Why I'm Fighting For Planned Parenthood
by Kirsten F
You will not police my body. You will not police my body. YOU WILL NOT POLICE MY BODY.
During most of 2016 I was without health insurance, and for me (a woman who has quite a few reproductive problems) that was an issue. Since I was 13 I’ve suffered from terrible periods; unbearable cramps that cause me to vomit, extreme water retention, cysts the size of golf balls on my Ovaries, excessive bleeding… the list goes on. Being on birth control truly changed my life, and had nothing to do with being sexually active. Not only did it regulate my periods, it got my hormones in check as well. The sweating, the crying, the body hair, and other issues had finally been taken care of.
Being without my birth control was hell for me, I was back to feeling like death whenever my period came. I was bed ridden, tired, and in so much pain that sometimes I couldn’t walk. However, I remembered someone telling me that Planned Parenthood works with people without insurance. So there I was in front of the location in Olympia, Washington. A little scared because well… What if someone thought I was there because I was pregnant? I quickly shook that thought, ashamed of myself for even thinking that in the first place. However, sometimes we are still haunted by what we were taught growing up.
Planned Parenthood changed my life in just under an hour. Not only did they make me feel at ease (more than ANY of my doctors ever have). They gave me information on how to get free healthcare. The staff at Planned Parenthood talked to me like I was a person, and didn’t make me feel ashamed for anything that I said. They asked me what option I wanted when it came to birth control, and gave me a year supply of pills and a few boxes of “Plan B” which is $50 a box at Target.
Planned Parenthood saved my life, and now I need your help saving theirs. This week America elected the devil himself as The President. He and his staff don’t believe in women’s healthcare, nor do they believe that women have a right to our own bodies. I need your help making sure that Planned Parenthood thrives during these next four years. Whether that be through donations , volunteering, or just simply showing your support in whatever way you can. You can help make a difference, and help save the lives of women, men and children everywhere.
Are you with me?
Need to visit Planned Parenthood? Check to find one near you!
How I Learned About My Body
by Kirsten F
“Human bodily functions are something that we ALL have… So why make a big deal about it? “
Photo Credit Google
Growing up talking about my body really wasn’t something that was ever a thing. Asking questions about nipples and other body parts went unanswered. Until one day when I was eight, my mother bought me a book called “The Care and Keeping Of You” made by The American Girl Company. Honestly that book fascinated me, because there it was a complete layout of every question I had ever asked. I like to chalk that book up to the reason as to why I’m so brutally honest about my bodily functions now. It normalized what I was once ashamed of, and made it seem less scary. I remember blushing because the girl who was showing me how to insert a tampon the right way was sitting spread eagle on the toilet and she had pubic hair. However, it taught me to see my own body hair coming in as exciting! It felt like I was a part of some exclusive club, in a way I was, and I still am. As a woman we are often taught that our bodies are not our own, and that we must hide those parts of ourselves. “The Care and Keeping Of You” taught me about how to handle my emotions and how to care for my skin the right way when the pimples started rolling in. It taught me how to shave and to be honest it’s not like that actually stuck with me, because shaving your legs is a hassle.
I personally see no problem with talking about my bodily functions as a woman. I think that since it’s natural it’s not a taboo, human bodily functions are something that we ALL have… So why make a big deal about it? We all poop, pee, and occasionally puke our brains out after too many shots. Your body is not something you should EVER be afraid of, in fact your best relationship should be with yourself. How can you possibly love yourself if you’re afraid of what your body naturally does? We all have hair growing in weird place (nipple hair is real), and no matter what there’s nothing we can do about it! Normalizing bodily functions also helps educate those who believe that women’s breasts are only made for sexual reasons and not actually feeding tiny humans.
Photo Credit Google
That’s right I said it, breast feeding is not some disgusting and shocking thing. Growing up I was taught that women should do that in private, and as I grow older and clearly wiser. I want to know why should they cover up feeding their child? A child needs to eat right? We go and cook for ourselves when we’re hungry, but a baby can’t do that.
“How can you possibly love yourself if you’re afraid of what your body naturally does?”
I have become a person who sees her body as just that, a body that belongs to myself. I owe NO ONE an explanation as to why I hate shaving my legs, or why I sometimes (read: ALL the time) walk around with no bra on. I learned at the tinder age of 8 that my body and I are going to be together forever and that I have no choice but to accept that! I’ve always said that if I ever become a parent I’m going to be honest with my children when they ask questions, because to me who else would be better at teaching my children to love themselves than me? I am also extremely blessed to have the friends that I do, we are all very open about our bodies and what sort of weird moments happen to it.
Don’t be afraid to own yourself, or present YOUR body however you want to. Do not shy away from talking about the functions of your body, because it is normal for it to do that. In all honesty, if you struggle with being able to talk about your body or you just don’t know about it, read the book that my mom got for me. It’ll change your whole life and maybe help you learn to normalize yourself!