Girl Stuff (1982)

They look so gorgeous. They You see them all all over every magazine. They intimidate me sometimes. Well, sometimes I get jealous that the other women are prettier than I am. So, and then so I I act I start going to my bedroom, start brushing up my hair. Then I I would look in the mirror and and I would think that I look ugly or something, you know. And but then later on I would think that I'm very pretty. I care like the way I look and I I try to look, you know, good, but I don't want it picture perfect. I don't like that. It doesn't have character and stuff to them. I think it's better just being the way you are. That's the way it is. What do you do about underarm odor? Well, um I didn't I haven't really really um noticed. I don't really sweat that much. I guess I don't know why. I sweat like around my face, but on my body I don't sweat that much. So, I I really haven't started using anything like deodorant yet. I use deodorant, but I never I don't really sweat except on my face like when I go running and stuff. Other than that, I don't really sweat. I don't know why. I am really embarrassed because sometimes just at school when I'll be sitting, you know, sitting in a class, I'll start sweating. And it's not like all of a sudden I've taken a couple laps around the track or anything. I just have strange sweat glands. Have a mind of their own, I guess. Yes, I think that deodorants work cuz well, I I'm I'm not really sure because I don't use them. I would not feel comfortable if I didn't use a deodorant. I I like it. I like to use different different smelling ones like you know, they have some really feminine ones like Tickle and then and ones like Ban that work better. I like to compare and just see what baloney they say on TV about them. There are two different kinds of applications used for underarm perspiration. One is the deodorant designed to cover up odor with a stronger, sweeter smell. Deodorants work more effectively on some people than on others. A lot of the time they don't really work at all. The second way of controlling odor is known as an antiperspirant, something that prevents perspiration altogether. You can be dry as a bone. The chemicals in antiperspirants work by shutting down the skin's natural function of perspiring. They can cause rashes and other harmful reactions. So, if you're going to use them, be careful. There's an old-fashioned remedy. Try washing daily with soap and water. There's nothing like it. What about deodorants that are used to control odor from the vagina? That's sort of an odd question, to tell you the truth. Um I've never heard of it, really. Well, I've used um just deodorant pads, but um I think I think I like them better because sometimes it Well, they don't smell when you're just sitting there, but when you when you go to the bathroom or something, it it it smells better, and it it it I don't know. It I like them better, that's Makes you feel more feminine Yeah. When you have a a nice fresh-smelling pad. But I don't know about the um douches and stuff that are smell that that are smelly. I just I'm not in contact with them. I've I've seen them in the market, and I see the advertisements on TV, but I didn't know why anyone would want to use want to use that. I develop sometimes a rash from like cleanly shaven underarms or something, and just from the deodorant that can happen, and I'm I'm afraid to develop a rash or, you know, something down there, cuz it would hurt, and I mean, I don't want to feel that uncomfortable down there. Often girls have questions about ways of keeping the vagina clean. The reproductive organs are shaped like this. The outer parts are called the vulva. In cross-section, you can see the vagina and the uterus. Here's the cervix, the entrance to the uterus. A normal healthy vagina cleanses itself constantly with a slight discharge. The downward flow keeps the vagina clean and helps to protect the uterus from infection. It's either clear or white on most days and has a mild odor. Daily bathing with soap completes the cleansing job and controls the odor. Advertisers have another solution for vaginal odor. They would have you believe that vaginal deodorant sprays will make you feel fresh all day. However, the various chemicals that these sprays contain aren't really more effective than soap and water. They can be the cause of sores, infections, and itching. Vaginal deodorant should be used under a doctor's supervision. Strictly according to instructions, not often, and never sprayed directly on the vulva. All in all, it's probably just as well to avoid them. Much the same can be said for commercial douches. The manufacturers claim that they'll make you feel clean and fresh. Maybe, but they also warn you not to use these douches too often. They can wash away the protective mucus