getting your period: or becoming a woman in the "developed world"

My project is about helping girls get feminine hygiene products in areas where that might not be very easy. To begin, I wanted to do a survey of what <a href="http://www.beinggirl.com/article/signs-of-your-first-period/">getting</a> <a href="http://www.girlshealth.gov/body/period/index.cfm">your</a> <a href="http://www.always.com/period/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Always+Teenage+Development_1011&utm_term=first%20period&utm_content=sBWHA9iwv|pcrid|9878923745|b|first%20period">period</a> means to us, here.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FRf35wCmzWw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

We've all seen these kinds of commercials, right? I mean, it's not even shocking anymore. And why not make fun of tampon commercials while offering essentially the same product in a cooler wrapper?

"Your period. It's a rite of passage. The miracle that allows you to create life. And it's what makes you a woman." -Actual quote from "Always.com".
<a href=""></a>

The thing is, it's not even hard to make a joke about periods. They're so taboo, the<a href="http://ubykotex.com/the_mission/why"> company trying to capitalize on making their brand cool has to convince people in this country that periods are an acceptable thing to make cool</a>. Because, what's girl power if you can't sell it, right?

This statistic struck me as really odd, "More girls rely on the media over a teacher or school nurse for vaginal health information." When I read that, I thought "So...?" I mean, come one. I rely more on the internet for information about literally everything over a school nurse. I can't even remember the last time I thought asking a teacher was a good ending point for research about something...

I know this is a really un-scientific survey, and that I basically just googled "first period", but I think it leaves me with some good questions. If we all think of periods, vaginas, and puberty as gross and embarrassing, and we all agree that it shouldn't be- what's the IDEAL? What does it look like when you have the perfect "talk", the perfect feminine hygiene, the perfect attitude towards your period? Is there such a thing? Could it ever be "okay" to be embarrassed, ambivalent, or frustrated with your period?

Just a few thoughts.