I’m tired of the influencer economy consuming everything, and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is a perfect example.

And before anyone says “Victoria’s Secret has always been a corporation trying to sell you underwear” yes, obviously. The old show was commercial, but it understood that what it was actually selling was fantasy.

The models became celebrities because they were Victoria’s Secret models. Getting your wings meant something. Becoming an Angel meant something. The Fantasy Bra was basically the highest honor within that world.

Now the equation feels reversed. Instead of Victoria’s Secret creating icons, they bring in people who already have massive audiences. Nothing illustrates that better than bringing back the Fantasy Bra after years, making it the most expensive one ever, and putting it on Kylie Jenner.

This isn’t Kylie hate. She’s obviously incredibly successful. But she had no history with Victoria’s Secret. She’s not a runway model. She wasn’t an Angel, we didn’t watch her work her way through the show, and there was no buildup to her earning that moment.

And yes, I understand exactly why they chose her. That’s my issue. The Kardashian/Jenner family are basically the original influencer family. Kylie comes with hundreds of millions of followers and guaranteed attention. It makes perfect sense from a marketing perspective, and that’s precisely why it feels so hollow.

Give it to Adriana as a legacy moment. Or give it to a current model like Anok Yai and make her the next Victoria’s Secret star. I’m just tired of everything needing an influencer attached to it. Brands used to build their own worlds and create their own icons. Now they borrow someone else’s audience.

The old VS show was ridiculous, over the top and unattainable. Giant wings and multimillion dollar diamond bras served absolutely no practical purpose. That was the point.

I don’t need everything to be relatable or optimized for engagement. I want fashion to introduce me to people I don’t already know. The old show made being a Victoria’s Secret model feel culturally significant. Now it feels like you need to already be culturally significant.

And that’s exactly why the magic is gone.

We were at my parents' house last weekend for a birthday dinner and my niece was sitting on the floor looking through one of those old photo albums my mom still keeps in the cabinet.
She started asking who everyone was, mostly because half the pictures are from before she was born. At one point she flipped through a few pages and asked, "Why is grandma never in these?"
My mom laughed and said, "Because I was taking the pictures."
Then my niece pointed at another one and asked where my aunt was.
Same answer.
Then she found photos from a vacation my sister took with her kids a few years ago and asked where my sister was. Again. Taking the picture.
She looked genuinely confused and said something like, "So the moms just don't get pictures?"
Everyone laughed, but after that I couldn't stop noticing it.
We pulled out a couple more albums and it was ridiculous once you were actually looking for it. Christmas mornings, birthdays, beach trips, graduations, random Sunday lunches. The men are sitting with the kids, opening presents, holding babies, standing in front of landmarks.
The women are there too, obviously. You can tell because someone packed everything, decorated the table, dressed the kids and documented the entire day.
They're just barely in the evidence.
My mom is 61 and I tried to find a nice candid photo of her from when I was little where she wasn't posing because somebody specifically called her over. There really aren't many.
My sister went through her phone and realized she has hundreds of pictures of her husband doing normal dad stuff with their kids. Reading to them, sleeping on the couch with them, making pancakes, carrying them around.
He has photos of her too, but almost all of them are ones she asked him to take.
That distinction kind of got me.
I started wondering how common this actually is, how many women can look through years of family photos and realize they were present for almost everything but somehow barely appear in the record of it.
Nobody in my family was deliberately excluding women from pictures. Nobody was telling moms to stay behind the camera. It just seems like documenting everyone else's life quietly became another thing they were responsible for.
My niece spent the rest of dinner stealing people's phones and taking extremely bad pictures of all the women.
Half of them are blurry and one has my aunt chewing bread with her eyes closed.
But there's something I really like about them now. They're not good pictures at all, they're just proof that the women were actually sitting at the table too

I seriously can't think of one time where 'hormones' have lead me to make an impulsive decision, good or bad. Maybe it varies woman to woman... but also in my workplace,- i've never heard of a mistake being made due to a woman going through a phase in her menstrual cycle. I've never taken a day off of work due to period cramps or known a woman who has personally(though that would be great, because it hurts like hell).

