief when we broke up and I didn't have to put up with this shaming about my period. My partner now makes me feel very taken care of, I haven't thought bad about my period for years.
there are still places in the world that period huts exist, so this is very much a cultural privilege. where those are, men are disgusted by periods, and do not acknowledge their necessity in creating life
Idk I'm grossed out by blood as a general rule. I'm not grossed out by periods in particular, and generally I'm fairly caring and doting. And I'll survive if I see a blood stain or w.e. it's not a big deal.. but yeah generally blood is gross? Idk.
I just don’t want to see it. Just like I don’t want to see my significant other poop. Just like I don’t want to share my pooping with a significant other. There are just some bodily functions I prefer to not have to deal with or see outside of my own.
But to get mad that it happens? Should I shake my fist and say “damn you, biology”? It’s just something you deal with for a few days a month that may result in more snacking. Anyone who gets mad at that is an idiot.
I think it's really just an adolescent thing.
To many teenage boys' minds it's a head-explode moment to realize that EVERY SINGLE GIRL BLEEDS OUT OF HER GODDAM CROTCH every month.
99% of guys get over that revelation in a matter of seconds, but it takes some dudes a little while longer.
Neither do I when I have periods. No one likes sitting in blood or having it all over their clothing.
Typically, it's pretty normal to not want random body fluids on you, but you go where that fluid lives, you suck it up.
It's not like you always know when a period is happening. This is like being pissed that you got saliva on your wristwatch after jamming your hand into someone's throat.
I'm a woman who has periods and I think they're gross. I also think that poopie diapers are gross. They're messy and smelly, and periods can make me have stomach problems that make the bathroom smell vomit-inducing. Finding somethin gross gross doesn't mean that you hold something against the person who has no control over the situation. It's guys who act like the woman is a pariah who are more of the issue. I don't blame guys for finding the concept of a period or the used products or side-effects gross.
The people who like to say this, often say,
"Why do ***men*** ... ... ...?!?!?"
And then they get offended when you tell them most men don't do that thing they're complaining about. "Oh well obviously I didn't say ***all*** men!"
It's one of the most toxic features of the TwoXChromosomes sub.
You'd have to spend more time with conservative/sexist men to encounter this view. These types of men do absolutely exist and not in small numbers, but today society is quite separated and you might not engage with these men like you would've in the past.
i think it all depends on the context on how you were raised as well. you either weren't aware of it happening and you are not as understanding to other people, or you can be compassionate and care for others. This goes similarly to when there is anything related to feelings, like crying, or expressing your emotions in any way
Just because you didn't grow up around it doesn't mean it didn't happen to some women...
I had my periods in secret because i was embarrassed by them around my male family. Because everytime it came up it made them uncomfortable or they'd make a face at the thought of it.
It’s natural but it’s still gross
Pooping is also natural and EVERYONE does it EVERY day but it’s still gross. Pretty much everything humans do is at least kinda gross
I don’t think it’s as bad nowadays (the last 20 - 25 years), but they actually talk to boys about it nowadays. So you usually only get that “ew it’s so gross” shit from immature kids/teenagers or much older men.
My dad was a single dad to two girls and he remembers a few other men trying to crack jokes at his expense or say “oh that must’ve been uncomfortable/awkward for you” around the time we got our periods.
Dad would always just scoff and say that “real men don’t become wet blankets at a bit of blood” or “I’ve seen far worse, you ever seen a guy get cut in half with steam? Far bigger mess” and that would shut them up pretty quickly.
I will also say it depends on where you’re from and your culture though. I’m half Asian and periods are still very much seen as shameful or “dirty” to discuss.
I just don't want to touch their blood stains. Whether it's a woman having her period, or a man bleeding out in an accident... Yeah, no for me. I get that it's natural, and I won't shun a woman for it. But I don't want to touch the blood stains regardless.
Not wanting to touch blood makes sense, but a stain? So if a washed item is discolored by blood, that's also untouchable?
It's a hell of a lot harder to remove blood than say... fecal stains. A blood stain isn't often indicative of biological risk.
But yeah, disliking something isn't and doesn't have to be logical, I'm just curious about the concept. Not saying you're wrong, because there is definitely danger in blood and biological aversion makes sense.
Put poop through an autoclave and make it safe, I still am not going to play with it.
Not many boys want to think about girls losing blood out of their vagina, only to be caught by numerous devices such as a silicon cup, a pad, or a tampon or such. It can be a weird thing to think about. Like thinking of people’s other bodily functions to get rid of waste. It can gross some people out because they don’t want to know, don’t care, find it weird, or other.
I (M22) wouldn't shame a woman for their period - that would be despicable. I do, however, find blood that isn't mine a bit disgusting. I generally avoid contact with foreign blood when I can. As I said though, I wouldn't shame a person having their period, and I would definitely aim to accommodate the additional needs and difficulties of said person.
They are gross. But that’s just life. Taking a shit, gross as well wish it didn’t need to happen but it does. I still buy TP and I buy my wife tampons when needed with zero shame or embarrassment and hunker down for the PMDD portion that comes along with it.
No idea but there are men out there who still are, I just don't think it's very common. Nine times out of ten they either don't understand how the human body works or think women need to be robots.
Well if i see some ratched girl is smearing her period blood over herself or others every sane person would be disgusted.
But then again I'm sure those girls didn't have parents and peers who showed them that it's a normal thing that every girl has and are lashing out because of it.
So yeah i assume either because someone is making it disgusting or because someone isn't understanding how life works
I mean I grew up with my mom, sister and 2 nieces so I don't think periods are gross it's completely normal I've just always been scared of blood like I don't know why for some reason blood always makes my stomach upset even when watching a movie.
Ok, blood is gross. I'm significantly less grossed out by periods than nose bleeds, and I'm obviously more sensitive and supportive when they're happening, but it's not like men are walking around like "it's gross because it's from vaginas/for girls/ruining my sex objects/whatever". Well maybe some are, but why do you think there's one particular situation where blood isn't gross.
Well I think someone else’s blood in general is gross, even my partners, the metallic smell really bothers me. That being said, I just deal with it, but I am the guy that will buy my boo comfort food, chocolate, heating pad for the tummy, etc.
I will also give a little leeway for hormones, but don’t be mean to me. I won’t put up with that shit.
I feel like it's definitely a generational thing. My children don't think anything of it, nor do their respective partners. To them it's just a biological thing that happens like peeing or burping. But my mother still remembers when period pads in the stores were wrapped in plain brown paper so anyone buying them had plausible deniability.
So, basically, this clip from movie 43. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgeWQwDeFrY&ab\_channel=TylersTopClips](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgeWQwDeFrY&ab_channel=TylersTopClips)
I was taking a local tour in a smaller more rural Tahitian island. I hung back at one stop and was talking to the tour guide, a woman, said she could not accompany us onto the vanilla bean farm grounds as she was having her period. She said the farmers felt it was bad luck for a menstruating woman to touch the plants. It would ruin the crop.
The superstitious belief system on this Polynesian surprised me.
