Tyra’s First-Ever Period Show Was Bloody Fantastic!
Posted by: Jessica Wakeman
Filed in:
entertainment, video
9:40AM, Thursday September 10th 2009
I can think of lots of momentous events I wouldn’t want human pit bull/Baby Phat designer Kimora Lee Simmons around for—and inserting a tampon in my coochie for the very first time is one of them. But on “The Tyra Show”‘s first-ever program all about periods, Tyra Banks shared how, at the ripe-old age of 26, Miss Fabulosity coached (bullied?) her on how to insert a tampon. An applicator-less tampon. There’s some mental imagery for you!
But Tyra’s period show wasn’t all about famous women pushing Tampax up their lady flowers: Tyra invited three doctors on the show to explain why Aunt Flo comes to visit. It’s a ghastly state of affairs for sex ed if grown women are learning why they get their periods on “The Tyra Show.” Still, I learned lotsa stuff about my monthlies thanks to Ty-Ty ... like, you can still get laid if you go to bed wearing an adult diaper on your heavy flow nights. Proof of THAT above!
And in the clip below, Tyra makes friends with a woman who’s downright scared of using tampons—and invites her to use one for the very first time behind a screen onstage.
Did you catch Tyra’s period show?
TheFrisky.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network
spatula
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 08:56 am: [report]
ew. also, my very recent ex was not down with the period sex. I’m not totally all about it, (i feeel grossss) but not opposed. I dont know that we ever did it, in 2 years.
veronica
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 09:03 am: [report]
LOL! OMG, Tyra asking about the woman’s virginity was too funny.
joyy
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 09:34 am: [report]
Never tried a tampon until she was 26? Wow. But I guess if she’s doing a whole show on the basics and ins and outs of menstruation, it’s probably because there are people out there who STILL don’t know these things - like that you can get pregnant on your period. It totally blows my mind that people (or rather, women at least) don’t know a lot of this stuff, but if she’s educating people who otherwise wouldn’t hear it and her info is accurate, more power to her.
mizfitz
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 10:05 am: [report]
no matter what i do or don’t do i bloat. cramps (before i had my son, now i never have them, a side effect from childbirth) were so bad i was one of those girls who could do nothing but sit home and cry. i was placed on birth control to reg. things out and was to take oxys, percs or darves as needed for pain from the age of 14.
i usually don’t even want to be touched when i have my period, so things have to be pretty turbo charged for me to go forward. if a guy suddenly got cold feet cos of my monthly, he won’t be the only one seeing blood.
sklut
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 11:35 am: [report]
I’m one of the lucky few where my period rarely makes a difference in my day to day life. My own mother has no idea when I even start my period because I don’t pms I don’t complain about cramps and my boyfriend never realy notices because I’m on birth control and it’s so light and short it’s here and gone before he realizes. Loestrin is by far the best bc I’ve been on my periods only last 3 days and I know exactly when it’s coming. I give Tyra a lot of credit for doing silly shows like this because even though it’s funny and seems like a joke there are a lot of women out there that don’t know everything they need to know about their own body.
EarthGoddess
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 01:03 pm: [report]
I don’t feel so bad anymore. I didn’t use tampons until I was 25 ... my mom told me some things when I was younger that made me afraid to use them. (She’s from the old school and thinks pads are the only safe way to go.) Out of desperation one day at work when my period came along out of the blue, I had no choice but to use one since I was padless and no one else had anything but a tampon. I was so glad I started ... I can’t imagine going back to pads now.
@sklut: I envy you so much. Due to a medical condition, my period has never been anything even close to regular and is always very heavy and crampy. I recently went 6 months with nothing and have now been bleeding for 4 weeks straight with no end in sight and they can’t stop it. Sorry for the TMI, but I wanted you to know just how lucky you are! I wish I had your reproductive system ....
Lynn
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 01:07 pm: [report]
I don’t know how, but I can always spot a Jessica Wakeman article. That’s not bad - I don’t usually look at the author but somehow when I’m reading yours, I can always tell and I scroll up to check!
