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Period. Time of the month. Menses. Whatever you call it, it’s a fact of life and, for many of us, unavoidable. Why does it carry such shame and embarrassment? Why are we encouraged to conceal it? Even now, despite being adults and amid so much talk of female empowerment, discussing periods is still embarrassing for a lot of people . Brands have even come up with whole campaigns to make tampons look like sweets, rather than the blood-soaking mechanism they actually are, in order to spare us and the unassuming male across the train aisle the humiliation when it falls out of our bag. Is this shame linked to the time and way in which we learn about periods ? If so, the time has come to change things. I was eight years old when I got my menarche (first period). I’d grown a lot that summer and started wearing glasses so, with two decades worth of retrospect, it now seems obvious this may have been coming – but no one told me what to expect. Instead, I was shocked by … [Read more...] about We should be talking to our girls about periods earlier

A transgender male model has been announced as the face of a new campaign aiming to challenge the stigma around periods. Kenny Jones, 23, appears alongside activists, fashion designers and writers in the ‘I’M ON’ campaign launched by period subscription service Pink Parcel. Jones, who was christened Kelsey, has spoken out about how he suffered with his periods when transitioning at a young age - he was 14 when he came out as trans and 16 when he shaved his head and changed his name. Before he started taking hormone blockers at the age of 17, the north west London-based model still had periods every month. “During my transition I did have to deal with experiencing periods each month and many of the negative stereotypes that can come along with it,” Jones said. “Assuming periods are inhibiting to people tends to perpetuate period shame even more, and makes people even more reluctant to talk about them. “I always found the fact that no one seemed to openly talk about … [Read more...] about Transgender male model fronts new period campaign

Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges has said she has been “harassed and demonised” after being prevented from racing in a women’s event this weekend. Bridges, 21, had been due to race against the likes of Dame Laura Kenny at the National Omnium Championships in Derby this weekend, her first race in the female category, but on Wednesday evening British Cycling announced that world governing body the UCI had ruled her ineligible. It is understood that although British Cycling had accepted she had met the requirements – current transgender regulations require riders to have had testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre for a 12-month period prior to competition – the UCI has not yet granted her switch in licence. In a statement on social media, Bridges expressed frustration at the process, saying she had been in contact with both British Cycling and the UCI for the last six months, providing the medical evidence necessary, and has not yet been given a full … [Read more...] about Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges ‘harassed and demonised’ after being excluded from competition

A new study has found that females who have their genitals touched when young are likely to hit puberty earlier than their peers. Research carried out on prepubescent female rats found that touching their genitals can cause the brain region that responds to such tactile stimuli to double in size, and signs of puberty can appear on the body up to three weeks earlier than non-stimulated females. The researchers are hoping to discover whether hormones or sexual experience play a greater role in the onset of puberty. Recommended How a woman gave birth using ovary frozen before puberty They also conclude that sexual touch has a lasting effect on the brain. “Sexual touch is strictly regulated in most human cultures and this is particularly true during development,” said Professor Michael Brecht from Humboldt University in Berlin. “It has also become painfully clear that sexual abuse and inappropriate sexual contact during development have long-lasting … [Read more...] about Sexual touch at a young age can trigger puberty, claims study

The CEO of Abbott Nutrition, the biggest supplier of baby formula in the U.S., has outlined six steps the company is taking to fix the nationwide shortage. Robert Ford , Abbot's chairman and CEO, apologized for the company's role in exacerbating the shortage an op-ed for The Washington Post. "The past few months have distressed us as they have you, and so I want to say: We're sorry to every family we've let down since our voluntary recall exacerbated our nation's baby formula shortage," he wrote. "I have high expectations of this company, and we fell short of them." Abbott's formula plant in Sturgis, Michigan—the largest in the country—has been closed since February after four babies who consumed powdered formula made at the plant were hospitalized with a rare bacterial infection and two died. The company's recall compounded supply chain disruptions related to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving many parents scrambling to source formula products to feed their infants. … [Read more...] about Abbott CEO outlines six steps to end baby formula crisis