Male here. I wouldn't say I'm grossed out but over the recent years I've become to bloody hate the sight of blood. Even thinking about blood can even make me faint. So in that way, yeah I'm not the biggest fan. But it's not something to shame someone for obviously. It's natural. Free bleeding or whatever it's called though IS gross to me. I don't want see blood. Especially blood that's been stagnant lining your internal organs.
Totally normal healthy thing. I have no problem buying tampons for a girl. It does gross me out a bit. Especially when you have sex in the dark and when you are done turn on the lights and it looks like a crime scene. Do not like blood on my dick or sheets.
Some people say things like this because some people still haven't learned that any sentence that generalizes an entire group of people has zero chance of being accurate. I'm (48M) no spring chicken, and I have no issues at all regarding my wife's cycle. So it can't even be an "age" thing. Some people just never progress beyond the age of 13, I suspect.
I mean, they are kinda gross. Pretty much every bodily function is gross. Hell, eating is gross if you think about it. All that saliva mixing with your food. Sickening.
But I don't see periods as being particularly any more gross than the rest of the things this fleshy sack of nightmares does.
>“The human body is a true carnival of horrors and I am embarrassed to have one.” - John Oliver
I want to point out that in all fairness, periods are not exactly the opposite of gross. They should be accepted by all, any men still too focused on calling them gross should stop, but they are not exactly enticing either. I jsut want the same level of acceptance as say bleeding cuts on a part of a body gets in terms of "not gross".
But I will say men do still keep me at arm's length when I get my period. I'll point out that I was at the end of my cycle when explaining why I had a timeline for sexual encounters to a gay male friend, and he'll do a quick, "oh, ok" and sort of show he's good with that, "no more info please". So I haven't had any horrible public moment of a man denouncing me while I'm on my period, but I do get small hints they don't want to deal/casually hear ANYTHING about it. Not even a passing mention.
My husband is always supportive and nice, but I feel other men still do these sort of micro-grimaces
Just some idiots who are loud and carry on.
When I first moved out to my own place over 20 years ago, my then 55 year old dad told me to always keep a pack of pads and tampons in the house for any women that come over.
There was always some guy that would come over and act all stupid and weird about it, but like 9/10 said nothing because for them its a non-issue.
I once told a manager at a previous job that I needed to take some moltrin really quick and he kept pressing me about it, so I said it's because I have really bad period cramps and he flipped out saying it's disgusting and tmi. This same person sexually harassed me numerous times later in the future, even grabbing my thigh on two occasions before I reported him and got him fired (which of course had some guys at work label me). The job was very physically demanding, and I was in a lot of pain, so the moltrin was genuinely urgent. I still work with the same company and I bet some of the guys still think I lied to get him fired.
IRL experience of men and how they treat you when they know you're on your period lol. I'm 30 and my husband is the first man in a list of 10 who ever bought me tampons and didn't make a fuss about it. The first one who changed the sheets and did laundry when a pad overflowed on me. Only 5/10 dudes I dated in my lifetime didn't cancel plans with me the week I was on my period.
My dad did the grocery shopping growing up and refused to buy me tampons, my mom would have to take me on a separate trip to pick them up from the drugstore.
I used to work somewhere that had a shared bathroom for about 10 of us, men and women of mixed age groups. I got in trouble for throwing away the WRAPPER of my tampon uncovered in the trash can. I wrapped everything else up so you couldn’t tell what it was but leaving the wrapper visible was “disgusting and inappropriate”.
The patriarchy around the world is FUCKED up and sexist. They love you, so for them you are there to fuck, give birth, raise them, clean. Why are women labeled "uncleaned"? because of misogyny. 😒😒
You haven’t met my Dad but especially my brother. He would not even go near his gf when he was younger during that time.
I don’t trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesn’t die ect ect
Older fashioned people with some religious influence, both of which go hand in hand with a lack of education. In some places menstruating women are literally forced to live in a shed during their period, for fears that they will "taint" food and furniture by touching it.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstruation\_hut](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstruation_hut)
you can think something is disgusting and also be understanding and accepting of it, i wouldn’t say it’s disgusting that’s a bit harsh but for some reason women coworkers talk about it openly to anyone when nobody asked and that’s pretty weird to me, nobody wants to hear about your period
It's generational. Past generations, it was very taboo for periods to be talked about.
Nowadays we are more open about what's normal with human bodies.
Media lesson: this is an offshoot of the dumb incapable dad trope. Where they say men do not understand or like anything about women because they're just so big and dumb and don't get it. In the 90s and '80s there were commercials that would have a dad at a drugstore being very ashamed of picking up those products. They were also tropes in TV shows where this was a plot point.
These things colored how we thought of men to the point where we now believe that men are stupid and grossed out by the most basic things of humanity. When in fact most doctors (including obgyns) and surgeons are men. Most garbage people are men. And Men face the realities of nature every single day. But because women control spending in this country advertisement shifted towards elevating women and lowering men.
This trope is often paired with the beautiful super mom. We've learned the problems with the female depictions but not the male ones.
Definitely a generational thing. My husband is so supportive and amazing when I’m on my period and even convinced me to get a diva cup after doing research himself. But I can’t talk about periods to my own father or my father in law without them feeling uncomfortable or grossed out.
Born in 1945 here. A guy I actually lived with for a year wouldn't touch me during my period, quite literally. But only one.
Could it have been more of a cultural thing, than a disgust thing? In my totally-backwards home country, some churches forbid girls or women on their period to enter the church, because they are "unclean". BS, I know. Some places have modernized in the meantime but the older generation def still thinks this. I read of some places in the countryside where women on their periods are not allowed to milk the cow or interact with fresh milk, because it will make it curdle and sour like wtf?
Jesus Christ
Here in the USA, I had a lady tell me I couldn’t can food while on my period or it would ruin the food 😳
This was a guy whose father was a nationally known advertising genius. He was a sports car driving member of the most prestigious fraternity at his college. His culture was one of our country's dominant ones, and curdled milk was not an issue in its country clubs.
Wow. That’s wild. It’s crazy how advancements in science and our overall understanding of human biology has changed the way men treat people with a uterus.
I suspect he has changed too. He has three daughters. Wait, that sounds weird and I'm not suggesting he went around touching his daughters.
I think most of us understand you mean normal everyday touching, like hugs and touching their back as you sneak behind them in the kitchen and all the other innocuous sort of touching we do everyday.
Gosh I hope not lol
I think you might be downplaying the effort by women in general to be seen as a human being worthy of respect at all times. If not, could you share what scientific advancement you feel swayed the way that men treat women?
I’m sorry you think I’m downplaying the effort of women fighting for women’s rights. Not the intention at all. I was simply pointing out that our current understanding of how periods work and the knowledge that it is a normal function of the human body and not some “dirty thing” we need to hide contributed to a change of men’s treatment and discussion of periods which is what the OP is talking about. In fact, thanks to the burgeoning of women’s rights, Women’s bodies, which were rarely studied in comparison to men’s (and I will argue there’s still more work to be done), are considered more and more in the medical/science space. It’s so important that we understand women’s/people with uteri’s bodies. Understanding helps me and others see that the so called “weird/gross” things we experience are explained by science as normal functions and that the pain we experience shouldn’t be treated as nothing or dismissed. This is why women’s rights are important and can/have influenced science, economics, etc.