Anyway, I don’t think you can be so harsh on a guy who doesn’t want to bone someone on her period. Didn’t we have a whole discussion about this on The Frisky once? There were people (guys and girls) who were into it, and people (guys and girls) who weren’t. It doesn’t make them freaks.
joyy
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 01:09 pm: [report]
@EG - it amazes me to see the opinions some people hold on things like tampons. My out-of-his-mind father once told me that “women use tampons because they get lazy with their bodies.” Thankfully I already was using them at that point and knew better to believe his bullsht.
EarthGoddess
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 01:29 pm: [report]
@joyy: My mom thinks that they ruin you internally somehow and will make you sick. She thinks most of the female issues I have are made worse by using them. Nevermind that most of the issues I have are genetic and the almost all the women in my family are reproductively dysfunctional. I just roll my eyes and LOL.
Queen Frostine
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 01:29 pm: [report]
I’ve never used a tampon. I’ll admit it. It scared me as a teenager. And now, my flow is so light that I don’t need more than a liner.
GreenAura
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 01:40 pm: [report]
@tampon users: before you bash me, keep in mind that this is my opinion (and nothing based in medical fact)... I think tampons are disgusting. Your period is supposed to flow out. Your vagina is cleansing itself during that time, and IMO you should let it do it’s thing as naturally as you can. I personally couldn’t stand the thought of interior absorbtion. It seems really dirty to me. I’ve never douched either and I am proud to be so fresh and so clean clean. I understand that some women are super duper heavy and have to use supersized tampons (some even have to wear a pad on top of that!). But if your period is realtively normal, you should just let it flow. I use all natural pads with no chemical treatments and I wouldn’t use anything else. Comments and opposing opinions welcome!
writergirl
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 01:53 pm: [report]
I use tampons only in the summer when we’re at the pool or if I want to swim at the gym during off-summer months.
I HATE tampons. I find them to be uncomfortable and painful. The past few months, my flow I’ve more started hemoraging when I have a period instead of just bleeding, and even a “heavy flow” tampon doesn’t work. So I’ll stick to pads, though they are gross too, they are’t painful.
ootie
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:04 pm: [report]
I would never, ever use a pad again. They really gross me out—they’re huge and uncomfortable and smelly and get blood everywhere. Tampons to me just seem a lot easier and less messy. That said, I did try to use a super absorbency tampon with an applicator once and I thought it was super uncomfortable—I just use the light absorbency ones without an applicator, and like them a lot better.
joyy
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:06 pm: [report]
@GreenAura - I used to use them out of convenience, then a friend turned me on to the reusable cloth ones and I haven’t looked back since. Kind of a shame though, since I found those about a month before I got my IUD and now I pretty much just don’t get a period at all. I *really* wish someone would have got me onto them earlier though, it’s like you bleed less since the natural fibers don’t seem to pull the blood out of you (sound weird, I know, but if you’re using cloth you might know what I’m talking about).
GreenAura
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:20 pm: [report]
@joyy: I notice that not only are my periods lighter, but my cramps are easier to deal with as well. I used to just use Always, which were definitely thinner and easier to conceal, but I think that all the chemicals and absorbents they are treated with were the cause of my cramps. The pads I use now are bulkier, but I feel so much better. I just have to wear looser fitting pants and stay away from my skinny jeans. Also, I might bleed somewhat on the pad itself, but the majority comes out when I pee. It seriously feels cleaner! Unfortunately, they only sell them in one store in Prescott, so I have to make sure I have them on hand at all times.
joyy
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:23 pm: [report]
@GreenAura - I’m PMing you a link, so check your inbox.
joyy
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:29 pm: [report]
@GreenAura - your inbox is full!! http://hyenacart.com/HomesteadEmporium/index.php
Their website is a little wonky, but the products are fantastic.
spatula
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:30 pm: [report]
@GreenAura: The idea of tampons is really disgusting to me too, for the same reasons you mentioned. (It wants to come out for a reason, right?) But to me it is way, way grosser to let that lovely nature flow right out of you, and then sit around in it all day.
To me it is literally the lesser of two evils.
