Linda’s Story: Debunking Puberty Myths

One night in Grade 6, I dreamt that I had gotten my first period. A week after that night, I woke up to bloodstained sheets!

To me, puberty is as mythical and mysterious as manifesting my first period through a dream. Nonetheless, I embraced the novelty of puberty with open arms. It was amazing to tower over all the boys in my class (the only time in my life when being 5’4 was considered tall), and bra shopping for the first time was a fun experience. It’s safe to say that I was very eager to dive head first into womanhood.

However, things became confusing as I got older. Due to false information, I began to doubt and fear many things related to female puberty. When I wanted to start wearing underwire bras, my mother refused and told me that the wire would deform my breasts. When I wanted to start shaving, my aunties told me that my leg hairs would grow back thicker if I did. But the most damaging misinformation I received was when I wanted to start wearing tampons so I could swim on my period; I was told that wearing tampons were extremely unhealthy and “devalued” women. 

Fortunately, I didn’t believe in these lies forever. Thanks to my friends who were more educated about female puberty, and the guidance of the Internet, I disproved these myths and learned more about my body. I slowly gained the confidence to walk into a lingerie store to purchase my first underwire bra, shave my legs for the first time, and properly insert my first tampon. 

Years later, in a public bathroom, I heard a teenage girl in the stall next to me start crying because she didn’t know how to insert a tampon. That’s when it hit me: the misinformation that I was fed was not the fault of the women who told it to me. Female puberty is frequently perceived as a taboo subject. Therefore, the complexities of womanhood are not always discussed; even worse, they are feared. This allows false information to spread, and prevents young girls to gain confidence in their changing bodies.

Here at Apricotton, we are trying to expel the awkwardness around puberty. We understand that young girls’ bodies are ever-changing, which is why we design comfortable bras that grow with your body. Additionally, our blog discusses many aspects of puberty—offering advice, and candid stories like mine! We’re building a community of confident girls who are unafraid to accept their own womanhood.

About the Author:

Linda Zhang is a first-year business student at Western University. When she’s not studying or working on Apricotton, you can find her binging anime with a nice hot cup of green tea. You can reach the 9-to-5 Linda on LinkedIn, or the slightly-more-fun Linda on Instagram.