Today’s guest blogger is Shannon, professional writer and content strategist. This is her experience with the DivaCup.
Oh. Em. Gee. I LOVE the DivaCup.
These were the words of my roommate at BlogHer ‘14 a few hours after her period surprised her on the second morning and she was reluctantly given one of my free samples to try. The same sample she’d rejected the day before—with a grimace.
I wasn’t surprised at her declaration of love, but I was surprised by how quickly it arrived. “Be patient and give it time.” This is my most common advice to first-time users.
I’ve been using the DivaCup for about a decade, but it took me a couple of months before I really knew that she was “the one”.
Our first date was awkward and I was definitely the one doing all the work. It felt like the DivaCup didn’t know me and didn’t care to.
But what I’ve realized is that it was me who didn’t know me… or care to. And why would I? As women, we are not encouraged to know our bodies—I mean, we’re not even taught the name of our bits properly, friends!
Nothing forced me to get intimate with my own body the way the DivaCup has. Everything I’d used previously allowed me to keep a comfortable distance from my vulva. I was 27 when I learned that my cervical fluid is indicative of my fertility. HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?
My guess is that I’m not alone.
“Unfortunately, most of us don’t know about the intricacies of our cycle and how to really capitalize on these strengths because from the time we hit puberty we’re given very little information about it. Why? Because there is a long-standing and deeply-rooted taboo around the subject of menstruation.
The worst part is that we’ve gotten so used to not talking about it, we just sort of accept it and we perpetuate the silence. We forget that silence around a subject strongly suggests there is something ‘wrong’ or ‘shameful’ about it. It doesn’t dawn on us that when we tell girls and women that a fundamental part of being female is shameful, we obliterate their desire to truly know, protect and love their body.“
—Anea Bogue
So yeah, when the most I’d ever done was rip a pad from my undies or pull on a string, the thought of using the DivaCup left me squeamish and unsure. I completely empathize with the reactions of women new to the idea.
I’m thankful the DivaCup and I found each other. It changed my life and how I see my body. I’m more comfortable in my own skin and I appreciate my complexities. I’m less ashamed to know and talk about how I work.
Find an excuse to get to know your own body. Maybe it’s kicking shame’s butt? Maybe it’s so you don’t pass down the same bunked information to your own kids?
Or maybe it’s time to make the DivaCup your new BFF?
Shannon Fisher
Shannon has written on the web since 1998 when you could make a grilled cheese sandwich before your page loaded. At Republic of Quality she has the entire web on a spreadsheet. Before content strategy, she spent nine years teaching small humans.
