The one type of party I can't get behind... the period party

Everyone loves a party, but there is one type of shindig that I just have to object to.

Sure, we have realised that gender reveal parties are a major happening thing – like them or not – there are babymoons, weekend away "hen" parties, 2/3/4th engagement parties, divorce parties, awkward place/inappropriate theme parties (I like the sound of that one), anything but clothes parties (!) and no doubt hundreds more eclectic types of celebrations.

But there is one type of party I’m kind of wrestling with and it is the "period party". Yes, she is a relative newcomer to the general party scene but just over the past few months, it seems to have become quite the thing for young women who have just started their menstrual cycle, to celebrate their first "blooding/flooding".

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And no I’m not being crass using those two words, these are the words being used by those who are holding parties to celebrate a young woman who has started her (often stigmatised) menstrual cycle.

If you take a look at TikTok (the current platform to pick up some trends du jour) you’ll get the vibe and they are going OFF in a big way to celebrate the start of menstruation. Hello, #periodparty!

The parties are full of red balloons, goodies bags full of menstrual products and red velvet cakes, without a taboo in sight. Is this supposed to be peak parenting, another way to unnecessarily spend money on a total waste of time or just another way to show off how "in tune" parents are... with their child’s cycle?

I don’t know. All I do know is that if I had a girl I would want her 100000000% approval for such madness (just about signed in blood) before she, her friends and her family went ahead with it.

I have no issue with blood or periods at all. They allow us to bring life into the world and who can complain about that?

As an aside, I know certain cultures DO celebrate the "getting of a period" just like the 21st - particularly in some nations, where it is a sign of fertility and many of the girls are treated as young princesses.

But I just don’t see period parties becoming as popular as a sweet 16th, an 18th, a 21st or even a 30th.

I’m not being old school and avoiding what is one of the most natural ways a pubescent girl shows she has "come of an age". But as young girls seem to be getting their periods earlier and earlier, I think an eight or nine-year-old may be swathed in embarrassment as opposed to excitement when she finds those first splats of blood in her underwear or on her school uniform or pyjamas.

And before any reader screws up their nose and turns away in disgust while reading this, having your first period is not new. It is as natural as nature comes.

The one thing that organisers of a party like this DO have to do is tread very carefully.

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I’m sure there are some (a minimal amount) of girls who would be more than happy to have their menstrual cycle shouted out to their friends and fam (as a very late bloomer, it certainly wasn’t me), many though may like to keep what is a personal and private thing... exactly that.

The start of your period isn't always something to celebrate

Having your first period is a serious milestone - and there is no argument with that - but for some young women, it can also be the start of major, painful and depressing medical issues.

I think this is one party that can be popped back into the "don’t bother" cupboard. There are SO many other celebrations to herald, so let’s make those the ones that deserve the balloons, the DJ, the cake and fun around for everyone.

And don’t forget, parties cost money - and sometimes lots of money, and of all the parties the family may like to host, this is one you would want to be classy, chic, smart and elegant. And all of that costs.

Pretty simply, if the party ‘guest’ is a zillion% happy about being there and knows exactly what it’s about, there shouldn’t be any issues. But I still stand where I started.

I think they are unnecessary and could create even more competition between young girls who are already at an age where their competitive nature is peaking. My humble advice? Just don’t do it. . . .

OK. If it was one generic party for a whole gang of girls, then, maybe. But the timing of starting your period can go from 8 or 9 to 16. That's a pretty long wait for some to have their ‘period’ party. So I stand solid. Forget them.

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