For Glamour, by Kate Friedman.
Most of us probably remember everything about the moment we got our first period — whether we’d like to or not. Menstruating for the first time can be shocking, confusing, and sometimes kinda scary. But first-period stories are something that binds all women together: We all have one, even the mega-famous among us. Here, seven celebrities share what happened when they got their period for the first time. Stars really are just like us!
There’s not really a more humiliating scenario than getting your first period while wearing white pants — unless of course you’re also filming a TV show. Miley Cyrus was somehow this unlucky, but she lived to tell the tale. “It was so embarrassing, but I couldn’t leave,” she told Marie Claire about the first time she got her period while filming Hannah Montana. “And I was crying, begging my mom, ‘You’re going to have to put the tampon in. I have to be on set.’”
There's really no "right" time to start your period, but Mindy Kaling has said she felt insecure about starting hers later than many of her friends. "I started menstruating in ninth grade," Mindy wrote in an open letter featured in Rookie Yearbook Two. "I spent all of eighth grade faking that I had my period, down to sticking Kotex in my underwear in case anyone needed proof.” (Girl, you are not alone!)
Kim and Khloé Kardashian
Kim recalled that she got her first period at a movie theater. “I was with Rob and [Caitlin], and we had just come back from riding horses for Khloé’s birthday. And I just didn’t know what to do.” Khloé added: “Kim and I were both with Rob when we first got our periods…it probably scarred him for life!” Khloé wrote on her blog. “He can pretty much handle anything now — he’s totally going to be that husband buying tampons for his wife.” We’ll have to check with Chyna about that one!
Jessica Biel told glamour.com she got her first period in fifth grade. "I was in a school play, wearing a gray beard and this pad the size of a skateboard and thinking, What is happening to me?" (Side note: That feeling never really goes away, does it?)
Kelly Clarkson was in fourth grade when she started menstruating, which made her the first girl in her class. "It was the most insecure moment of my life. I was completely mortified," she shared with J-14.. "I didn’t have anything for that! No one could help me! I had no girls to talk to because no one had started. It was horrifying! I had to make sure that nothing was on me. It was a lot to deal with in elementary school." Hugs.
Keke Palmer had a much more enthusiastic reaction when she got her first period. She told Twist: "I was like, ‘I got my period! Whoa!’ I was through the roof! I was just like so excited." Palmer explained that her older sister was her period guru, showing her the way. If only we could all be so lucky!
When Demi Lovato first got her period, she told People that "I told my mom and my sister…and they actually embarrassed me so bad. My sister folded a poster board in half and made a card out of it and drew pictures, and it said, ‘Happy Period Day!’ And she drew stick figures and kisses, and she used red markers," she recalled. "I have a pretty good sense of humor, so on one hand, I was totally embarrassed, and on the other, I thought it was awesome." We should celebrate that way every time we get our periods, tbh.
More from Glamour:
