GladRags Gab

I think one of the biggest problems confronting us today is media consolidation.  The implications of having only six or seven corporations who rule the airwaves and media outlets does not bode well for anyone beyond those who own those corporations.  Dissenting voices don't get heard and big business just gets to further its case.  As with most important issues, it's complicated. Here are some links to understand more.

Now with Bill Moyers (always a common sense voice of reason).

Media Channel (they watch the media) and this link takes you to Michael Copps dissenting statement on today's ruling.

 Seattle Times Editorial

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"Nothing in our society-with the exception of violence and fear-has been more effective in keeping women in their place than the degradation of the menstrual cycle." -Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Christiane Northrup

"On approach of a woman in this state, must will become sour, seeds which are touched by her become sterile, grass withers away, garden plants are parched up, and the fruit will fall from the tree beneath which she sits." -Pliny, 636 A.D.

"Without menstruation and the sciences of measurement women developed from watching first the moon and then the stars, there would be no clocks or watches, no astronomers, no mathematicians or physicists, no astronauts, none of the architecture and engineering which have been born from exact measurement and proportion." -Blood, Bread, and Roses by Judy Grahn

"How might your life have been different for you if, on your first menstrual day, your mother had given you a bouquet of flowers and taken you to lunch, and then the two of you had gone to meet your father at the jeweler, where your ears were pierced…and then you went, for the very first time, to the Women's Lodge, to learn the wisdom of the women? How might your life be different?" -Circle of Stones by Judith Duerk

"Suppose that society is a lie, and the period is a moment of truth which will not sustain lies." -The Wise Wound by Penelope Shuttle & Peter Redgrove

-Michelle

Michelle Singer is a freelance journalist currently living and working in Montpelier, Vermont. Former GladRags employee and menstrual enthusiast, she is also a great lover of books, hiking, and wrestling with the continual confusion of feminism. She lives in a multi-generational home with all her most important fans-her parents, husband and two truly adorable children.  

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There have been many discussions on the internet recently surrounding a campaign of Always pads entitled, "Have a Happy Period".

Right off the bat, what do these words mean to you?

Are you excited by the idea that your period could be a happier thing?  Are you mad that someone is telling you to have a happy period when it couldn't possibly be happy, what with cramps and irritability and all?  Are you suspect of a marketing campaign?  Are you inspired by a forward thinking corporation?  Are you indifferent? - gosh I hope not!

Well, many women are pretty upset with this campaign.  Apparently, Always prints this slogan on the plastic wrapping of their pads so women can read the words as they change their pads.  Women are appalled at the gall of a company that tries to say that a woman's period could be a happy thing.  There is even a letter circulating among blogs that a woman apparently wrote to the company in disgust over the slogan.

Something we like about GladRags is that they not only help the environment, are great for women's health and save women money, but they also often help to improve a woman's perspective on her period.  The comfort of an all-cotton pad and the act of washing and caring for GladRags put women more in touch with their bodies in a healthy way.  We have written in the past about PMS and how we regret how it always has to be such a stigmatized thing - women are overly emotional and unreasonable during these days and therefore crazy.  We simply do not agree with that.  We have talked about how menstruation does not have to be a curse.  It can be a time for quiet, for reflection, a time to appreciate the gifts of menstruation.  In essence, we too at GladRags hope all women are able to have a happy period.

It is a shame that many women cannot take this approach to their period, but I think that many of these women are taking issue with Always because they don't feel like Always really understands them.  The company is simplifying what a woman experiences during her days of menstruating into urges for chocolate, being angry at anyone she comes into contact with, and feeling ugly.  They're riding all of the cliches, embracing them really, instead of reinventing them.

In order for women to be lead into a better perspective on their periods, I say, let's reinvent!  I used to be frustrated at how reflective I was and emotional during my PMS days.  Now, I appreciate the insights that I come to when I am literally forced into reflection by my body.  I take time out to absorb those insights and perhaps to make changes in my life based off of my new information.

Menstruation is a powerful and nuanced experience.  I hope that more and more women are able to understand and respect that rather than resent it.  And I hope that a marketing campaign doesn't push women who could benefit from a reinvention into resenting their periods even more.

