s.e. smith

After a few years of being the postergirl for alternative approaches to menstruation – writing articles, being interviewed, doing workshops, selling washable pads to women and getting involved in too many party conversations on the topic to possibly count – something is starting to give. The truth is, I’m starting to get a little bit tired of being nice. I’ve lost my patience with trying to pussyfoot around the issue until women are willing to talk about their own blood. And so, as a form of cleansing for me and education for you – should you choose to engage in it – I have penned the following set of arguments dispelling the myths about washable menstrual pads and your period. So there.

Vaginal secretions are how the vagina cleanses and regulates itself — how amazing is that? — in the same sort of way that saliva helps keep your mouth clean.

There is really only one thing that you need to know about sex and disability: Disabled people have sex, too.

Tattoos and body piercings can be a great way to express your individuality, but they’re permanent, after all, and not without health risks.

Everything I needed to know about body image I learned in a bathroom in the seventh grade. Well, almost everything.

You may know where the penis is, but what about the rest of it? Learn about external and internal reproductive and urinary anatomy for most penis-bearing folks.

What’s the menstrual cycle? How does it all work? What are periods and options for managing them, and when’s it time to check in with a healthcare provider?

There are certain physical, hormonal and psychological mechanics that come into play when it comes to human sexual response.

Some people experience great pain or discomfort with vaginal sex or other kinds of vaginal entry that’s not about hymens, lack of arousal or lubrication, or rough partners, but about a health condition known as vaginismus.

A lot of questions about how to have intercourse, how to masturbate, and worries about what’s all going on down there can be solved by simply getting to know your own body.