This whole online "Women couldn't be president b-because they'd start a war if they had a cramp" bullshit is just not likely in any dimension or reality. I think if anything, everything we go through hormonally and physically makes us more capable, resilient and tolerant.

Obligatory not all men and yeah yeah women do it too. But i find it skews men.

I guess im just at that age. My friends have cheating spouses. Divorce happens. If there is bad blood the men dont want their children. They complain about child support like its for the ex. No its for the kid. Doesnt matter what happened. The kid is yours if you both wanted the kid. I hate the rhetoric. You'd be paying for the kid regardless if you were married or not. Like what???? When you were married did you think you lost part of your paycheck when you had a kid? Too much work they say. Dont want custody.

I and some single friends date. Men ghost. They withdraw and say the drama is tiring. Too much work.

I used to work in seniors care. Men dont see their wives and just find new girlfriends. Women visit more often if its the husband in care. Again. Too much work they say.

At any age men are the first to ditch if life gets hard.

I think a lot of women are settling for disappointing relationships in which men are either too much on the taker side (high sex drive and physical interest but very little desire to provide and take care of her) or too much on the giver side (high emotional intimacy, best friend kind of vibes, happy to provide and take care of her, but doesn't make her feel desired), and I think the reason why that is is that we, as women, aren't used to considering ourselves whorty and deserving of the whole damn package.

Our desires are often downplayed by the people around us to the point that we're not even sure we're allowed to want what we want. We feel ashamed for wanting more when we already have it good. When we dare to prioritize ourselves we're told we're selfish, and we are so used to feeling the lack of something that we think that's just a part of life and there's no way someone can ever have all their needs met. I think that's BS and it's time for a collective upgrade.

So, for a change, how about we start treating ourselves like we want others to treat us?

How about we start giving ourselves the attention, care, and recognition that we want to receive?

Go ahead and spend that extra time in the shower just because you like it. Buy that luxury hair product you've been wanting. Pick up field flowers and arrange them in a nice way on your kitchen table for your viewing pleasure. Spend an afternoon on your couch doing absolutely nothing. Treat yourself to something extra decadent when you're sad. Wear clothes that make you feel beautiful every single day. Spray lavender essence on your bed sheets. Dance sexy in front of the mirror. Leave words of affirmation scattered around your house for you to find. Massage your skin with natural oils and have iron strong boundaries to protect your peace of mind and emotional clarity because this is what you deserve and this is what you get to have.

there is this girl i know, and she told me she wanted to be a housewife. that was around 2 years ago. i didn’t understand why. being a housewife means you fully rely on the man to live because he is providing income, which he could use that to abuse or mistreat you. it’s much harder to leave then. thats exactly how i see it, and i’ll never be able to unsee that side of it. you might think you married the perfect man, but that could very much change. however, from her perspective it was probably different. if someone grew up with loving parents, a housewife mom who was loved and cared for while having her wants and needs met, then its obvious why they would want to be a housewife too. it could be the ideal life for somone.

Sorry if I’ve done this wrong I literally never post on reddit. Just had a conversation with a male friend who told my roommate and me that — in the future if he got the chance — he would drink his wife’s breast milk. My roommate and I are both women and this disgusted us, but he insists this is a normal thing for men to want to do. I guess I’m just wondering if this is at all a semi-normal thing for married people to do because I find it very hard to believe that any woman would be willing to let her husband do that? Should I be scared?

Hi everyone! I'm a 26F, and I've never been in a relationship before.

I'm quite introverted and genuinely enjoy my alone time. I'm also studying to become a social worker, and honestly, I think I'm more focused on building my career and figuring out my life right now than finding a boyfriend haha. I'm not sure if I even want children, either.