GreenAura
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:33 pm: [report]
@ spatula: Totally understand the “lesser of two evils” thing. It’s pretty nasty all around. But like joyy and I were talking about above, the cloth pads seem to make it lighter. Also, I drink a ton of water during my period, so that I am forced to go to the bathroom more… more bathroom time = more clean up time so that I’m *not* sitting around in it all day.
GreenAura
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:36 pm: [report]
@joyy: I have an inbox? No wonder it’s full!! And that website is awesome!! I like the “Carnival Swirl”... never has the idea of period blood seemed so pretty
I’m def gonna order some. Thanks a bunch!!
Perceptible
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 02:58 pm: [report]
Interesting. Once I started using tampons I could never, ever go back to using pads. It was the pads that made me feel unclean. Like sitting on a diaper. I hated feeling the flow coming out (sorry for the TMI, can’t help it with this topic). Tampons were so great and comfortable and clean feeling! I never looked back.
After I had my son and bled for like 2 months, I had to use pads (doctor’s orders, not sure why) and I was miserable! I couldn’t wait to go back to tampons.
I don’t get a period anymore b/c of my birth control, but if I did again, I wouldn’t even consider a pad. Not even a liner. They just seem so yucky to me. Tampons all the way!
I’m fascinated by the varying opinions though.
neongh0st
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 06:29 pm: [report]
Like spatula said, tampons to me are/were the lesser of two evils. But I’ve always been kinda edgy about TSS risk, so I’m trying the diva cup (like the keeper) and thus far it’s just… easier, as well as being less wasteful and more natural. I don’t mean to come off sounding like an advertisement, but like with the cloth pads and going on birth control- there really is more than just pads vs. tampons to consider.
julea
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 10:11 pm: [report]
I actually don’t get a period normally—i have to be on the pill to get it.
ive been to multiple doctors and no one knows why—and my current gyno doesnt seem to care that much about finding out, just that “you should have a period so go on the pill”.
That being said, I only use tampons. you can actually do #&@$% in them, like move around and not feel like you are wearing a diaper.
Anniushka
wrote on September 10 2009 @ 10:30 pm: [report]
I’ve tried using tampons and… well, to avoid a TMI situation, I’ll just say I reacted badly to them. I mentioned this to my gyno and she suggested I try organic cotton ones, but meh. I don’t mind using a pad. And I’m on the pill now anyway, so even when I do use a pad, I only do so for a few days. AND on top of that, I hardly ever swim, so I really have no compelling reason to use a tampon.
I have a good friend whose mother has scared her off of both tampons AND the pill. And lots of other things, too, which is silly… I can’t stand it when people let fear guide their lives, but then, I can’t really lecture her on the matter, can I? Oh well… the best I can do is be understanding when she’s in bed with unbearable period pains. Poor thing.
snap
wrote on September 11 2009 @ 10:13 am: [report]
i’ve always wondered if a depends would work for heavy nights! i generally don’t bleed at night, so i never have the opportunity to try it!
snap
wrote on September 11 2009 @ 10:15 am: [report]
also, i think pads work so much better than tampons.
and last cycle, i used—get this—CLOTH PADS. they were AMAZINGLY soft, comfortable, and absorbent. it was a little icky to clean them (presoak and then throw in the wash), but it was so worth it.
GreenAura
wrote on September 11 2009 @ 10:17 am: [report]
@ snap: see mine and joyy’s conversation above. There is a link for some awesome reusables.
snap
wrote on September 11 2009 @ 10:24 am: [report]
@green: i skimmed the comments initially, but somehow i missed your convo with joyy! thanks!
leanna
wrote on September 11 2009 @ 01:04 pm: [report]
Forget the pads and the tampons, the divacup (or the mooncup, there are a few similar products out there) are totally the way to go. Some people are a little grossed out by the whole you have to dump it out and clean it bit but you get over it quickly and if you’re using it correctly they don’t leak. On heavy days I’d have to use both a super tampon AND a pad because they’d leak. Ew.
Another major plus is never being caught without a pad or tampon again and its also better for the environment if going green is your thing
Charlene86
wrote on September 19 2009 @ 11:14 am: [report]
I didn’t know that my period pheromones could make him break out, but i did know that his alphaero pheromones could keep my cycle regular and increase regular sex and oxytocin.