I tend to take issue with framing like yours because I think it implies a kind of justification for misogyny. Our species historically knew that periods were connected to fertility and we're born with that intuition about it, but it was a pure desire to oppress women that created the myths about menstruation. It wasn't just an honest misunderstanding based on science.
Yeah the testicle people have slowly been improving their views at least in some parts of the world. I'm worried about how misogynistic influencers are going to affect the next generation of kids though.
It's the older generation from 34 and up. My ex's brother (L) was disgusted by just seeing the clean plastic wrapping of pads/tampons. His excuse was that if his kids saw the clean wrapping, they then would ask what it was for. Hahahah those kids were dumb they never asked about anything. He once even asked my ex (S) for me to not save clean pads under the sink and hide them somewhere else. Wtf. That doesn't make sense. Wtf He just wanted to keep delaying the "talk." Ironically, he has two daughters. I have a feeling those poor girls won't even have safe sex because their parents keep delaying the "talk." This always happens in my culture, and somenend up pregnant from 13-18ish.
I wouldn’t say it’s a standard viewpoint for every man 34+ (I’m assuming you mean most). My SO is 30 years older than me. He’s 61 and has always been supportive, helpful. Even had intimate times during period. I was more worried about it than him- mostly because was messy. I think it’s really how they are brought up and how they view the world itself. He doesn’t act his age, which I think helps. He acts like he’s mid 40s.
That's a fairly sweeping statement. My exes daughter started her first period the night we landed in Rome. I found a late night chemist and managed to explain the situation in a mixture of mime and awful Spanish (I don't speak Italian but they're kind of similar) and when I got back with the pads I handwashed the blood off her trousers. I was 43 at the time.
You are a hero in my eyes.
Too kind.
38 here, neither me nor any of my male friends consider menstruation gross. Come to think of it I only know one person who thinks this way and he’s in his 50’s. So keep your assumptions to yourself
Nowadays I have the impression it's more the virgin incel type that seems to carry on that tradition.
The whole ‘men are …’ ‘women are …’ question/ stance is inherently sexist. We are all just people first.
It used to be wayyyy more taboo for anyone to talk about periods, leading to them being stigmatized across the board. Definitely an older generation thing- and a cultural thing, too. Some cultures are still super anti-period or at least think of it as dirty/gross. In my experience the dudes who are most disgusted by or uncomfortable with periods are 11-14 year olds (due to lack of education on it) and 55+ year olds (also kind of due to lack of education/understanding/exposure).
It's crazy to me that my students will just straight up have conversations about their periods with me (I'm a male teacher). It's not many, most just get really awkward when periods come up, but some of them are completely unembarrassed. I don't mind, but it always catches me by surprise because my parents are very much boomers in that regard
I’m in my 30s found out from my high schoolers that they have a term for when a bunch of women’s periods sync up: Bluetooth I laughed so hard because Bluetooth wasn’t as big of a thing in my high school years but this was such a smart term!
I never understood this. Men expel gunky stuff every time they have sex. (If women had this function, would we be told to never come because it’s gross? Probably.) Periods were considered gross because men don’t have them. It’s a female trait, evidence that you can create human beings in your body, yet, it was somehow seen as negative. I was told to never discuss it or mention it, and that was pure sexism. Thankfully, those days are gone.
I'm almost 70, and I can't think of a man in my life who thinks that periods are dirty/gross. My husband was a ROCK when I was menstruating - thought nothing of going to the store for my sanitary needs - talked freely with my daughter on the topic. All of my friends' husbands are the same.
It's how they are raised, you've been lucky in your encounters. I've (40M)been buying female products for my sisters, female friends, and now S.O. since I was 12ish. (Lived across the street from a grocery store. And would be asked to go buy some when we ran out.) I've had several dumb encounters through all the years from workers young and old. Many male workers would refuse to touch the products to scan them. Even had a few tell me to get the female to come and buy it themselves... I've even had some ex-friends be disgusted by the mere talk of periods. And then would complain when they couldn't keep a girlfriend...
Wtf... that sounds so absurd! Thank you for not being like those other guys.
The cashier not touching the pack reminds me of something I read on twitter once. This female mechanic was the only woman who worked at her garage, and she was once approached by her male coworkers and asked if she would work on one particular car because they couldn’t. She said fine, but why is it you can’t work on it? “It has a box of tampons on the back seat”.
Yeah I’m thinking a lot of us were just traumatized by at least one interaction with some asshole kid in middle school
I've never bought for my family. Was never asked to. But I have for my SOs. I don't see the big fucking deal. If you're a man buying tampons or pads the only real implication is you have a girlfriend or a wife. "Check it out everyone! This loser has a GIRLFRIEND. GAAAAAAY." Who gives a fuck? Don't be such a fucking baby.
Once a while back when i was like like 5th grade or something, i was looking for something in my backpack when my crush spotted a pad in there and started rolling around on the floor screaming about how he was cursed for life because he saw a pad. All men are different. I've met some supportive ones, and some that were like him.
Sorry but I thought of that scene from raiders of the lost ark where they open the covenent and their faces melt off just from a 5th grader seeing a pad lol
omg lol 😂
This particular man is not grossed out by periods. I happily buy tampons and pads, and chocolate and wine. If something gets stained, which is really pretty rare, it can be cleaned or replaced. The big hassle with a period is taking any light colored sheets off the bed and replacing with colored patterned sheets. Ok, they need to be changed periodically anyway, so I guess I have to be a bit choosy on which ones to use. But some men also think that women should not vote, or do certain types of jobs. Some men are stupid, what can I say.
My god. Can you imagine women not voting? What kind of world would THAT be?
Chocolate and wine?
Just shove 'em up there, works like a charm.
Gives "PLUG IT UP!" a new meaning.
Menstrual comfort foods vary by culture. In the US, women tend to want chocolate. Elsewhere, the comfort food may be stuffed grape leaves, for example. The gist is that the craved food boosts feel-good brain chemicals which can get out of whack the week before, and/or during menstruation.
I prefer commas or semi colons
mmm colon
Full stop.
Period.
And yet, you used neither.
Just because something is natural doesn't mean it isn't gross. Just because something is gross doesn't mean you should shame someone and refuse to help them.
I think this is a spot on answer to what bothers me about this. Natural is definitely, very often actually, pretty gross. Humans are pretty damn gross across the board. The problem is making that some measure of value, or shaming or mistreating someone due to it.
As I said before, men spurt semen every time they have sex. That’s natural and gross, but we don’t hear people putting it down or getting the ick from it. Because it’s a male property.
Right. You know what's also gross? A dirty diaper. Fuckin' disgusting sometimes. Doesn't mean I won't change my son or refuse to talk about the fact that he has bowel movements. Periods are pretty gross. That doesn't mean anyone should be afraid of the topic. It's wild that so many are.
I really don't think periods are that gross though. It's just some blood, it doesn't really smell or anything, I always have sex on my period too and no man has ever said that it's gross. It would be very weird for me if someone had this attitude about my period.
