Thinking

Keepin It Real

It's Throw Back Thursday so let us women all fondly remember the first time we got our periods. I'm sure our mothers gently took us aside and told us how to put on a pad as we looked on horrified that we'd have to wear this diaper-like contraption the whole day while feeling an unfamiliar ache coming from our ovaries. And forget tampons. "We put that where? Which hole mommy?" -As Orange Is the New Black's recent Episode 4, 'I Whole Other Hole' covers this confusion in depth.In two minutes, this mini-sitcom / online commercial, First Moon Party, manages to touch on an awkward subject using humor and honesty. Gone are the days of Full House, sappy sincerity and making a mother-daughter bonding moment out of every coming of age milestone. In this commercial, the clever, cynical, Gen X mother finds that the only thing precious about this situation is the opportunity to teach her daughter a lesson about lying. The commercial is refreshing and has struck a cord - gaining over a million views on YouTube in less than two days.

So advertisers take note. While the storyline is far fetched, the sentiment is real. Getting your period for the first time creates a mix of pride an embarrassment. While mothers love their daughters, the real exchanges are not a perfect display of sappy mutual love and affection. Perhaps the Gen X mother has learned to maintain her sense of humor in the face of motherhood.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEcZmT0fiNM]