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Would you like GladRags Gab to cover a specific topic?  Interested to hear what other GladRaggers think about something you have recently been mulling over?  Well, go ahead then and write a blog entry topic (or two!) in the comments section below.

Hey, thanks - we'll do our best to cover your particular area of interest in the upcoming blog entries.

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I'm venturing into very personal territory here, bloggers, so hold onto your hats. However, in the spirit of universal experience, I'm wondering something…

Is it just me, or are the delicate tissues of my vulva even more delicate after having given birth two times? Since having my kids and getting my cycle back (although this didn't happen right away) a day or two into bleeding my vulva begins to feel rather…raw. What is this about?

I will admit, in all my years of frankness about menstruation, I still find myself shy to talk about my vulva (especially on the internet). But I do believe that that this is one of the few forums I might be able to venture this subject. Also, many people do experience vulvodynia, which simply means vulvar pain, much like I am describing, but if I am correct, pain caused by vulvodynia is more constant while mine seems to be associated with bleeding. There is also contact dermatitis, which is also irritation of the vulva, but usually because of contact with soaps, detergents, deodorants, etc. Again, my irritation seems linked to blood, when I use internal products, still wearing my skivvies and clothes, I'm fine.

Could my blood be irritating my skin, and why would it do that? Is the tissue of my vulva more sensitive now after giving birth two times?

I hope to hear from any readers with insights, and also to open the door for people who do experience vulvar pain and find relief in natural menstrual products like the ones found here. It's not something we get the chance to talk about but I'm sure we have a lot of experiences to share. Let's talk, we've got to take care of our girls!

Michelle

Michelle Singer is a freelance journalist currently living and working in Montpelier, Vermont. Former GladRags employee and menstrual enthusiast, she is also a great lover of books, hiking, and wrestling with the continual confusion of feminism. She lives in a multi-generational home with all her most important fans-her parents, husband and two truly adorable children.  

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For the past two years, many individuals and organizations have contacted GladRags regarding a largely publicized issue afflicting many communities in sub-Saharan Africa.  For many reasons, young girls are unable to and do not want to attend school during the days they are menstruating.  These days can add up to a 10-20 percent absenteeism rate throughout a school year (http://allafrica.com/stories/200710120286.html).  Clearly, this absenteeism leads to missing a great amount of information being taught and is generally disruptive to a girl's scholastic experience.

The many reasons that girls face this obstacle include lack of sanitized water, restroom facilities, underwear, and, the missing product for which GladRags is contacted, menstrual pads.  Also, the topic of menstruation is often taboo in many of these cultures, which makes it difficult for girls to openly arrive at a community solution to this life condition.  Another important obstacle that many news outlets and western organizations fail to consider when contemplating this issue is an absence of a waste disposal system to deal with the disposable pads that have been proposed as a solution and what the creation of such a system would mean.

So, given these many hurdles to overcome, what is the answer?
Read the rest of this entry »

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Amy over at Crunchy Domestic Goddess recently answered some interview questions on her blog sent to her by another blogger.  She asked if anyone else would like to be interviewed and I said, "Yes!"  So, here are her questions.  And, my answers.  Enjoy!

Oh, and if any of you, my fellow bloggers, are interested in my sending you your own individualized set of interview questions for your blog, drop me a line.

1) Would you mind telling me (and any other newbies) a bit about yourself and your background?

Sure thing!  Well, first off, my name is Diana.  Hello.  I began this life in the state of Massachusetts, dreaming of leaving home to travel and do my own "thing".  I did and now I am very happy.  After Spanish speaking in Latin America, attempted Japanese in Kyoto and various other jaunts around this fascinating planet, I moved west.  I currently reside in the extremely livable and generally happy Portland, Oregon.

Various other tidbits - I am the youngest of 7 children (can we say Irish Catholic?!).  I like exploring a variety of cultures (including, for example, woodworkers) and finding out what makes them tick - more or less.  I started eating vegan some months ago and enjoy delving into whole foods cooking and reaping its delicious benefits.  I like my friends, but who doesn't?  Children are amazing.  I don't think it's ok for a person to say that they don't like people.  I really enjoy my alone time.  Oh, and tennis and snowboarding and walking and laughing.