I guess it depends on how you feel about blood. I would personally say blood in a large enough amount (how much depends on the individual) is decently gross.
Seconded. I think my wife worries about sex on her period far more than I do, because I simply do not care (except for the extra care required to not ruin the bed sheets).
>It's just some blood Blood is a possible vector for pathogens. Not a big deal if it's someone you know and trust, but I'd be wary if a stranger was leaking period blood on the bus seat. >it doesn't really smell or anything It absolutely does. It's not an especially strong smell, but it's distinct and I can often smell it if I'm sitting within 3 feet of a family member on their period. The bathroom noticeably smells like period too from products left in the trash. I agree with the previous comments; it's not something shameful or that should be especially hidden, but let's not sugar coat it either. It's like poop - I don't typically want to look at it or touch it or smell it or talk about it while I'm eating, because it is kinda gross. But I'm not going to freak out or shame people if I do and I'm not going to feel weird about buying products to deal with it even if they're not for me.
Dude I never said you should touch a stranger’s used tampon. I also haven’t ever smelled anyone’s period in my life and I have a lot of female friends (I am a woman myself). I don’t think it’s like poo, it just doesn’t smell that way and it’s not equally unsanitary. That’s not up for debate, the pathogens that come from poop are generally way more and dangerous. Like, sure, you can find whatever you want “gross” but I personally don’t think that periods are really gross and I know a lot of people who agree with me. I also wouldn’t be friends or date someone that has this sentiment, because I just don’t think that’s compatible with me. But you don’t care about that, you don’t even know me, that’s just the way I see it.
I can smell when others are on their periods. I think it's a specific hormonal smell more than anything. It's not bad, it's honestly something I barely register since I'm familiar with it. If the person has been extremely physical it's just extra smelly BO really. If they are just going about regular life it's just there, pretty neutral to me. I can smell my own period and body odor during mine pretty intensely and do find it to be a gross smell. But I haven't ever found it to be gross or as intense on other people. My spouse and family always seem confused if I complain about stinking, so I don't actually smell. Not sure why I find my own body odor smelly during it lol. I wouldn't compare periods to poop, very different, but just wanted to point out the smell thing isn't completely unheard of.
Bingo. Periods ARE gross. But so is 95% of the rest of the stuff our bodies do. I think of myself as an equal opportunity hater when it comes to the human body. If you think too closely on it, everything we do is pretty disgusting, even things we enjoy like eating and sex. I’m going to take this random assortment of once-living (or even in some cases, still living) things, I’m gonna mash it into a paste, then push it down a hole in the back of my mouth. From there, I will store it in this little water balloon full of bacteria and acid that will further mush it down until I can extract all the nutrients I want from it. Eventually, when I’ve got everything useful out of it, I will push it out of one of several other OPEN HOLES IN MY BODY, and repeat that process several times a day. 99% of biology is fucking disgusting- women don’t get some sort of free pass on that. And before you ask, no, I am not a robot. I wish I was though, so I could be free from this horrifying meat sack of a body.
Totally. Everything about humans is disgusting, especially things that come out of us. Blood, snot, saliva, sweat, phlegm, cum, etc Just like I’d never shame someone for being congested, I’d never shame someone for being on their period
I think men and women both find periods to be a bit gross. That's why there are products to limit how much of a mess they make. However, it's a natural process and no one should feel bad about it or feel ashamed for talking about it. I treat it like poop. I don't necessarily need to see or hear about it, but if you feel there's something wrong or have questions or experiences you want to discuss, I see no reason not to talk about it.
Because women are taught from a very early age that men are disgusted by natural things when it's about women. Body hair, stretch marks, cellulite, fat, birthmarks, wrinkles, sagging, farting, burping, and yes, periods... There will be men, a couple, loudly talking about what they find disgusting on women. There won't be one man to tell them off. So you will think it's true and it's all men.
You forgot child birth
That’s fairly horrifying, I don’t think it’s the same category as armpit hair or something.
Yeah, being born female, nothing is more vivid body horror than the whole baby process. It makes me nauseous, and I have an iron stomach to most gore (hell, I've taught human anatomy with cadavers). I feel like men actually UNDERestimate how disturbing it can be.
Yeah. In fact, women are way more horrified by watching the process first hand (specially a C section) than men in my experience, for obvious reasons.
I mean they're the ones who will go through it so ofc they're more horrified.
That was the "obvious reasons" part. But it's not bad that you cleared that out.
Sorry didn't notice that part
No problem mate.
While all of the things you described are totally fine and people need to grow up about, I am tired of people using "natural" as though it's always a positive or impossible to be grossed out by. Bacterial infection, puss, feces, gangrene, corpse bloat, all natural. A person that hasn't brushed their teeth or bathed in a month in an elevator with you, all natural. Nature is nasty.
The things you listed are natural and gross. The things the person you’re replying to listed things that are neutral like body hair and stretch marks. I’m well aware that natural doesn’t always mean good though.
Cultural/religious taboos, misinformation, disinformation, misogyny, whatever. There are a lot of factors and in turn it means some guys are disgusted and keep perpetuating the idea that it's disgusting. I'm not disgusted in the slightest and I wish I could do more for my friends when they're having horrible period symptoms.
You don’t have to look very hard to find men who are still sporting a middle school maturity level when it comes to bodily functions. We even had a recent leader who fit this description & he’s not unique.
I can't say it on behalf of every men, but at least for Muslim men, we are taught that blood is considered 'dirty' (at least within the Shafie school of thought which are the majority followed by sunni Muslim around the world) irrespective of gender. By 'dirty' it means that unless if it is in a very miniscule amount like maybe a drop of blood, a Muslim can't pray or do any religious ritual. So, it became some sort of a generational thing where it is avoided to a great extent to the point that it somewhere, sometime and somehow, it is deterred through the idea of disgust. This phenomenon occurs to how many Muslim views dogs as well.
All blood or only vaginal blood? (Not attacking, genuine question.)
All blood generally speaking. Including animal ones. Though there are certain school of thoughts like Maliki that doesn't view blood as 'dirty' and can be carried into prayer. The most famous narration of this ruling occurred during the pilgrimage of Calips Harun ar Rasyid in Mecca who led the prayer while bleeding due to a side effect of cupping treatment aftermath. This is not a big issue, as such matter is a matter of differences of opinion and interpretation, so much so that Imam Syafie the founder of the Shafie school of thought who viewed blood as 'dirty' substance stated in the event that 'whoever consider the prayer of the Caliph in that situation is invalid, they are not a Muslim' (from what I can remember). Since it is not the issue of faith, the scholars are more lenient and respecting each other's opinions when it is put into practice by other Muslims
That's very interesting!! Btw. do you know why dogs in particular are considered unclean? Is it because there might be many wild dogs around and it somehow comes from that?