that lines the vaginal wall, opening the way to infection. They can make you feel fresh and clean and irritated. You'd better get some expert advice from a doctor or a health counselor on douching. And you certainly shouldn't use a commercial douche if you're irritated. It's quite normal for certain bacteria and organisms to grow inside the vagina. But under some circumstances, that growth gets out of control and this leads to infection. It's mostly a matter of balance. Too many organisms for the vaginal discharge to handle. Anyone with a vaginal infection would experience at least some of these symptoms. Itching in the vaginal area. Pain when urinating. An unusually strong odor in the vaginal discharge. An abnormal amount of discharge. Tenderness around the vulva. If you have any of these symptoms, don't just wait and hope they'll go away. Get help. Most of us get vaginal infections at some point in our lives. It doesn't take much effort. Organisms that cause infections grow best in warm, dark, moist environments. We help to create just the right conditions for growth. Tight pants don't leave much room for air to circulate. Nylon pantyhose, nylon underpants also trap heat and moisture. Even panty liners partially stop the flow of air. Disturbing the chemical balance of the vagina with chemical douches or deodorant sprays can also lead to infections. Even perfumed bubble bath preparations can cause problems. Sometimes lack of sleep upsets the body's chemical balance. Stress can do the same thing. Or too many junk foods. Particularly those that contain lots of sugar. A very common way of causing infections is wiping the wrong way. Back to front after going to the toilet. This transfers bacteria from the rectum to the vagina. Antibiotics can cause vaginal problems by killing certain kinds of bacteria that the body needs to keep other bacteria under control. One thing we can all do to avoid many infections is to be fit. To develop strong, healthy bodies. It's kind of scary to know that I'm going to get my period. I had I don't know. My mom started when she was around 11. So, I don't I don't know if I'll start when she did, but it's really kind of scary. Why? Well, it's scary because when you get it, if you're going to get it at school, you don't know if you should go to the office and tell them because you never know if they're going to come back to you, remember you because of that. Or not. When I was 12, I started having my period. And I didn't quite expect it at that time. It It was It was really scary, you know, cuz I didn't I didn't know what I was supposed to do cuz my parents never told me cuz they were shy. And so, I was at school and I was sitting and I felt something wet in my pants. I went to the bathroom and I looked and I saw saw all this blood. And I was really shocked cuz I didn't expect it to come at my age. And so I went I told my teacher and my teacher gave me a pass to go to nurse's office and she gave me uh a pad and so I went home and I told my grandmother and my grandmother told me that I'm beginning to be a teenager. Well, I got it first the summer when I was 14 for a couple of days and then last summer when I was 15 for 1 day. That was at soccer camp. And then I got it a couple months ago for and I that lasted for a week. So I'm thinking that maybe my system is getting someplace but then I haven't had it since and I don't know when it's going to come back. I guess I don't know. I guess it's hard to tell your friends, you know, cuz you're like you're on your period, you know, and they and they haven't got it yet, you know. And then you got to answer all these questions, you know, how was it and all that stuff. My friends? I only told one cuz I know she doesn't tell everybody but I but the rest of my friends I don't cuz they they don't have it yet. A woman usually begins to menstruate somewhere between the ages of 9 and 18 and continues to menstruate for the next 40 years or so. A girl is started on the way to womanhood by the action of a small gland at the base of the brain. It's a sort of growth clock that sets off a signal in different girls at different ages. The gland sends out a special hormone that causes the reproductive organs to develop. As the ovaries grow, they begin to produce other hormones. It's these new hormones that bring about various changes in the body during the next few years. The breasts develop. Body hair appears, most noticeably under the arms and in the pubic region. Hips grow broader. The most important changes, however, are those in the reproductive system. Only a few of the parts are at the surface of the body. The labia, the soft folds that cover the inner organs. The hymen or maidenhead, a ring of tissue that frequently, but not always, extends around the entrance to the vagina. And the clitoris, a small, highly