Should you be ashamed of your periods ?

Céline is 18 and a student at a communications and advertising school in Paris.

Céline is also one of our customers, and not only! 

Today, Céline talks to us about her complexes, her journey as a woman and her sometimes difficult relationship with periods , while explaining how Elia lingerie has changed her life. Elialingerie menstrual panties . But she also gives us her little life lesson.

Why take part in the Elia shoot?

"What m'pushed' me to pose in Elia lingerie was that I was subscribed to the Instagram account. So I saw that the casting was on offer and I really went with the idea of 'why not', I have absolutely nothing to lose. On the one hand, it was a bit of a challenge because I'm extremely shy and self-conscious. And it's actually quite complicated for me to pose in front of a camera, and on top of that in my knickers. So it was a really great experience for me, and I don't regret it at all.

What is your relationship with your periods ?

"I often, well especially at the beginning of my periods, completely dissociated myself from my periods. In other words, when I had my periods, I didn't really like it. It's not that I hated myself, but for me it was really dirty, I had to hide it, I lived it quite badly all the same. And in fact I realized that it was mainly due to the fact that I was completely ignorant. I didn't really know what was going on, I didn't really know why I had them. I had my first periods when I was 14. I had them in secondary school, so it was okay because I had my girlfriends with me, and they mreassured me enough. I know that my mom, apart from giving me sanitary protection, that's all it was. It really took me about 2 years to m'accept when I had my periods and on top of that to really understand what it was, why I had them? To be able to talk about it freely, to not necessarily hide. I was in a state of ignorance, and the more I listened to others, the more I wanted to help others so they wouldn't be in the same situation as me.

Do you experience any pain during your periods ?

"I've always had periods quite abundant. It's never been painful until now: it's been about a year, a year and a half that really the first few days it's almost unbearable. I know that on the first day I often can't get out of bed because I really don't feel well at all. And I've also had a few problems with that, in the sense that people didn't believe me. When I said I was in pain because of my periods , they said "but I'm not in pain, stop it, you're straining yourself". As a result, I had an even harder time of it, because I felt on the one hand that I wasn't being understood, and on the other that I was saying to myself "maybe it's just me, it's just in my head". I'm not making it up, and I'm not doing it because I want to stay in bed for a day.

Do you know where these pains come from?

"I just know that when you have periods sometimes it hurts, I don't know exactly what caused it. In fact, it wasn't a pain that was so strong that it really told me I had to go and see a doctor. And since I also knew that if I talked to my mom, for example, about "I really don't feel well, can we go and see a doctor?", she wouldn't necessarily take me seriously, because she's never actually had painful periods . So for her, if she hasn't had them, it'll be the same for me. My father and I never talked about it. But to my parents' astonishment, he's the only one who believes me when I tell him I'm in pain because of my periods, who'll really leave me alone for the day. It was quite an unexpected support, but it really felt good.

You told us you had complexes. Can you tell us about them?

"I'm really self-conscious about my body in general, so I guess I'm like pretty much every teenage girl. My stomach, where I didn't feel fat, but now I have little embarrassments, little complexes. Seeing myself in photos, in panties, with my belly out in the open, not hidden as I usually do, was also a way for me to restore my "I'm still pretty" image.

There's no point in me hiding because I don't really have much to hide, and I'm also very good in front of a camera. On the way out, I said to myself, "What have I just done? Am I really going to take responsibility for seeing myself in a photo? Let other people see me like this? And the more I thought about it, the more I said to myself: well, it's done, I'm not going to back down now. 

I really had a great time. At no point did I feel really bad about myself or anything. I felt really good in front of the camera. So yes, today I feel much better. Even in front of the camera I feel a lot better, so I'm really glad I did it l. 

What do your scars represent?

"I actually have two. So I have one right in the middle of my chest and I have one in my back. I was born with a heart defect. I've had these two scars since I was one, so I have no memory of it, I grew up with it. I know that when I was little mI'd look at myself in the mirror and say "ah, that's right, I've got a scar", and I'd forget about them. I'm a very complex person, but it was never a complex. When people asked me questions or said "oh, you've got scars", I never really resented it or felt as if I had to hide it, because for me, yes, it made me different, but in a good way. In fact, I saw it as a bit of a strength.

What do you think of Elia's menstrual panties?

"I'm really happy. First of all, it m'helps enormously at night, as I wear them mainly at night, and it m'helps because I don't have to wake up stressed, either during the night or in the morning, thinking I've stained my sheets or something s'has happened, or whatever. At least I know I can sleep peacefully. I find them super comforting, I don't know how to explain it, but I know that when I really put them on I feel good, I feel protected. I know I'll be able to sleep and I'll be able to feel really good. I find them super comfortable and I've never had a problem with leaks, so that's top!"

Any final words?

"In my opinion, you have to get informed because the more you don't know, the less you know about it, the more questions you ask yourself that won't be answered, and the more prejudices you have, and that's how it goes on."