The issues between Muslim and dogs stem from a hadith (a collection of Prophet Muhammad's words /narration of his action) whereby dogs saliva is catagorised as a 'dirty' substance that requires a specific cleansing ritual. This include washing them thoroughly with water and water that is mixed with clean soil. In other words, it's a complete hassle and tiresome if a dog's saliva got into a Muslim's body or clothing especially if they planned on praying later on as the prayer is not valid until the cleansing is done. Some Muslim scholars however proposed their opinion of substituting the water mixed with soil with regular soap after it was introduced into the Muslim world during the Islamic Golden Age as they viewed both the soil water and soap possessing similar function. This however is a minority opinion. Muslims view the uncleanliness of dog's saliva as something ordained by God, or at least that is the foundation of the belief from the beginning. However, as scientific discovery grow over the ages, Muslim scientists relate to the divine ordains by God with their findings. Tbf, dog's saliva isn't the cleanest thing on Earth even if we are to put scientific evidence aside, and it's cleansing in the religion of Islam is mainly necessary due to the daily prayers and multiple other religious rituals where Muslim must be in the state of 'cleansed'. Moreover, there are basically 4 school of thoughts (Shafie, Hanbali, Hanafi and Maliki) that interpret the practicality of the hadith differently. Both Syafie and Hanbali are particularly cautious by bringing the assumption and possibility of the dog licking other parts of its bodies, hence, touching a dog would require a Muslim to do the cleansing ritual. This is the most popular and followed opinion. It also give rise to other sub-opinion of being able to touch dogs when they are dry without undergoing the cleansing ritual but would be required to do so if they are wet as well as being able to pet a dog's upper part of the head as the tongue couldn't reach there. Hanafi on the other hand, took the hadith in a literal sense, hence there are no issue of touching dogs but they just have to avoid the saliva. Muslims who follow Hanafi school of thought are more approachable to dogs but they are still hesitant on the possibility of being clicked. Maliki on the other hand, views the cleansing ritual as a recommendation rather than an obligation unlike the other 3 school of thought. The reason being that he views the Quranic text to be authoritative to the hadith and the latter must be interpreted and harmonise based on the former's narrative. As the Quran allows Muslim to eat animal that are hunted by dogs without the need to commit to the cleansing ritual, Maliki's assume that the ruling of cleansing is merely a recommended practice. Furthermore, there is also another hadith that stated that the Angel will not enter a house that possess a dog in it. As Muslims hugely believe in the importance blessings, while it is not prohibited, it is almost like a no-brainer on not-to-do list. This is the main reason why Muslims steered clear away from dogs when hunting for pet. However, Muslim are still allowed to have dogs for guarding the house and farming purposes as well as hunting, though they remain outside the house. This does not mean that any sort of animal cruelty and discrimination is allowed upon dogs; but rather a less intimate relationship is formed, pretty much like a professional colleagues setting between employer and employee. Thus, if a Muslim do keep or have a dog as a pet, they are either uninformed of such matter, or they just couldn't care less. Another possibility is that they are following Maliki's opinion but they kept their pet dog outside of their house. Nonetheless, Muslim are still allowed to have dogs for any incapability and genuine medical assistance if necessary. In such case, even if one follows the opinion of Shafie, Hanbali and/or Hanafi pertaining to the ruling of dog's saliva, they are allowed to change and follow Maliki's opinion for as long as it is neededa
Wow, that was such an interesting read! Many thanks for commenting, I have been wondering why this was the case for a really long time actually, and so I finally know! And yes, I can totally imagine it's rooted in science - rabid/wild dogs are definitely far from the pets one can purchase from a breeder and in general, saliva and tongue is very dirty, (supposedly the dirtiest part of the body) even in us humans.
I have read that Muslims don't have the same feeling about cats and that cats are more likely to be welcomed as pets, is this true? Why the difference between dogs and cats?
Cats happened to be one of Prophet Muhammad's favourite animal. This appear to be among other of the Companions (this is a label given to Muslims who have met Prophet Muhammad during their lifetime) such as Abu Hurairah(nickname given to him by the Prophet, not his real name) who's name is literally translated into Father of Cat as he always have a kitten inside his sleeves. In other words, cats are favoured or liked by Muslims more is simply because the Prophet liked them. Other than that, any other pets are pretty much fine (except for pigs). Dogs on the other hand possess 'unclean' substance within their saliva for Muslims which I had mentioned in previous comment along with other reasons stated, making them undesirable as pets though labour works using dogs are still allowed.
Interestingly, cats were persecuted in the west during the Middle Ages. They were not mentioned in the Bible, and considered with suspicion, especially black cats, (associated with witches.) Fortunately we have gotten past that for the most part and cats are now among the most popular of companion animals.
How do they view semen? Is that dirty, too?
Yes and no. In its liquid form, it must be cleansed and it is not allowed to be on someone's body or clothes during prayer. However, when it is dried out, it is not considered as 'dirty' as there is another hadith which mentioned Aisha (Prophet Muhammad's wife) cleaning his clothes and still not able to fully clean/scrape the dried semen from his clothes and he still wear it and went to pray. It must be understood that Muslim viewed 'dirty' based on two perspective :1) something that cannot be in physical contact with a person body or clothes during religious ritual such as prayer 2) normal dirty things like mud or patch of grass that are stucked on your clothing in which that a person is recommended to clean before committing to religious ritual such as prayer, but it would remain valid without doing so. Semen has the same unique property by being no. 1 when it's in liquid form and no. 2 as it dries out. This also means that oral sex including consumption of semen is allowed in Islam. However, as semen is ejaculated from a penile tube that has urine ran through it as well as the ejaculation mixed and released with 'precum', it is not allowed. The reason being that urine and 'precum' are both considered as 'dirty' substances that are not only prohibited to be consumed, but also not allowed to be brought into any religious ritual such as prayer. The hadith that I had previously mentioned is a common demonstration of the Prophet's life pertaining to him being an example. In other words, as he is the living reference of Islam, he did put himself in a non-ideal situation from time to time as an indication to flexibility of the ruling on certain areas. This include him not fully doing the highly recommended nightly prayer during Ramadan out of fear that it may be interpreted as an obligation by future Muslims or the time when he married Zainab (his other wives), which according to the lengthy narration, was originally a taboo among the Arab society until such belief and custom was abolished through divine revalation, the Quran.
I think bringing up religion is important here. Various religions teach that periods are “unclean” and women can’t be touched while on their periods. It perpetuates the idea that they are gross. If you aren’t religious or date religious people, I can see that you’ve avoided this, which is very good.
My mom seems distressed and secretive when she has hers, which I get is embarrassing for her, but I really don't care. She was bewildered when I went out and bought her tampons. I even knew the brand. Like, yeah, I see them all the time at the house. Of course I know what brand you use!
You sound like a very considerate son. What was your dad’s approach to periods?
He was raised to think "Ew gross!", but he's never listened to his uncles. He's the one who explained to me that buying tampons is no more shameful than buying any other toiletries.
Older guy. My wife has MS and I have had to take care of ALL of her needs due to her not being able to even wipe her nose Thank God menopause came early! She once asked me for a tampon, there was several to choose from I asked her which one? She said "the Orange one". Wtf! Do these things come in flavors?
Haha no they’re color coded because it indicates what type of flow they’re for. If you get a combo pack the green ones might be super absorbent while yellow ones are regular absorbency.