sensitive organ. This opening is the urethra, the tube leading from the urinary bladder. Although it has its outlet here, it's not part of the reproductive system. The vagina is the canal that leads to the actual organs of reproduction. These organs are the uterus or womb, the fallopian tubes, and the ovaries. Under the influence of the hormones, all of the inner organs have been developing along with the breasts and hips, getting ready. Part of this gradual change happens in the ovaries, where thousands of eggs, or ova, have been developing. At last, one of them is released. During the next few days, it moves along the fallopian tube toward the uterus. Meanwhile, the walls of the uterus prepare to receive and nourish the ovum if it should be fertilized. The lining gets thicker and the blood supply increases. When the egg is not fertilized, the extra lining discharges from the body along with some blood. This discharge, menstruation, begins about 2 weeks after the ovum leaves the ovary. It usually lasts from 3 days to a week or even more. Menstrual or monthly periods usually happen about every 4 weeks. However, they are likely to be quite irregular for the first two or three years while a girl is still maturing. And later, a cycle of perhaps 5 weeks or 3 weeks is perfectly normal. Oh, it's very irregular. I've It surprises me. It makes me feel good. It's a treat almost to get my period. Wish I could say that. Mine's like every single month. Pinned down on the day, 28 every 28 days practically. Oh, mine's even more often than that. Mine's like every three three to four between three and four weeks. Mostly it's three weeks. Like the day before, I'll be like really really tired and I can tell that I'm going to get my period. Every time when I get my period, my stomach starts hurting. So, I can just tell when when it is. I feel like my pants are tighter and just feel like fatter all around, kind of. I don't I don't really get bloated, but like sit Well, the morning that I get my period, my eyes get all puffy and and I look really funny in the mirror. It's That's about it. If it's real bad, then I just lie down, you know, listen to the radio or something. And, of course, daily bathing during menstruation is an excellent way of staying clean and feeling good at the same time. For young girls, the best way of absorbing the menstrual flow is a sanitary pad. They come in a range of sizes. The larger pads for heavy flow, the smaller ones when the flow is light. One kind of pad is held in place by a special belt. The other type of pad is held in place by an adhesive strip that sticks to the crotch of your underpants. When you carry pads around with you, they should be kept clean. A plastic bag will do the job. Tampons are the other way to absorb the menstrual flow. They're put directly into the vagina. Some tampons come inside their own applicators made of cardboard or plastic. Others are inserted with a push from your finger. Each brand of tampon comes in a range of sizes and absorbencies. The sizes have more to do with how much menstrual fluid the tampons can absorb than with the size of the person wearing them. Many doctors advise not to use tampons, particularly young girls. Tampons can absorb not only the flow of blood, but some of the healthy mucus of the vaginal wall as well. The more absorbent tampon is, the more likely this is to happen. And everybody agrees that they shouldn't be worn overnight. Many doctors also say that it's not a good idea to use deodorant tampons, which means putting chemicals in the vagina that could be harmful. Since tampons prevent the flow of blood from reaching the air, there is no odor anyway. The advantage of tampons is that you can wear them when you swim, and they're less in the way when you exercise. There's so much that's new. So many changes at this time of our lives. Changes in our bodies, and in our feelings. I have a lot more responsibilities and a lot more freedom, but I don't know. It's just It's kind of slow. It takes a while to get through it all. And then you go through bad stages where you're just like in the middle. You're not, you know, old enough yet, but you're still too young for this and I don't know. It's awkward staying kind of It's like I guess growing up is like an experience. You know what I mean? You start out like a little baby, and then you grow up to be, you know, this mature, you know, woman or, you know, when you grow up you you feel more mature and more grown up like like an adult adult cuz everybody starts having boyfriends and everything. I feel growing up is a great pleasure because when you when you you have a lot of things to look forward to, like getting jobs and earning your own money and going places by yourself without having your mother to come along or your brother or whoever you have. You.