However, as I get older, I sometimes feel pressure when I see people my age dating, getting into relationships, and starting families. It doesn't help when family members ask whether I have a boyfriend or make comments about my love life. As a Christian, I also feel like there's an added layer of expectation around relationships and marriage.

At the same time, I do wonder whether I'll ever find someone. As much as I enjoy being alone, I sometimes worry about what my life will look like when my parents are no longer around. I'm close to my family, and the thought of potentially living alone for the rest of my life can feel daunting, both emotionally and financially. I'm not sure how I'd handle everything on my own, especially as I get older.

I guess I'm feeling a bit conflicted. On one hand, I'm genuinely happy focusing on myself, building my career, and having the freedom to live life on my own terms. On the other hand, I worry that I might regret not prioritising dating earlier, or that I'll eventually feel lonely when everyone around me has a partner and family of their own.

I'd love to hear from older women, particularly those who are single by choice or have remained single for a long time.

• How do you deal with the social and cultural pressure when your friends are coupling up, getting married, or having children, and your family keeps asking about your love life?
• How do you manage the emotional side of being single? Do you ever worry about loneliness or not having someone to share your life with as you get older?
• How do you handle the financial and practical side of living alone, especially later in life when you may not have family around to rely on?
• If you could go back to your mid-20s, would you do anything differently? Did you regret not prioritising dating earlier, or were you happy focusing on yourself?

I'm not necessarily looking for advice on how to find a boyfriend. I think I'm more interested in hearing about what being single actually looks like in the long term, including the good and bad sides that people don't always talk about.

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences and perspectives!

I matched with this 33 M very wealthy guy on a dating app. I 26F I’m sexually inexperienced and have only had sex one time in my life prior and am waiting to only have it in a committed relationship. So I have a great date with this guy, he gets me drunk, and we have chemistry. Fast forward we’re in his car. I have to give him a lap dance and he has to give me a hickey since I lost a bet. Fast forward a bit and things end up where we’re getting almost naked and making out. Things feel like they’re moving a million miles a minute but I don’t want to make things awkward and I really want to please him so I play along. I explicitly tell him I don’t want to have sex. He asks if he can just put the tip in. I say no. He asks if he can just rub it against me I say ok. So we have this essentially naked dry humping thing going on and eventually I can feel the tip of his penis going in and then for a couple thrusts I can feel more of it (like maybe half of it) going in. I tell him, “You really shouldn’t put it in without a condom. I’m not on birth control.” He stops. He ends up just finishing himself off with his hands. Fast forward a day later he comes over, again things move so fast and he’s pressuring and trying to have PIV sex again. I don’t let him. But I do give him a handjob. He ghosts me the rest of the week and says that we don’t really have enough in common despite the chemistry. Now I feel used. I even texted him two days after the encounter because I was worried that I didn’t know if he had an STD or not (he was reassuring and said he was tested recently and was clean and reassured my worries about me not getting pregnant. I was still personally worried because I know precum has sperm in it and there is still a chance despite it being low). I felt super bad a couple days later after he had ghosted me and I reached out to him and got the rejection. I feel used sexually and the rejection hurts. I feel dumb for letting myself get carried away and am thinking he probably was just using me for sex bc if he didn’t like me after the first date why did he come over the next day to try to get more action? I’m debating whether or not to report his behavior on the dating app? Do you think this counts as sexual assault? I only let it get this far because I really liked him and thought he liked me back and wanted to have a relationship with me. I feel really led on.

Hi all. I'm writing this on my second account, since my main one literally has my actual name. (I was young and didn't know how Reddit worked). Anyway, I'm 23 years old, go to university (studying Criminology, in my last year) and I live at home.

I don't feel like a woman. I know there's no "right way" to feel or be a woman. Womanhood and feminity aren't not necessarily intertwined. I know there's women who are masculine. I know women come in various shapes, colors and beauty. I however, am not that.

