Walt Disney Presents The Story of Menstruation

Posted by Kevin Farrell on Jan 6, 2012 in Genital Warfare | 27 comments

An old timey Walt Disney animated film about the ditherings of ladyparts? Who knew? Come for the cartoon, but stay for the narrator’s pronunciation of va-john-uh and wartery fluids.

From Wikipedia:

It was part of a 1945 to 1951 series of films that Disney produced for American schools. Gynecologist Mason Hohn was hired as a consultant to ensure that the film was scientifically accurate. Hohn was hired to increase the likelihood that school doctors and nurses would allow the film to be shown. Hohn’s involvement led to a stronger emphasis on biology than other marketing by ICCC. The Story of Menstruation increased its reputation when it received the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

It was one of the first commercially sponsored films to be distributed to high schools. It was distributed with a booklet for teachers and students called Very Personally Yours that featured advertising of the Kotex brand of products, and discouraged the use of tampons, where the market was dominated by the Tampax brand of rivals Procter & Gamble.

Gosh, we sure just learned a lot! Especially the part about it being totally OK to bathe when you have your period!

This entire short film is perfect. Don’t you dare think of jumping ahead. It is to be enjoyed in its complete form, and I cannot for the life of me imagine why this is no longer in use. Not one reason.

Now stop slouching or you’ll break your vagina!

A Disney period cartoon! Who knew?

(via OMGblog)

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1426982224 Melinda Otteson Gray

I love that they don’t mention sex, they just say that when the woman is going to have a baby. Then they have her married before the baby comes. Is there a sex ed video or male version? I would love to hear Disney explain morning wood.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Chelsea-Leanna/508310844 Chelsea Leanna

IKR

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1465973376 Tiffany Wilson

This might have avoid a lot of awkwardness in my all-female, we-don’t-talk-about-private-stuff family. I had to guess throughout my entire adolescence…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1465973376 Tiffany Wilson

This might have avoid a lot of awkwardness in my all-female, we-don’t-talk-about-private-stuff family. I had to guess throughout my entire adolescence…

http://unicornbooty.com Unicorn Booty

Eek!

http://www.facebook.com/MiiruFae Elise Herrera-Mishler

It’s normal to grow short, tall, wide, or slight…but not black.

Kit Warner

Or white, or asian, so I’m pretty sure that area is exempt.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=505282386 Alycia Ann Stack

“After all, no matter how you feel, you have to live with people.”

http://unicornbooty.com Unicorn Booty

Best line! Hahaha!

Anonymous

i have never seen such an evil looking drawing of the female reproductive system…and i like your idea melinda :}
http://www.facebook.com/people/Emily-Phillips/848844856 Emily Phillips

I first frowned when it said ‘velvetty material’.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Erica-Cook/100000628613592 Erica Cook

gee, my sister was 9
http://www.facebook.com/Kizzy92 Jessica Kay Mckinnon

This is cute
http://www.facebook.com/shanna.gibson Shanna Gibson

When I’m cramping and bitchy and bleeding, bending forward and touching my toes is the last thing I want to do…
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chanel-Jenkins/636918994 Chanel Jenkins

Really adorable..
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_G2WSJS7KMYZQK2ANFWQTKPKYFA Jeremy Cantrell

GAAAH, the narrators voice is just, wrong somehow
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1197986789 Yuberniz Yubi Orengo

Well the sex is kinda implied and, honestly, in this day and again, isn’t marriage, then baby kinda ideal? Or at least, stable relationship, then baby? I mean, I’ve seen some Great single mothers, but also terrible ones. And terrible couples as well, I just don’t mind the mention of it as much. And it’s not bad for it’s time! It’s being pretty straightforward with it. But I was 9 when I got mine. Thank god I had my mom, she explained it all to me, even before I was 9.

Anonymous

Everyone has their own “ideal” life, though; many people simply don’t want to have children.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Kynthia-Alice/100001009247368 Kynthia Alice

Well, I know what video I am going to show when my 4 yr old asks those questions. Yeah, its dated, but for the younger set, fine. Discussing marriage, non traditional relationships I can handle. And as far as race ? Not a problem with my kids. They are xenophiles like me. I also just noticed auto correct just tried to correct xenophile (one who loves “foreigners” – dont blame me blame the Greeks) to xenophobe. THEREIN lies the rub !

http://www.facebook.com/ZoeRKing Zoe King

It is like how autocorrect often changes “homophobe” to “homophone”, as if the earlier doesn’t exist.

Though hopefully for xenophile/xenophobe, the mix up is simply because xenophile doesn’t explicitly imply a love of ones own nation and thus might imply that you are hateful against your own culture. Not explicit in the word, but those that make the dictionaries and auto-correction applications might assume wrongfully so.

rachel mayatt

actually i didnt think it was that bad
http://www.facebook.com/people/Andre-Washington/100001692943965 Andre’ Washington

watching the way the uterus lining “flowed” out kinda freaked me out, but i couldn’t look away… >_< Did they have to show it so many times in a row? i haven't actually seen how a woman's period happens, but i'm pretty sure it doesn't look like that…still it's nice to see that there's been some effort to inform ladies about their own bodies through the years. If i have to explain to one more of my adult female friends or emergency room nurse what menstration is, i'm going to burn something down..lol
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http://www.facebook.com/kayla.ferrucci Kay Ferrucci

‘A useful record of past performance,’ hilarious
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=887180542 Michael Blank

O.O
Michael Finch

UB, I know y’all like to be cute and stuff, but it’d be cool if you’d avoid the phrase “lady parts.” Even though it wasn’t intentionally so, it’s a pretty cissexist phrase.
http://twitter.com/ABCGP Wendykate

I love that well-groomed feeling, especially when I’m constipated.
WyrdestGeek

Wow. This video is depressing. On the one hand, I’m *glad* someone, somewhere was trying to make a science-y video to disseminate important information.
But the depressing part is all the in-built sexism. Except–see *that’s* not the depressing bit–the depressing bit is to realize that, the *video’s* sexism was still a DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT over what came before!

–

Furry cows moo and decompress.

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