7 Gross Facts About Women That They Try To Hide From Their Partners
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Let’s face it; being a woman isn’t the easiest of jobs. Not only do we have to deal with monthly periods, childbirth, menopause and generally being treated as socially inferior to men but we also have to deal with all of this with a smile plastered across our faces. So yes, once in a while it’s okay to let loose a little and indulge in our guilty, gross pleasures. We decided to compile a list of every day gross habits women indulge in unbeknownst to their partners.
1. Rarely Throwing Out Underwear
Yes, those very same pair that have been through five period leaks, fifteen treks, a whole lotta stretching and more. Why do we keep them around for so long? Simple— they become our period panties. On days when Auntie Flo decides to pay us a visit, we simply slip into those nasty old panties. Why risk staining a fresh pair of Victoria’s Secret, right? Every girl you know probably has an old pair of underwear ‘just in case’. They can turn out pretty useful in an emergency situation.
2. Washing Our Hair Only When ABSOLUTELY Necessary
Here’s a greasy little secret. Dry shampoo, top knots, and baby powder are every woman’s best friends. If you dig into your girlfriend’s bag, you’re guaranteed to find at least one of the three in her arsenal of goodies. Let’s be honest; toting long hair is a huge pain. Washing it is another process altogether. You need to oil your hair, use shampoo (sometimes twice), and apply a leave-in serum or conditioner. Unless you’re The Flash, these things take forever. Most of us would instead save it for the weekend than go through these motions every alternate day. This is where top knots and dry shampoo come in. Since grease is usually limited to the scalp, it’s pretty easy to disguise it.
3. Farting Publicly
Contrary to popular belief, women are not magical unicorns who only fart out peaches and rainbows. It’s crazy how society has placed in the notion that women can skip certain bodily functions. Passing gas isn’t weird; embarrassing maybe, but definitely not weird. We’ve all had the irresistible urge to pass gas in an awkward situation. As long as it isn’t a blood-curdling shriek of a fart, it’s okay.
4. Rarely Washing Our Bras
Okay, so this one is admittedly quite gross, but bras are expensive! Their sensitive material makes them a genuine pain to wash. Most of them come with their own set of wash instructions and can’t be chucked into a regular machine. A lot of times, the underwires in push up bras have the tendency to break past the fabric and damage the washing machine. It’s a good idea to wash bras separately, but that can take an obsessive amount of time from your schedule. Most people just skip the drama and wear their bras for multiple days at a time.
5. Smuggling Used Pads When There Are No Dustbins
In developing countries like India, Pakistan, etc. this is a legitimate issue. Often, women don’t have access to clean sanitation and facilities to dispose of a used sanitary pad in the washroom. This also has to do with pre-conceived notions about how period blood is considered impure. Due to this, women prefer not having people around them know that they’re bleeding. Often while traveling, women rarely have access to dustbins in the washrooms.
Even in the case of cities, sometimes it’s awkward to exit the washroom and dump your used sanitary product into the bin in front of your co-workers. Most of us end up stuffing the used sanitary product in toilet paper, slipping it into our handbags, dumping it somewhere where nobody can see.
6. Chewing On Our Dried Lips
Okay, this is sheer laziness, we’ll admit it. But there is something oddly satisfying about skipping the chapstick for some time and feeling the fresh wind on your face. What’s more satisfying is slowly biting away at the old, lose, chapped skin on your lips. Why would we enjoy this rather painful activity? Lord only knows! Maybe ripping off the delicate skin on our lips gives us a sense of control?
7. Period Diarrhea
Another gross period related thing is period diarrhea. During our periods, our bodies release hormones called prostaglandins that make our uterus contract to release blood. This also takes a toll on its neighbors, the intestines. See, it’s all science! Period diarrhea can cause discomfort and a lot of embarrassment but can’t really be helped (1).
Of course, some of the things mentioned on our list are gender-neutral, but that just makes it more relatable! Do you think we’ve made a comprehensive list on gross facts? Please feel free to add some of your own in the comments section below.
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