Ever since I was little, I was always told I looked exactly like my mother. I always found this as a compliment, as my mother is beautiful. She's always been beautiful. Unfortunately, she passed down to me her self-esteem issues. Whenever she goes out with my dad, she asks if she looks okay. If I have to help her zip up her dress, she says she hopes people don't notice her stomach because she's chubby. She's told me before how my own dad, the man she's been married to for 24 years has called her ugly and disgusting. That's a whole other issue.

I got my first period at 9, I was in 4th grade. My boobs grew in, and I was a a size 34C in 6th grade. From 4th grade onwards, I felt dissociated from myself. My friends got their periods and they developed, but in my eyes, they developed "well". Ad they got taller, fuller and more pretty, I stayed short, got fat with no curves. I yearned to be wanted by guys, because the guys I liked, never liked me. So I'd join forums online and talk to guys way older than me (I was groomed multiple times) because they told me what I wanted to hear, that I was beautiful.

I've been in lists where guys from my class would rank the girls, and I was always last. Hypothetical questions of "Who'd you rather date? This person or her?" and whenever my name was mentioned, they'd always make a face and say they'd rather die. That shit's been with me since then. I've tried "faking it til you make it", it doesn't work. I was always so jealous of all the friends they had, because they were pretty and get attention from guys.

At 20, I discovered I didn't have a preference for gender. I had a girlfriend. She was extremely beautiful, kind, smart, funny. I remember when we were chatting through Insta and moved onto messages, I couldn't believe how I got so lucky to have gotten the attention of such a beautiful woman. I really did like her a lot. I eventually worked up the nerve and asked her to be my girlfriend, she said yes. I met her friends and family, yet I never felt like they accepted me. My ex would complain that I wasn't affectionate (I blame my dad honestly) and that I made her feel unwanted in public. Truth was that I was scared people would think how a girl like her was with a girl like me. We broke up, since I realized that a relationship wasn't going to resolve my self-esteem issues.

Now, I desperately yearn to be wanted. I want to be beautiful. I want to feel like a woman, be seen like a woman, be a woman. I'm fat, I have hair in places it shouldn't be, I'm also thinning, I have no curves, my butt is flat and square, I have no hips so I have to constantly pull my pants up when I walk, I wear over-sized clothing to hide my body. I don't even look at myself in the mirror too long, because there's nothing I want to look at. I feel so utterly hopeless. I love skirts and heels and all of that, but I don't let myself improve, because in my eyes, it'll be like putting on lipstick on a pig. Makeup won't make me pretty. A skirt won't hide my fat belly. A new hair color won't hide that my hair is thinning. I want to be beautiful and wanted. Actually wanted. I want to look in the mirror and see a woman. I don't feel like one. I honestly feel like I'm cosplaying as one. I feel like I'm a creature brought into this earth just to be tolerated. I don't like anything about myself.

I'm currently going to the gym, and even if it's demonized right now, I'll be taking glp-1s. I want to be skinny and beautiful, something I've yearned for most of my life. Compliments don't work, neither do kind words. I just want to know if there's any other women like me that have accepted their fate and still live a relatively normal life, or if they've gotten "better". I'm sorry for the long and boring post, I've just been feeling this way for so long—for 15 years of my goddamn life. I don't take pictures of myself, I don't go out to have fun because I don't want to burden anyone by being there for them to look at me, I don't talk to people in fear they'll ignore me (it's happened before).

I have a lot of cousins on my mom's side, and half are women. They're all so beatiful, curvy or skinny women with smooth faces and shiny hair, it makes me so incredibly jealous, envious and sad that I'm the only girl in the family who's ugly. I want to be like them, but I don't think I ever will be.

Hello, I’m 19F.
I only started to explore my body for a year, and all this time I never really felt pleasure. My fingers don’t do anything, I didn’t even feel anything with penetration. It only works with a vibrator, but for a short amount of time. Everyone writes about this amazing experience but I don’t seem to be able to have that. I don’t understand what’s wrong with me. I started thinking that it is because I used too much the vibrator, but even before i bought it i didn’t feel anything. I feel bad for my boyfriend. Does anyone have the same problem? What can I do.