2) How did you first get involved with GladRags? 

I have to say that I was primed for the 'Rags before I started working here.  It all began in Costa Rica.  I was at a birthday party and my friend whipped out this interesting little device - looked like a shot glass.  So, we used it as a shot glass.  We were doing what we knew.  Anyway, turned out to be her new (a.k.a. unused) menstrual cup.  The seed was planted and I bought myself a cup and a cloth menstrual pad.

Read the rest of this entry »

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I'll be making Walnut-Cheddar Harvest Loaf, vegetarian gravy, brussel sprouts, and cabbage salad to take to Thanksgiving this year.  The Harvest Loaf is from the really old cookbook, Diet for a Small Planet . My copy was used when I bought it and now it is totally ratty because of all the use I've given it. The loaf makes a great entree for those of us not indulging in the big bird.  When I've got time and want to impress friends I wrap it in phyllo and it's quite a presentation. 

While I'm cooking I'll be thinking about all the things I'm thankful for this year.  My healthy family, my wonderful friends, the chance to have had three art exhibits this year, and all the wonderful women I know though working at GladRags - customers, co-workers, store buyers, brokers, suppliers, competitiors/compatriots.

Best wishes to everyone for a safe, happy holiday.

-Brenda 

 Walnut-Cheddar Loaf

45 min 15 min prep
2     tablespoons olive oil
2     cups yellow onions, chopped
1     cup black walnuts, coarsely ground
1     cup cheddar cheese, grated
2     tablespoons lemon juice
2     eggs, beaten
2     tablespoons nutritional yeast
1     teaspoon caraway seeds
1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice (1/2 cup uncooked)
    salt
    pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350.
   2. Saute onions in olive oil until translucent.
   3. Mix with remaining ingredients, salt and pepper to taste and put in an oiled loaf pan.
   4. Bake for 30 minutes.

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Most of us have a drawer of plastic bags in our kitchen.  In fact, when I was in college there was a space between the refrigerator and where the counter and cabinets ended.  We would shove our shopping bags in there, in the thoughts that we would reuse them.  Alas, 2 years later when we moved out, we had hundreds of plastic bags.  I have gotten a little better and do reuse them and also try and use canvas bags.  

But what to do with those pesky bags that we always somehow end up with.  Well, we here at GladRags are all about reusing and recycling.  And I am all about the crafts.  So my new project for this winter is to create items from my plastic bag stores.   I have found various crafting opportunities for plastic bags.  The most obvious (to me at least) is needle crafts.  Knitting and crocheting can be done with just about any material that can be cut into strips.  Make a recycled plastic bag purse! You can also buy these sorts of plastic bag purses from other people who had too many plastic bags on craft sites like Etsy.  Want some more ideas?  This blog post on Craftzine.com has a whole slew of instructions for plastic bag crafts!  

And yes, that is a plastic bag rooster!

-jodi 

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To bleed or not to bleed,-that seems to be the question:-
Whether ‘tis nobler to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous moods, cramps, and PMS,
Or to take arms against our bodies with a sea of drugs,
And by opposing ourselves, end it?-To stop,-to cease,-
No more; and by a pill to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural fluxuations
That flesh is heir to,-‘tis culturally
Devoutly to be wish'd. To stop,-to cease;-
To sleep! Perchance to dream:-ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of nothingness what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal cycle,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes worth living of so long life.

This famous speech from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" was frighteningly easy to adapt to menstruation. I was inspired by Jodi's "No More Menstruation" blog that talks about the new oral contraceptive that is taken continually, with no break for bleeding. The "To be or not to be" speech jumped right into my head, and the parallel with "To bleed or not to bleed" was too perfect. I looked up the actual speech in an old copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare that I happen to have lying around. You can just as easily google it, though I like the way the older version has all the dashes. Anyway, you can see for yourself how little had to be changed. I'm kind of stunned actually how beautifully the point is made…

Michelle
 
Michelle Singer is a freelance journalist currently living and working in Montpelier, Vermont. Former GladRags employee and menstrual enthusiast, she is also a great lover of books, hiking, and wrestling with the continual confusion of feminism. She lives in a multi-generational home with all her most important fans–her parents, husband and two truly adorable children.

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