Céline is 18 years old and a student at a communication and
advertising school in Paris.
Céline is also one of our customers, and not only!
Today, Céline tells us about her complexes, her
journey as a woman and her sometimes difficult relationship with menstruation
while explaining what Elia lingerie menstrual
panties have changed for her . But she also gives us her little life
lesson.
Why take part in the Elia shoot?
"What pushed me to pose in Elia lingerie was
that I was subscribed to the Instagram account. So I saw that the casting was
proposed and I really left 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 really quite complicated
for me to pose in front of a camera, and on top of that in panties. So it was
really a big experience for me and I don't regret it at all. »
What is your relationship with
your period?
"I have often, especially at the beginning of
my period, completely dissociated myself from my period. That is to say, when I
had my period, I actually experienced it quite badly. It's not that I hated
myself but for me it was really dirty, I had to hide it, I was living it quite
badly anyway. And in fact I realized that it was mainly due to the fact that I
was completely in the dark. I had no idea what was going on, I didn't really
know why I had them. I had my first period
when I was 14 years old.
I had them in college so it was okay because I had
my friends with me, they reassured me enough. I know that my mom, apart from
giving me sanitary protection, that's it, it was limited to that.
It took me about 2 years before I already accepted
myself when I had my period and on top of that I really understood what it was,
why did I have them?
To be able to talk about it freely, not necessarily
to hide. I was in ignorance and the more I listened to others, the more I
wanted to help others so that they wouldn't be in the same situation as
me. »
Do you have pain during your
period?
"I've always had fairly heavy periods. It's
never been painful until now: it's been about a year, a year and a half that
the first few days have been 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 by the way, I also had
small problems with it in the sense that in fact I wasn't believed.
When I said I'm in pain because of my period, I was
told "but I stopped a lot, you force it". So I was experiencing it
even worse because I had the impression on the one hand that I wasn't
understood, on the other hand that I was saying to myself "if it's
actually just me, it's just in my head".
This pain is legitimate, I don't invent it and I
don't do 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 the precise cause. In fact, it wasn't
a pain that was so strong that I really told me that I had to go to the
doctor. And since I also knew that if I talked about it with my mom for
example, "I really don't feel well, can we see a doctor?", she wasn't
necessarily going to take me seriously because she has never had painful
periods.
So for her in fact if she didn't have them, well it
will be the same thing for me. With my father we never talked about it.
On the other hand, my parents' astonishment is the
only one who believes me when I tell him that I am in pain because of my
period, which will really leave me alone for the day. It was still a rather
unexpected support, but really it felt good. »
You told us that you had
complexes, can you tell us about them?
"I'm really self-conscious about my body in
general, so I imagine like almost all teenagers. In my stomach where I didn't
feel fat but here I have little discomforts, little complexes. The fact that I
saw myself in photos, that I saw myself in panties, suddenly with my belly
exposed, not hidden as I usually do, was also a way for me to give myself an
image of "I'm still pretty".
There's no point in me hiding because I don't
really have much to hide, and that's it, I'm also very good in front of a
camera.
When I left I really said to myself "what did
I just do? Will I really accept to see myself in photos? That other people can
see me like this? And in fact, 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 had a really good time. At no time did I really
feel bad about myself or that.
Finally in front of the camera I felt really good.
So yes today now I feel much better. Even in front of a camera it feels much
better so I'm very glad I did it.
What do your scars represent?
"Actually, I 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.
Since I was one year old I've had these two scars,
so I have no memory of that, I grew up with them. I know that it happened to me
when I was little to look in the mirror and say to myself "oh it's true, I
have a scar", I actually forgot about them, it was really an integral part
of me. I'm a big self-conscious, but it's never been a complex.
Whether people ask me questions or make the remark "oh you have scars", I never really experienced it badly or experienced it as if I had to hide it because in fact for me yes it made me different but in a good way. »
What do you think of Elia
menstrual panties?
"I'm super happy. First of all, it helps me a
lot at night, I mainly wear them at night, and it helps me because I don't have
to wake up stressed, either during the night or in the morning, telling myself
that I stained my sheets or something happened, or that's it. At least I know
that I can sleep peacefully.
I find them super comforting, I don't know how to
explain, but I know that when I really put them on I feel good, I feel
protected. I know I'm going to be able to sleep and I'm going to be able to
feel really good. I find them super comfortable and I've never had a problem
with leaks so that's great! »
A little word for the end?
"For me, you have to be informed because the
more you are in the dark, the less you know about it, the more you ask yourself
questions that will not be answered, and the more prejudices you have, and
that's how it continues."