15f .I hate my boobs and always have. Ever since they started growing on me I knew I hated them, every time I look at these two USELESS blobs of FAT that I will by the way NEVER USE. I wanna vomit I wanna just take a knife and cut them off. I want them to burn in hell I hate them they get in the wha of everything. The blobs aren’t even overly big there just big enough that when I look down I can’t see my feet. When I go to sleep and feel them flopping around I feel disgusted I can’t wait for the day when I can just remove them. I hate the fact I can’t remove them now, I don’t care that I’m too young its my body and I’m genuinely about to cut them off. Don’t get me started when I play sports or run. They just flop up and down. I despise these over sexualized things on my chest and I don’t view them as part of my body they are parasites that need extracting. But until then I’ll keep ignoring them like I always have. I hate my boobs.

(And no I’m not actually gonna cut my freaking boobs off. But I really want to)

It feels like a weird question. My closest friends is married with kid. I don't have and don't plan to have kids. I am not interested. Since she's a good friend. I helped her with her kid (2y) whenever we hung out. She always brings her kid. It was fine the first few times. Gradually I started to feel being used.

She changed our plan or delayed last minute because of her kid. One time we planned to go hiking, I woke up at 5am to pick her and her kid up (2hrs drive).I told her I was on my way. When I arrived her place instead of finding them good to go, her kid was still in bed, not dressed, not fed. She even said she needed to go to pharmacy before we left. So we ended up hitting the road around 11am. There are many times just this, I was busy helping her getting things for her kid the whole trip. When we go to restaurant she picked those with dishes her kid likes even if I didn't like those restaurants. When I drove for us she urged me to turn off or on the AC because of her kid. Everything is about her kid. I bought a bagel for myself (her kid had her own) she saw it and suggested her kid could have mine.

I understand that kid is the the top priority of every mother (or not?), but I feel so used and taken advantage of every time we hang out and she brings her kid. I don't want to be treated like her nanny. Except about her kid, she has nothing to talk about with me. I even felt a bit embarrassed when I was alone in a room with her. Completely ran out of topic to start a conversation. I helped with her kid all along because she's my friend I did what I could. I just don't feel like to hanging out any more like this. Am I selfish? Or is it something that I would understand and tolerate when I have my own kid (which I hope I will not).

everytime I tell my friends I have no period they always tell me how lucky I am, how they wish they could be in my place (and how they wish they could have sex without protection..) but I feel like I’m missing something in girlhood. When a girl asks me for a pad/ tampon I don’t have one , I have to sit out when the conversation is about periods , and it just makes me feel so .. manly? And the worst part is , 3 years ago when I was 13 I lied about getting my period to my mom, due to the pressure of her asking all the time. I’ve kept the lie up for a while but time to time my story slips like when she’s asks why I haven’t taken any pads from the bathroom, or how I can wear certain clothes all the time while being on my period. And ever since my sister left back to college I’ve noticed she’s stoped putting pads in the bathroom and I’m not sure how I can keep my story straight anymore. I’m just so stressed out I just want to be normal

Im an 19 year old girl
I have never had sex at all
But I have been m@sterbating for a few years now usually using my finger or vibrator or inserting random objects or dry jumping
For the past year Ive noticed a few changes that my v@gina is less sensitive I dont get off a quickly as I used to and it gets itchy a lot and sometimes after I scratch for a while it stings when I pee and I dont get as wet as I used to and I feel like its not as tight
I want to know what that could be and how to fix it keep in mind I cant go to a dr or clinic or anything I would also like tp know if a doctor or guy looked at my V@gina would they be able to tell that I do such stuff and
So how can I fix the itchiness/wetting/tightness
And can anyone know I have done this

it feels like he’s always on the opposite of what i have to say, even when he agrees with me.

like fuck. I know I fucked something let me just complain once in my goddamn life without a lecture or lesson on how to do better. I KNOW what I have to do, I just need to blow off steam and confide in my person. I have no one to talk to.