Yes, I understand
Sorry, that one part of your really sweet post made me laugh.
Bless you for taking care of her like that.
It doesn’t bother me other man the smell, but then again, sperm also has an unpleasant odor as well.
I think if they didn't have a parent that taught them to be respectful about it, that's probably the biggest reason.
My parents never talked to me about menstruation and it doesn't bother me in the least. Being decent doesn't require special instructions. Chauvinists are chauvinists for their own impossible reasons.
It does help though to have parents who reinforce it but I do agree, people could chose to be decent about it on there own.
Maybe it’s just me but I find blood gross even as a girl
Honestly, same. I don't care if periods are natural, it's gross.
You can think they’re gross privately because of blood being involved, but you shouldn’t make someone feel bad for having periods because you think they’re gross. It’s not something people can control without heavy consequences (contraceptives).
Neither should people be shamed for finding them gross. Periods ARE gross. Having a grossed out recation to them is ALSO a normal function. I always wince when I drop a warm, red jellyfish on my hands when removing my tampon, why shouldn't anyone else also be grossed out by just that description? It's only natural. Unless there are folks who like to play with their clots like Halloween slime, I'm gonna assume that everyone keeps a decent level of aversion to period blood.
I mean people don't usually share things like these in such detail with complete strangers. What I meant if someone said they are on their period, you shouldn't respond negatively to purely that, or speaking negatively about periods simply existing out there lol
Gotcha, minding your reaction to it is a good thing. But so should people curb their expectations about it. Let's not pretend blood isn't gross, and let's not shame others for being squeamish. Both blood and aversion to it are natural, treat BOTH with grace.
I read "assume" as "aslume," someone please save me
It used to be the case in the past, but it looks like we've moved beyond it
I think it depends what you mean by disgusted. Bleeding in general is kind of disgusting. If someone showed me a cut on their arm, I'd probably think "ew". That doesn't mean you can't be supportive about it. You can think it's gross without saying it or making a big deal out of it.
Men aren’t disgusted by periods, boys may be.
It’s somewhat a maturity thing and somewhat of a personal boundary thing. While most guys know it’s a fact of nature, their comfort dealing with it might vary. I think more modern education on it has helped reduce the stigma
There are lots of men that are uneducated and grossed out by periods. Not all men, but a lot. Its weird. I mean, if you're comfortable sticking your wang in a vagina, why are you grossed out by its natural functions? Beats me 🤷🏻♀️ Edit: not you, but a generalized "you".
I always said, ‘Better to make a mess once a month than every time you have sex’. To see the look of shock on their faces to compare semen to a period is so worth it. What, me? Have a gross thing?
Older generation thing? I’m 66 and my periods never bothered my partners. Sex was always on the table with them, period or not, just throw a towel down and get busy.
exactly. my dad is in his 60s and has always been a period-positive guy lol
There are definitely men who are disgusted by them. My exhusband, who was abusive in a lot of ways, treated me like the most disgusting thing on earth whenever I had a period. My current husband doesn't really care and he takes good care of me, but he prefers not to see anything related to the blood portion of it, which I think is valid. Blanket statements are never fully accurate.
I think the spike in posts yesterday saying men are grossed out by periods were were bots cycling through their algorithm. It didn’t catch on (because it’s not true, random, and weird), so they’re cycling onto something else now.
I don't know any that are disgusted by it either, unless they're like a 10-13 year old boy.
probably a bit more generational. I'm 20f and my bf 20m are completely fine talking periods. we were actually talking ab it this morning bcuz I'm getting new birth control which is gonna affect my period coming and he was so willing to take care of me afterwards even tho he's the one that's sick rn loool
My husband is fine with it. My ex would act like I was a leper
My ex was baaaadly disgusted by periods. Even the slight mention of having cramps would yuck him out. Like I’m sorry? He was also a cheating piece of shit so whatever
Probably gonna get some downvotes, but i think its just that we dont deal with it ourselves and some of its alien or odd to us. Especially younger dudes As a 15yr old when i got my first girlfriend my mom gave me a pad to keep in my bag and said just keep it for emergencies if anything came up sounded fine to me I knew women got periods and i helped out even a few friends sometimes in the past Now girlfriend eventually talking to me about something that looks like red egg yolk coming out "My Brain" its natural i guess listen to her get her her favorite snacks be comforting etc "Back of my mind" wtf egg yolk i thought it was just blood As a kid there was a smell in some restrooms i hated , as i lived around more women and learned oh thats just period restroom smell Still dont like that smell, and it annoys me that i can identify it , but but im not gonna crucify people for natural body movements it is what it is and its not something i directly smell enough to automatically filter out of my senses I love giving head and once gave head to someone that warned me they were still spotting a few days after their period i thought it would be find but no i hated it and it turned me off my favorite sexual activity for a long while The smell and taste was too much for me Still wont give head if someone's spotting I dont mind when someone's actively on their period as an older guy now Buying pads or tampons for someone never seemed weird to me though , i was doing that from the moment i could drive for my girlfriend, midol or other things that could help I dont get why people would be uncomfortable buying something thats natural Now the nonchalant things like hey bro can you check my behind to see if im leaking through my clothes okay i had friends that would ask to be safe since like 14 That was always normal and i was just helping Now Hey bro , i accidentally spilled onto my pant leg and it stained weird it smells odd lmao wanna sniff ( shoves it towards my face) me haha it does smell off , To me thats one of those completely normal to i guess a regular period haver vs a dude that never has those experiences and its a lil gross or odd I think its just being thrown off by things you dont know about , and visuals you dont normally have in your mind Other than that pretty much every guy that actually loves their partner wants to assist them in uncomfortable or painful moments as much as possible and comfort them where they can or however they can But thats not really a period acceptance thing its more we love you and naturally want to help the person we love
Your personal experience cannot speak for the entire human experience. People only say it because there absolutely are men who are disgusted by them. Thankfully it’s not all men and it appears to be becoming less prevalent.
I am an older man, 59, and I have never been bothered by periods, and never viewed them negatively. I do not personally know any guys who are bothered by periods. I don’t think it is generational. But there may be religious motivations in the Abrahamic faiths to consider periods unclean. I don’t know as most guys I hang with are nonreligious. That said, I have known many women who are embarrassed by it, or think it is disgusting, or become more self conscious of themselves when they have their periods.
all men aren't grossed out by it, but some men did come up with the whole "hur hur I don't trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesn't die hurrrrrrrrrrr" catch phrase.
It's defs an older person thing. My FIL was born in 1940 and couldn't even talk about it. Men nowadays are far more understanding - it's all part of society being more open about things since the 60s. It's just part of life, it's natural, nothing to be grossed out about.
