Should You Talk About Periods on a First Date?

I like to think of myself as a bit of an ‘Old Hat’ at this whole dating malarkey… I mean, yes, I may technically still be single but does the definitive goal of dating always have to be to find a life partner?

(Bear with me here…)

In the modern age we’re living in and especially when one is still in their twenties (just!) can dating not also just be about making enjoyable connections, having enlightening conversations and hopefully taking part in bit of plain ole’ gratifying flirting?

As a 29 year old red-blooded female who certainly doesn’t see her singleton status as some kind of tragic life sentence, appearing on Channel 4’s First Dates was hopefully going to land me with the perfect man… but if it didn’t result in me finding “The One”, what it was definitely going to do was provide me with an arena where I could be 100% sincerely myself in the public eye…

…giving me the perfect opportunity to speak openly when the inevitable dinner-date question arose: “What do you do for a living?”  Watch below clip:

So what were the consequences of my candid conversation about “period blood” on national television?

Would the Twitterers of Britain come out in force to tell me how I put them off their TV dinners? 😉

Well, yes. They did….

I don’t think the detail she gave is good first date talk, especially over dinner ?#FirstDates

— Maya Simone (@mayasphere) 4 December 2017

“I market for Mooncup…”
Yep, may be an interesting product, but it doesn’t lend itself to pleasant dinner conversation.#firstdates pic.twitter.com/cAMdeTyfyd

— Carl Mitchell (@JaffaCakeLover) December 4, 2017

I’ve heard of Mooncup before, but why would anyone discuss periods on a dinner date? ?Trying to put someone off their food? Cringey and inappropriate; save tha for women’s only discussions! I feel nauseated and I’m female ?#FirstDates

— Sade (@fantasyescapist) 4 December 2017

Perhaps that was to be expected? (As y’know it’s only 2017?)

Although, far more people came out to congratulate me on being frank and upfront about something totally natural and normal…

SHE’S EXPLAINING THE MOON CUP OVER DINNER! I LOVE HER #firstdates

— Chloe ? (@chloearmstrong1) December 4, 2017

God bless the woman on #FirstDates who just schooled her date and the waiter in what a Mooncup is.

— Boozy Soirée (@suziedoore) 5 December 2017

#FirstDates right on sista Lucy hero marketer for the #mooncup my personal preference ✊ NO TO TAMPONS

— Jo Jones (@Dothone) 4 December 2017

Enjoying the @mooncupltd reference on #FirstDates. Go Lucy! Tell the world 🙂

— Rosie Hilder (@Beacambio) 4 December 2017

Love this woman from @mooncup on #FirstDates talking periods! ❤❤?❤#MenstruationMatters#womenshealth

— The Vicious Cycle (@viciouscyclepmd) December 4, 2017

As I scrolled through the hilarious twitter feed of #FirstDates mentions one particular tweet made me laugh, as well as making me question the last few years of my dating history.

She’s been single for three years. Probably because she talks about moon cups on a first date ?#FirstDates

— Marissa Thomas ⚽ (@marissatom16) 4 December 2017

Oh no! Could explaining my current job be turning the stomachs of possible suitors? Could the mere mention of menstruation be the reason I’m still single?

And more importantly… do I even care?! And so I come to the title question of this blog post…

Should you mention periods on a First Date? *Shock horror!*

Well, for me, as well as every other member of staff at Mooncup HQ, there comes the moment in pretty much every new meeting with any person at all, when we are casually asked:
“and what do you do for work?”

I choose to reply with the clear-as-crystal fact:
“I work for a menstrual cup company”.

More often than not this will lead onto the predictable:
“What the…?” reaction, complete with a “What the…?” facial expression:

At this point it’s sometimes been my personal decision to relish the chance to detail the wondrous invention of the Mooncup to any new person, often taking quite a lot of wicked joy in watching people squirm.

On the other hand, many, many people have plainly answered with the totally typical and grounded reaction:
“Oh, that’s sounds interesting, tell me more…”

Of course, at this point I usually dig out my “Love Your Vagina” badge to give them a chance to ‘rep’ the cause. A step too far? Haha. No, in fairness, I exaggerate. I’ve only done this once.

I digress…

So, should you talk about periods on a first date? I guess what I’d say is that I wouldn’t exactly “recommend” sharing stories about all your bodily functions on a First Date…

However, my personal feeling is that if it’s something that arises in conversation in a completely natural way, then honestly, it’s really No Big Deal.