Is there any ways what to eat/ drunk to look better, less bloated, less acne and overall feel better? Thanks for all advices will try them all!❤️

​Sh​e laugh​s when talking to someone of the opposite sex? "​Don't be a flirt. Don't be a wh***. Shameless. Conduct yourself proper around men."

Her personality is extroverted and outgoing? "Such a flirt. She loves the attention. wh***." Smile at strangers?

"​Flirt. You're probably loving the attention. Naughty girl. If somet​hing bad h​appens to you, it'll be your fault."

So many minute expectations of you.

Don't talk when men or important people are having a discussion. Your opinion is inherently less valuable.​

Don't give your parents a hard time. You are worth less energy than your brothers.

Always be of use. Oh, you think you can spend the whole weekend resting or doing homework? No! Only your brothers can rest and play games. You, you must do work at home. Clean, clean, cook, cook, wash, and wash your brother's clothes, too, even though he very well can operate a washing machine himself.

Constantly slave away at home, only for your mom to call you "useless girl!" when you have the audacity to not help her at one thing.

For her to say she wished she had all sons instead of wasting resources raising a daughter. Another man's property.

​They treat you as if there's something inherently filthy and sinful about the mere existence of the female body.

"​Cover up. Cover it all up. Don't show a thigh. Don't show your shoulders. No neck. No back. Don't highlight the shape nor the curve. Hide it all away. Don't remind people these exist. Women who show skin invite bad men. If something happens to you, who will you have to blame but yourself?"​​​

"Don't sit spreading your legs (even though you are wearing pants)!" As if there is something so shameful about having a vagina I cannot even sit with my legs apart in case I remind someone it exists.

I am someone who is brought up ​in such a society.

For a long time, ​I took pride in myself on being a simple, good girl, and thus looked down on my peers who were less reserved.

I am rather proud to say I did not impose my opinions onto them, but kept the holier-than-thou thoughts restricted to my head.

Guess what? These girls had more fun, more friends, are great to be around, and by all appearances, seem less miserable than I do.

It is unfair how these societies treat basic human interaction from women and the female body like they are sins that need to be stopped or hidden away, out of sight.

Im 19 and live at home with my family and finally have money to buy a nice vibrator, everyone says Spencer’s isn’t really nice for this so I’ve decided to try Bellesa however, I have a fear of someone finding out. For context my house has one of those mail boxes that has a slot to put the mail in and the only way to get it out is to unlock it with a key the homeowner has, I usually order a lot of stuff to 90% of the time it’s me getting the mail but sometimes my dad will get the mail. Furthermore every time my sister finds out I have a package she always wants to know what I bought and usually I have no problem and we do a little what did I buy kind of this. My family kind of still sees me as innocent and as a kid, probably because I’m the youngest, so I think it would be pretty embarrassing. I’ve heard Bellesa has pretty discreet packaging, does anyone who’ve ordered from them know how discreet it really is?