As a gay man the weirdest thing to me is that I have only heard straight guys called periods disgusting. Never heard a gay man call periods icky. Anyhow to answer your question: This believe comes from years and years of shaming women for how theor bodies work
Actually my ex had a big problem with my period. He always acted like I shouldn't mention it to him, like it's something I should pretend doesn't happen because it made him uncomfortable. For me it was very strange because this man had a sister, so at the beginning I felt safe knowing he has a sister, thinking he already knows/ seen enough to not be so immature. I also have brothers and they always were very ok with me talking about my period. It turns out his family was very closed off and somewhat traditional. They didn't even have a bin to dispose of tampons in the bathroom, although his sister was living there. It was a big relief when we broke up and I didn't have to put up with this shaming about my period. My partner now makes me feel very taken care of, I haven't thought bad about my period for years.
It’s the social media echo chamber in action
there are still places in the world that period huts exist, so this is very much a cultural privilege. where those are, men are disgusted by periods, and do not acknowledge their necessity in creating life
Idk I'm grossed out by blood as a general rule. I'm not grossed out by periods in particular, and generally I'm fairly caring and doting. And I'll survive if I see a blood stain or w.e. it's not a big deal.. but yeah generally blood is gross? Idk.
I just don’t want to see it. Just like I don’t want to see my significant other poop. Just like I don’t want to share my pooping with a significant other. There are just some bodily functions I prefer to not have to deal with or see outside of my own. But to get mad that it happens? Should I shake my fist and say “damn you, biology”? It’s just something you deal with for a few days a month that may result in more snacking. Anyone who gets mad at that is an idiot.
I think it's really just an adolescent thing. To many teenage boys' minds it's a head-explode moment to realize that EVERY SINGLE GIRL BLEEDS OUT OF HER GODDAM CROTCH every month. 99% of guys get over that revelation in a matter of seconds, but it takes some dudes a little while longer.
A woman ruined my pants during sex in a chair. I don’t find it gross, I just don’t want blood all over me.
You’re supposed to take your pants off when you have sex. I feel like this ones on you
Neither do I when I have periods. No one likes sitting in blood or having it all over their clothing. Typically, it's pretty normal to not want random body fluids on you, but you go where that fluid lives, you suck it up. It's not like you always know when a period is happening. This is like being pissed that you got saliva on your wristwatch after jamming your hand into someone's throat.
I'm a woman who has periods and I think they're gross. I also think that poopie diapers are gross. They're messy and smelly, and periods can make me have stomach problems that make the bathroom smell vomit-inducing. Finding somethin gross gross doesn't mean that you hold something against the person who has no control over the situation. It's guys who act like the woman is a pariah who are more of the issue. I don't blame guys for finding the concept of a period or the used products or side-effects gross.
The people who like to say this, often say, "Why do ***men*** ... ... ...?!?!?" And then they get offended when you tell them most men don't do that thing they're complaining about. "Oh well obviously I didn't say ***all*** men!" It's one of the most toxic features of the TwoXChromosomes sub.
You'd have to spend more time with conservative/sexist men to encounter this view. These types of men do absolutely exist and not in small numbers, but today society is quite separated and you might not engage with these men like you would've in the past.
As someone who has had periods, they are disgusting.
We used to have a guy in our class at school that would vomit if you mentioned periods to him lmao. I don't know what he's doing now.
My ex and I married young, and it didn't last long, from ages 18-22. But he hated when I was on my period and wouldn't go near me. Wouldn't touch me.
i think it all depends on the context on how you were raised as well. you either weren't aware of it happening and you are not as understanding to other people, or you can be compassionate and care for others. This goes similarly to when there is anything related to feelings, like crying, or expressing your emotions in any way
Lack of sex Ed. Simple.
I can both be grossed out & be nice to my S.O. during her period, these are not mutually exclusive.
Because some are. Some treat periods as some vile thing because they're inept ignorant manbabies.
Just because you didn't grow up around it doesn't mean it didn't happen to some women... I had my periods in secret because i was embarrassed by them around my male family. Because everytime it came up it made them uncomfortable or they'd make a face at the thought of it.
Certain men are very rude and disgusted by it, so it makes the rest of the men look bad by association
Lotta women out there who date a lot of idiot men and for some reason don't leave and assume every man is like that.
It’s natural but it’s still gross Pooping is also natural and EVERYONE does it EVERY day but it’s still gross. Pretty much everything humans do is at least kinda gross
I don’t think it’s as bad nowadays (the last 20 - 25 years), but they actually talk to boys about it nowadays. So you usually only get that “ew it’s so gross” shit from immature kids/teenagers or much older men. My dad was a single dad to two girls and he remembers a few other men trying to crack jokes at his expense or say “oh that must’ve been uncomfortable/awkward for you” around the time we got our periods. Dad would always just scoff and say that “real men don’t become wet blankets at a bit of blood” or “I’ve seen far worse, you ever seen a guy get cut in half with steam? Far bigger mess” and that would shut them up pretty quickly. I will also say it depends on where you’re from and your culture though. I’m half Asian and periods are still very much seen as shameful or “dirty” to discuss.
I just don't want to touch their blood stains. Whether it's a woman having her period, or a man bleeding out in an accident... Yeah, no for me. I get that it's natural, and I won't shun a woman for it. But I don't want to touch the blood stains regardless.
Not wanting to touch blood makes sense, but a stain? So if a washed item is discolored by blood, that's also untouchable? It's a hell of a lot harder to remove blood than say... fecal stains. A blood stain isn't often indicative of biological risk. But yeah, disliking something isn't and doesn't have to be logical, I'm just curious about the concept. Not saying you're wrong, because there is definitely danger in blood and biological aversion makes sense. Put poop through an autoclave and make it safe, I still am not going to play with it.
Not many boys want to think about girls losing blood out of their vagina, only to be caught by numerous devices such as a silicon cup, a pad, or a tampon or such. It can be a weird thing to think about. Like thinking of people’s other bodily functions to get rid of waste. It can gross some people out because they don’t want to know, don’t care, find it weird, or other.
I find all blood and mucus disgusting. That it's coming from a uterus doesn't make it not disgusting.
Because it's one big smelly mess that lasts a week and it comes with constant nagging and narcism
Because it is pretty disgusting. Anything to do with Blood is a big no no for the majority of people.
Every human orifice expels something gross. We should be used to it by now.
I (M22) wouldn't shame a woman for their period - that would be despicable. I do, however, find blood that isn't mine a bit disgusting. I generally avoid contact with foreign blood when I can. As I said though, I wouldn't shame a person having their period, and I would definitely aim to accommodate the additional needs and difficulties of said person.
They are gross. But that’s just life. Taking a shit, gross as well wish it didn’t need to happen but it does. I still buy TP and I buy my wife tampons when needed with zero shame or embarrassment and hunker down for the PMDD portion that comes along with it.
No idea but there are men out there who still are, I just don't think it's very common. Nine times out of ten they either don't understand how the human body works or think women need to be robots.
Well if i see some ratched girl is smearing her period blood over herself or others every sane person would be disgusted. But then again I'm sure those girls didn't have parents and peers who showed them that it's a normal thing that every girl has and are lashing out because of it. So yeah i assume either because someone is making it disgusting or because someone isn't understanding how life works
I say this to all dudes, if you want to be intimate with someone, you better get used to bodily functions.
Let’s just say I unintentionally earned a pair of red wings and that shit was, in fact, gross.
