Happy 50th Birthday to The Pill!

I'm a little late on this, but this past May 9th marked the 50th anniversary of the FDA approval of the birth control pill. TIME did a nice little write up covering the history of the pill, from early forms of birth control (paste made from crocodile dung as a vaginal insert, anyone?), the conception of the idea of a magic little pill (thanks Margaret Sanger!), to creation of the pill, getting FDA approval, and the role the pill on women's liberation and the sexual revolution. This is a must read for women who take or have taken the pill, and really any woman that wants to know about the history of birth control and feminism, because they are so very intertwined.

For more info on birth control check out the first issue of PoolBoy Magazine (hitting the streets in August!) which includes a guide to "Rethinking your Birth Control." Stay tuned for pre-order opportunities!

Here's my favorite quote from the TIME article:

Some of the women who were on the family-planning front lines 50 years ago get a little impatient when they hear young women talking ungratefully about the freedoms they take for granted. But Steinem, for one, takes the longer view. "I don't walk around saying, 'Thank you for the vote,' " she says of a battle even longer past. "I might add, as Susan B. Anthony said, Our job is not to make young women grateful. It's to make them ungrateful so they keep going. Gratitude never radicalized anybody."

There's no time like the present to get radical.

Cervixen

This is an interesting site dedicated to one woman's cervix throughout her menstrual cycle, complete with photographs of her cervix on every day of her cycle.

If you don't like to see images of the interiors of the human body, don't check out this site....BUT if you are interested in your cycle and what it looks like, this site is FASCINATING.

The Beautiful Cervix Project

How to Swim When You are on Your Period

When I was on the swim team in high school there was one freshman girl that would sit out a couple practices every month. I always thought she was special but when I asked her what the deal was she said she was on her period and it was against her religion to use tampons. Now, I don't know what religion says stuffing cotton up your vag is a sin, but I do know that said freshman never beat me in a race. For any ladies out there who are bleeding right now and want to jump in some water, this wiki link will help you figure out how you can still swim while on the rag (because, honestly, "women have been in and around water since there have been women").

If anyone is giving you a hard time, remember:

1. Just Say:"I don't want to swim right now because I'm on my period". If everyone present is female, they'll probrably understand. If you're in mixed company, the boys will probably be too embarrassed to give you a hard time about it. (Although you're also perpetuating the myth that a menstruating woman can't swim, or horrible but ill-defined things will happen.)

The super informative article also says that it is extremely rare for menstruating women to be attacked by sharks. In case you were wondering.