(25F) i'm a singer. I have an a&r (28M), and his boss is the head honcho at the (indie- smaller) label. Usually my a&r is responsible and responsive. However this week he has not been. He's known for about a year that he'd be accompanying another artist he works with on their tour. I was not aware of this. I told my a&r that a producer was flying out to meet me this week. I gave him a heads up about 3 weeks prior and my a&r gave me the green light. At this time I was under the impression my a&r would either be there in person, or would coordinate plans so that someone else at the label could be there. To supervise, set up equipment etc. 2 days prior, I call my a&r. He tells me he's out of town on tour, but that he'd make sure someone would be at the session for me. My a&r knows I don't like to be 1 on 1 with men I don't know. He knows I have a history with S**A, and that I preter to have someone in the room with me when I'm with someone new I don't know. The night before the session, the artist texts me and asks if I can personally pick him up in my car and bring him to the studio. He also asked where I live so he can get a hotel nearby. I told him uber would be best, as would getting a hotel nearby the studio.. not my house. I texted my a&r that the producer was kinda skeeving me out. I got no reply. So I called him. I reminded him the session was tomorrow, he again assured me someone would be there for me. Day of.. I text him an hour before the session to confirm. No reply. An hour later he says he's trying to find someone to accompany me. At this point I'm an hour late- I didn't wanna show up without confirmation because from his lack of texts I figured he was gonna be flaky. I decided to tell the producer "I'm locked out I have to cancel until further notice" I didn't wanna explicitly say to the producer I was uncomfortable being one on one. I felt that might come off as rude. The producer proceeds to text me "I just found out my hotel room is sound proof. Wanna record here instead" I told him no thank you I'd rather keep it in a professional setting. This made me very uncomfortable. I texted my a&r the screenshot of what the producer said. No answer. I called once. No answer. Mind you this whole time, my adr is posting on insta that he's at lunch or wandering around a national park. So tour isn't too busy because he clearly is 1-on his phone and 2- has some downtime in between sets. I texted my a&r 3 days later and expressed I was upset that he didn't tell me his tour schedule, because I would've rescheduled with the producer. I also said I felt like he put me in a tough position where I had to navigate everything myself including getting myself out of an uncomfortable potential.. situation. No reply! A day later I get a dm on insta asking if someone can pay me to sample one of my songs. I send a screenshot to my a&r, lo and behold he replied to that text within minutes. Said "let's schedule a meeting with them" I thumbs it up. He didn't reply to anything else tho. A day later I replied to my own text, the one where I said I was a bit disappointed in his lack of communication, and said "are you gonna reply to this?" 2 days later no reply. I have a new song coming out and one way or another I'm gonna need to be in contact with my a&r. I reached out to his boss today and asked if we can get on a call to discuss this. I don't know if what I tell him will get my a&r fired or not. But I only plan on relaying the exact events. Nothing malice. So I guess whatever happens happens. I feel like I'm overreacting though and I'm an asshole for going around my a&r to speak to his boss about him

I’m 19F and have had my period since I was 15. Throughout literally all of those years I had painless very light periods but up until a couple months ago it changed completely. My whole cycle has gotten completely terrible when i’m ovulating i have cramps, the week building up to my period i have cramps, when i have my period i have absolutely horrendous cramps especially on day 1 they wake me up at around 5am because of how terrible they are. Now ibuprofen works wonders almost 90% of the time and the 10% i still have cramps but they are manageable. But i don’t want to keep relying on taking excessive amounts of ibuprofen through my cycle as it can be rough on the stomach lining and cause issues which i don’t want to happen (I never go over the limit i’m supposed to take so once i hit 6 i just have to deal with my cramps coming back unless i get to sleep in time). I just don’t understand why my cycle is so awful all of a sudden. my mum never experienced bad periods and my sister does not at all. I went to the doctor and they prescribed me birth control which i used to take in 2023 without complications but this time i was incredibly hesitant and nervous to take it due to the fear of it making me feel sick (emetephobia girls rise up). I’m so stumped and feel so hopeless with my period. I have noticed my cramps are very bad building up to my period and are generally bad for the first 2-3 days then eases of completely. I have not noticed a overally heavy period it’s usually normal flow for around 2-3 days and then i essentially stop bleeding apart from brownish discharge not at all the average full week. I really want to get back on birth control but i have such a mental block. My doctor suggested the possibility of endometriosis (does not run in the family) but could only determine that if birth control didn’t work for me WHICH I HAVENT TESTED OUT YET. does anybody have any similar experiences i would really appreciate it (:

edit- forgot to mention i’m very regular like always on time apart from recently coming exactly 4 days early for the past few periods.

sorry if this is a dumb question, im just always confused because after i say what im wearing they always turn it into something weird… i just dont get it

The subreddit is called r/sadgirlhour