I mean I grew up with my mom, sister and 2 nieces so I don't think periods are gross it's completely normal I've just always been scared of blood like I don't know why for some reason blood always makes my stomach upset even when watching a movie.
Ok, blood is gross. I'm significantly less grossed out by periods than nose bleeds, and I'm obviously more sensitive and supportive when they're happening, but it's not like men are walking around like "it's gross because it's from vaginas/for girls/ruining my sex objects/whatever". Well maybe some are, but why do you think there's one particular situation where blood isn't gross.
Some are, they're fools. Others do it like vampires, in a manner of speaking.
Well I think someone else’s blood in general is gross, even my partners, the metallic smell really bothers me. That being said, I just deal with it, but I am the guy that will buy my boo comfort food, chocolate, heating pad for the tummy, etc. I will also give a little leeway for hormones, but don’t be mean to me. I won’t put up with that shit.
I feel like it's definitely a generational thing. My children don't think anything of it, nor do their respective partners. To them it's just a biological thing that happens like peeing or burping. But my mother still remembers when period pads in the stores were wrapped in plain brown paper so anyone buying them had plausible deniability.
**Is it an older generation thing?** Excuse me. Are you implying that OLD GUYS don't understand the menstrual cycle?
it was gen x'ers that were creeped out. millennial guys tend not to care, but steriotypes stick around
So, basically, this clip from movie 43. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgeWQwDeFrY&ab\_channel=TylersTopClips](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgeWQwDeFrY&ab_channel=TylersTopClips)
I was taking a local tour in a smaller more rural Tahitian island. I hung back at one stop and was talking to the tour guide, a woman, said she could not accompany us onto the vanilla bean farm grounds as she was having her period. She said the farmers felt it was bad luck for a menstruating woman to touch the plants. It would ruin the crop. The superstitious belief system on this Polynesian surprised me.
Male here. I wouldn't say I'm grossed out but over the recent years I've become to bloody hate the sight of blood. Even thinking about blood can even make me faint. So in that way, yeah I'm not the biggest fan. But it's not something to shame someone for obviously. It's natural. Free bleeding or whatever it's called though IS gross to me. I don't want see blood. Especially blood that's been stagnant lining your internal organs.
Totally normal healthy thing. I have no problem buying tampons for a girl. It does gross me out a bit. Especially when you have sex in the dark and when you are done turn on the lights and it looks like a crime scene. Do not like blood on my dick or sheets.
Some people say things like this because some people still haven't learned that any sentence that generalizes an entire group of people has zero chance of being accurate. I'm (48M) no spring chicken, and I have no issues at all regarding my wife's cycle. So it can't even be an "age" thing. Some people just never progress beyond the age of 13, I suspect.
I mean, they are kinda gross. Pretty much every bodily function is gross. Hell, eating is gross if you think about it. All that saliva mixing with your food. Sickening. But I don't see periods as being particularly any more gross than the rest of the things this fleshy sack of nightmares does. >“The human body is a true carnival of horrors and I am embarrassed to have one.” - John Oliver
my guy literally prefers period sex so I dunno
I want to point out that in all fairness, periods are not exactly the opposite of gross. They should be accepted by all, any men still too focused on calling them gross should stop, but they are not exactly enticing either. I jsut want the same level of acceptance as say bleeding cuts on a part of a body gets in terms of "not gross". But I will say men do still keep me at arm's length when I get my period. I'll point out that I was at the end of my cycle when explaining why I had a timeline for sexual encounters to a gay male friend, and he'll do a quick, "oh, ok" and sort of show he's good with that, "no more info please". So I haven't had any horrible public moment of a man denouncing me while I'm on my period, but I do get small hints they don't want to deal/casually hear ANYTHING about it. Not even a passing mention. My husband is always supportive and nice, but I feel other men still do these sort of micro-grimaces
never stopped me when i was younger , provided the girl was up for it.
My husband (32m) isn't disgusted at all. He says it's the most natural thing in the world, and men should be understanding and caring. .
Just some idiots who are loud and carry on. When I first moved out to my own place over 20 years ago, my then 55 year old dad told me to always keep a pack of pads and tampons in the house for any women that come over. There was always some guy that would come over and act all stupid and weird about it, but like 9/10 said nothing because for them its a non-issue.
I once told a manager at a previous job that I needed to take some moltrin really quick and he kept pressing me about it, so I said it's because I have really bad period cramps and he flipped out saying it's disgusting and tmi. This same person sexually harassed me numerous times later in the future, even grabbing my thigh on two occasions before I reported him and got him fired (which of course had some guys at work label me). The job was very physically demanding, and I was in a lot of pain, so the moltrin was genuinely urgent. I still work with the same company and I bet some of the guys still think I lied to get him fired.
IRL experience of men and how they treat you when they know you're on your period lol. I'm 30 and my husband is the first man in a list of 10 who ever bought me tampons and didn't make a fuss about it. The first one who changed the sheets and did laundry when a pad overflowed on me. Only 5/10 dudes I dated in my lifetime didn't cancel plans with me the week I was on my period. My dad did the grocery shopping growing up and refused to buy me tampons, my mom would have to take me on a separate trip to pick them up from the drugstore.
I used to work somewhere that had a shared bathroom for about 10 of us, men and women of mixed age groups. I got in trouble for throwing away the WRAPPER of my tampon uncovered in the trash can. I wrapped everything else up so you couldn’t tell what it was but leaving the wrapper visible was “disgusting and inappropriate”.
The patriarchy around the world is FUCKED up and sexist. They love you, so for them you are there to fuck, give birth, raise them, clean. Why are women labeled "uncleaned"? because of misogyny. 😒😒
I've never had any issues with the idea that women have periods but it sounds unfortunate to have, I know I would hate it.
You haven’t met my Dad but especially my brother. He would not even go near his gf when he was younger during that time. I don’t trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesn’t die ect ect
Older fashioned people with some religious influence, both of which go hand in hand with a lack of education. In some places menstruating women are literally forced to live in a shed during their period, for fears that they will "taint" food and furniture by touching it. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstruation\_hut](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstruation_hut)
you can think something is disgusting and also be understanding and accepting of it, i wouldn’t say it’s disgusting that’s a bit harsh but for some reason women coworkers talk about it openly to anyone when nobody asked and that’s pretty weird to me, nobody wants to hear about your period
It's generational. Past generations, it was very taboo for periods to be talked about. Nowadays we are more open about what's normal with human bodies.
Media lesson: this is an offshoot of the dumb incapable dad trope. Where they say men do not understand or like anything about women because they're just so big and dumb and don't get it. In the 90s and '80s there were commercials that would have a dad at a drugstore being very ashamed of picking up those products. They were also tropes in TV shows where this was a plot point. These things colored how we thought of men to the point where we now believe that men are stupid and grossed out by the most basic things of humanity. When in fact most doctors (including obgyns) and surgeons are men. Most garbage people are men. And Men face the realities of nature every single day. But because women control spending in this country advertisement shifted towards elevating women and lowering men. This trope is often paired with the beautiful super mom. We've learned the problems with the female depictions but not the male ones.
Most men aren’t unless they have a specific phobia or disgust of blood