This model reveals that getting your period during fashion week is its own special hell
We love it when women in the public eye talk candidly about their periods. When Fu Yuanhui admitted that she got her period the night before a big swim during the 2016 Rio Olympics, pretty much every woman got off her couch and cheered for her honesty.
Well, supermodels get their periods, too, and sometimes menstruation hits the night before a really big catwalk event. Perfect example: Victoria Cain (a 19-year-old model in London) chatted to The Independent about what it’s really like to be bleeding when you’re strutting down the runway (not that it makes her any less fabulous).
"The first time I realized periods could be a problem was at a photo-shoot where I was the only girl. I got a surprise [period] attack in the middle of the day and I had to fake a cigarette break and go to find a shop."
Whoa. Sounds super intense, doesn’t it? Victoria says when she’s backstage at a catwalk event, things can get pretty messy as well. The models barely have a few minutes to themselves throughout the evening, so they have to wait in long lines just to get to the bathroom and pee — and sometimes change their tampons. But if you’re just about to hit the runway, you don’t want to lose your spot, so you go through an internal battle in your head.
"You think, do I lose a possible job or wait for another half an hour?"
In other words, Victoria has been nervous before that she might bleed on those gorgeous designer clothes. Then there’s the acne you have to worry about as well.
“The thing that stresses me out most about getting my period during fashion week is my acne-prone skin. It’s like my period is smack bang on my face.”
Okay, so we are loving Victoria Cain at the moment for her honesty.
Next time you see a supermodel walking the runway, give them a little sympathy. They may be totally stressed out about not getting to change their tampon in time, which is so not cool. (Even so, they’re still pretty flawless.)