A bridge too far ...?

On a similar topic - is this acceptable? I was going UP and escalator and coming down in other direction were 2 young pregnant ladies---both were wearing cropped t shirts, and their VERY pregnant tums were completely exposed!I know the days of maternity smocks are long gone , but really,? Do we need to see your bulging tummies? (Im a facepainter in my spare time, and have constantly refused to paint pregnant tummies- I just think some things are private-am I wrong?)

Lol at 'old batty' - you obviously know me only too well !

The one that REALLY gets to me is the advert full of 'a bright, young thing' cycling through a city centre wearing tight fitting white shorts to advertise Tampax. Hahahaha - as if 'dealing with the bleeding' is all there is to 'having a period' .................. what about the stomach cramps/pains/unable to move for two/three days. If that had been me, I'd have needed a towel as well as a tampon at the same time - besides which, I never learned to ride a bike .

Wonder if that same young woman will be advertising Tena/Always in 30yrs time .

TMI.
Nowadays there is very little, in fact, nothing off limits. No modesty, (not to be mistaken for prudishness) no curbs on uncouth language, few manners, little respect.
The bar has been lowered to ground level.

My Mum used to send me aged 7 upwardsto the chemist with a ‘note for the lady’ and a half a crown
I was given a brown paper bag & a bit of change to take home
I’ve just realised what must have been in the bag !!!

I once met a policeman I knew well in the supermarket, all I had in my basket was a bunch of flowers, a box of cat food and a pack of Always pads I often wondered what he made of it

I was brought up in the 60s and 70s and things like periods were definitely private to the point of being taboo!!! I think men need to understand this part of being female and that it is natural.

As for Tena pads, I don't think it's too late to get those pelvic floor muscles working and help with the problem. I sympathise tho with Ladyinspain as that is a problem that pelvice floor exercises might not help with

Ladyinspain, won’t your pharmacy deliver your, er, items if they’re on prescription?

I don’t like the idea of doing things for show but if I was carrying a full bag of shopping I wouldn’t bother hiding them if tampons were on top they were on top I wouldn’t have any worries about that at all

How times have changed. When I started my periods in the sixties you could only buy sanitary pads in our local Wool shop. Mum would whisper her request and the lady reached under the counter and placed the packet of towels into a thick brown paper bag. Only then were they put on the counter. I only got a dozen towels to last throughout my period and that was never enough, yet i couldn't ask my mum for more.

LadyinSpain I don't mind pregnant tums. I think everything about pregnant mums is lovely . I was brought up to hide pads etc. Not sure I would need to now. Less keen on have Tena in view I htink as it is a sign of age normally. But I suppose it isn't really, just as well might be from pregnancy.

I remember when I was hugely pregnant with DD having to buy maternity pads. They were quite large and didn't fit into my shopping bag. It was also hammering down with rain and the paper bag they were in got very wet. As I got on the bus they burst out of the bag to the floor. There was no way I could bend down and retrieve them . An oldish lady '!' Picked them up for me. "There we are pet" she said. "You'll be needing those sooner rather than later". I was mortified

I remember as a teenager being mortified walking across the camp site between tent and toilet block with a loo roll in my hand...

My mother has become incontinent over the years and she wouldn't go to see the Dr for years because of her embarrassment. This has impacted her life in so many ways but particularly her relationship because urinary overload in your pants is not often a sexually attractive attribute. It is attitudes about keeping it all private that contribute to her embarrassment. I'm not proud of my "OMG, I've sneezed" moments but I am not going to be embarrassed about the fact that age has made those moments somewhat damper than they used to be.

Bodily functions are certainly not something to feel ashamed of (my mother also bought pads from the local draper in secretive mode involving a brown paper bag!) but I don't see that anyone needs to make a point of flashing tampons about, or discussing feminine matters openly. The problem - and I do see it as a problem - is that nothing at all is private now, everything has to be openly discussed, and on social media, and absolutely nothing is taboo. It's just not necessary. Rant over.

Personally, I never wanted to walk around with STs or tampons on show, but I have accustomed myself to the fact that toilet paper is sold in transparent plastic bags, so large that they don't fit into a shopping bag.

I wouldn't want to walk around with ointment for haemorrhoids on display either, or tena or adult nappies, or condoms, but that's just me

Here in Denmark where young women in the 1970s and '80s saw no reason to keep their periods a secret, I notice that the younger generation now don't want to advertise it, and seem much shyer about discussing bodily functions or sex than we were.

For me, I'd just like a bit of dignity left.

So, how is this for embarrassment. I recently advised to buy a more organic form of panty liner and ordered through Age Concern which were the cheapest. They subcontracted to a company called Choice Shops who delivered direct to me in a box emblazoned with not only the name of the product, but also the type of product and even what the product is used for. The poor delivery guy was so embarrassed, but not as embarrassed as I was. I immediately complained to both Age concern and Choice Shops and was offered quote 'in the way of a small apology' a postage refund which I think was £2 ish!! I hadn't written for monetary gain so I was even more insulted and offended. I have since received an apology from both (and a full refund!) but I hope that I never see the delivery man again. As it happens, I almost had to leave a note on my door to leave package with a neighbour as I thought I might be out so thank goodness I was in when it arrived or my whole village would know by now!!

The adverts are getting even more personal - it seems we are now having trouble with a 'bothersome vagina!' ?

What the hell is a bothersome vagina!!

Reminds me of the old joke. 'I couldn't have any more children because of trouble with my fallopians.'

'What a shame. Keep jumping on the pram, did they?'

Oldbatty - Jenny Eclair is currently doing tv adverts about bothersome vaginas! It must be so awkward watching these with young children.

Well, what a laugh I’ve had this afternoon. Brought back so many memories. I’ve done all those things with brown paper bags. My mother often used to say to me “standards, don’t lower your standards”. Applies to so many things now.

I buy my pads every 3 months or so, which means a number of packets in the delivery boxes. When the Tesco delivery driver said I'd emptied the shop haha, I really complained. It's not their place to comment on my shopping. This being upfront about personal stuff has gone too ar in my view.

Perhaps someone can explain exactly what is so embarrassing about having a period or going to the toilet? All women have a period. Everyone goes to the loo. So 50% of the population use tampons or panty liners or sanitary towels and EVERYONE uses loo paper.
Now farting while I walk (WTF??)...... that's embarrassing!

There isn't anything embarrassing about it.
Its just personal, for me, anyway.
Coincidentally, some of the best care homes I've worked in take a very dim view of residents pads being left out on show in their rooms, or being discussed by staff in front of anyone other than the person they belong to.