* Disclaimer: This post will trigger someone. *


Some of you may have read my previous post about menstruation. It was an opinionated piece aimed at teenagers and adults who were willing to open up and discuss a topic that is often  considered taboo in various parts of the world. After reading the overwhelming response, I wanted clear up some of the confusion in the comments surrounding my post. Here is my attempt at answering your burning questions!

“Why did Stardoll put a warning on the article about periods saying it’s not suited for players under 13?”

My answer: I added my disclaimer, not Stardoll, out of respect for the people who didn't want to discuss periods. Many of you think the disclaimer deters from the actual post. FACT: I first got my period when I was twelve, so why would I write my post may be unsuitable for readers under the age of thirteen? I wanted my post to be a conversation between me and young adults, people that have already been experiencing their periods in general, and my goal was to read about their own experiences and period stories. I don't oppose younger readers reading my blog, however, I wanted to warn them beforehand that it MAY not be for them. In the past, some bloggers have written posts that have sensitive topics and after witnessing the fallout from those posts, I made a final decision that I wanted to add in warnings if a post I was writing had even a small potential of upsetting someone. I'd rather be safe than sorry, and alert people what kind of content I am sharing. I'm fine with talking about periods, but not everyone is, so I tried to be courteous to that population.

I'd like to thank my fellow StarBloggers for sharing the following statements:

Kage: Normally, stuff like this should be explained to kids by their parents, but unfortunately there is a need for a blog like this to be written due to the taboo surrounding periods culturally. The disclaimer is put so mommy and daddy cant be angry if their kid read the blog.

AllDolledUp: Years ago, when I gave my younger cousin the talk about periods, my aunt was very angry with me. She wanted to be the one to do it and claimed I took that away from her. If I become a parent I want my child to understand biological functions and see it for how beautiful it really is, as soon as possible. We have to be respectful of a parent's wish, even if we think we are right about exposing kids to what some may consider taboo topics early. The ones saying kids should know this early are most likely adults themselves, unaware of what actually goes on in a child's mind, and they are not addressing the child's autonomy or sense of agency. Does that child actually want to learn about it? When I told my younger cousin about it, I emphasized how normal it is, and he thought he wanted to know more about it, until he felt grossed out and begged me to stop. The whole point in talking about it periods, is about normalizing the topic with people whom are ready to do so.

“Disclaimer aside, why is this called an opinion piece? People get periods.”

My answer: As for what an opinion piece means, it is defined in journalism as “what makes no claim of objectivity. Opinion journalism has a reduced focus on facts or research and its perspective is often of a more personalized variety.” I wrote that piece to comment on a situation I had personally experienced with a male doll in a chatroom, and I wanted to know that I wasnt the only one frustrated with periods being taboo. It was not an educational piece, it was my personal view.

“Can we get a survey in which we will really know how old the majority of players are? Comments say a totally different thing.” 

My Answer: That’s a great idea. As far as I know, the readers that participate in the comment section are usually young adults (which includes teenagers), and the international English Starblog is read by people from all over the world with varying levels of understanding of English. I’ve often read responses in different languages, which gives me the impression readers usually have a second language and that some things said in posts get lost in translation. I recognize the limitations in intercultural communication and where I may have messed up in terms of wording. However, it happened, and I can only learn from it, move on, and keep on improving as a writer!

“I don't think the warning should be in there, regardless who had put it there. Young girls need to be educated about this, especially since not all parents do so (mine did, but I know from friends whose parents didn't). I think adding this disclaimer to the post only makes it “weirder” to talk about periods…”

My answer: I want to be very clear, my intention was never to educate anyone on periods, but rather start a conversation about why periods may be taboo, and to read your stories and experiences with periods. The post was NOT meant to educate younger readers who might need to be taught in a safe way about periods. If that was my intention, I would've included more information and sources, and less opinion. It isn't my place to educate other people’s children online about menstruation, as I dont know their parents, and I certainly dont know their values, and I might even be crossing a line in a stranger’s life. Its not my business to judge how a parent decides to parent. When you grow up and if you have kids of your own, youll realize that you dont have a right to decide for someone else's child. It's not weird to talk about periods, but it is disrespectful in my opinion to talk about it to little children without at least a warning or disclaimer.

“The warning is completely unnecessary as it's information children should know much earlier. Good post though, there are still so many people (mainly men) being misinformed and disgusted by normal functions.”