A husband and wife used a kitchen knife to fight off a bear that broke into their Wisconsin home as their children slept. Taylor County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) was alerted to the bear attack inside the home in Castle Road, near Medford, about 11 p.m. local time (midnight ET) on Friday. According to CBS affiliate WSAW, the couple first noticed a bear was outside their home eating from the bird feeder before they opened a window and yelled for it to go away. But the bear charged, broke through a window and entered the home. During the fight, one of the couple grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the bear before the husband was able to get a firearm and shoot the bear dead while it was still inside the house. Both the husband and wife sustained numerous injuries in the attack; they have been released following treatment. Their children, who were asleep at the time of the bear attack, were not harmed and the couple successfully fought off the animal. WSAW reported the bear … [Read more...] about Husband, wife use kitchen knife to fight off bear in their home

To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Hockenheimring, a racing circuit in southern Germany, Porsche is releasing a special edition of the 2022 Porsche Taycan electric sedan. The plug-in Porsche Taycan GTS Hockenheimring Edition is meant to mesh the company's commitment to its racing heritage and its electric future. "With this exclusive special edition, we are not only delighting fans of our all-electric sports car, but also highlighting our attachment to the Hockenheimring," Porsche Chairman Alexander Pollich said in a press release. "We congratulate the legendary racetrack on a rich, 90-year history. With the Porsche Experience Centre there, the Hockenheimring has become even more of a home for our brand since 2019." The Taycan features a lot of the sporty styling cues already present on the GTS variant, with some tweaks. The car is painted in Stone Grey with Bronzite accents that are available through the company's custom color program. Those accents are present on … [Read more...] about Special electric Porsche Taycan GTS celebrates 90 years of the Hockenheimring

Kate Middleton honored women with infertility on a recent visit to maternal healthcare organizations accompanied by Princess Anne. The royal wore a dress embellished with lace panels in shapes reminiscent of pineapples, the symbol adopted by infertility groups and identifiers. Kate has developed her personal style since becoming a member of the royal family in 2011, and has demonstrated over time a keen awareness of the symbolism and emphasis placed on what members of the royal family wear. Since the engagement which saw Kate and Anne appear for a rare joint visit to the headquarters of the Royal College of Midwives and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Kate has announced her patronage of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, which aims to help new and expectant mothers. For the visit Kate wore a tailored crepe midi dress from the designers at Self Portrait. The brand has been a proven favorite of Kate's as well as sister-in-law Meghan Markle , who wore a … [Read more...] about How Kate Middleton paid hidden tribute to women with infertility

D uring the height of the pandemic, after getting fully vaccinated, I had to do a few cross-border flights. They were not fun at all, but confusing and exasperating. Check-ins, security checks, body scans, customs and immigration clearances, uploading vaccine certificates, and downloading apps for departure and arrival are time-consuming and, in many instances, complicated even for the tech-savvy. I remember my first transoceanic flight on an Air India Jumbo Jet, Emperor Ashoka, from the Santa Cruz airport in Bombay to the JFK airport in New York City. The aircraft had a Mughal décor and it felt like a flying palace. The exquisite sari-clad cabin crew, the smell of the newly furbished interiors and the ambience, the roar of the jets, and the food and drinks, all had mesmerising appeal. That was the heyday of air travel. Stylish, vibrant advertisements depicting beautiful sceneries and young people extolled the virtues of flying. I reminisce one of the airlines’ commercial … [Read more...] about Air pocket

H ow walking to school helped us learn important life lessons those days? Watching children commuting in jam-packed school vans, along with a rebuking ayah trying to calm them and a senseless driver trying to flout safety rules, takes me down memory lane to my school days more than four decades ago. School vans were not popular those days, and most children walked to schools, chatting with friends and having lots of fun all the way. Children of the current era, who live in a fast world, will never understand the real fun of school-going, as commuting on vehicles deprives them of opportunities to see the world, watch people and learn essential life lessons schools may not teach them. The first enemy to enjoying the morning walk to school was footwear. We mostly walked barefoot, and the scalding hot asphalt pavements strengthened our feet to walk fast. Sometimes we would dangle our way to school holding on to bullock carts laden with paddy stalks or other agricultural commodities. … [Read more...] about School trips