And let me start with saying, this is a safe space.

We are open here. We read, COMMENT, we laugh and we don’t judge.

Anyhu, hi!

There are so many things we experience as women that are completely normal, yet nobody really talks about them. They’re awkward, slightly embarrassing, and somehow we’ve all silently agreed to pretend they don’t happen.

First of all, can we talk about periods? If it’s coming off as if I am addicted to this topic because I recently blogged about it here, I promise, I am not. Sometimes Bloody Mary decides to humble you. You can literally stain your dress or your trousers without a single drop landing on your underwear. It happens, it’s annoying, and if you’ve experienced it, it’s normal.

Then there’s the discharge investigation. What do you mean Felicia you don’t smell your discharge? Every now and then you’ve looked at your underwear and thought, “Hmmm…what’s happening here?” You’ve checked the colour, and yes, you’ve done the sniff test too. Before anyone starts clutching their pearls, paying attention to your discharge is actually one of the ways you get to know what’s normal for your body.

If you notice a change in colour, smell, consistency or you start experiencing discomfort, don’t ignore it. Sometimes it’s something minor, sometimes it’s something that needs treatment, but either way your body is trying to tell you something. Listen to her, and if something feels off, go and get checked. Early attention can save you a lot of discomfort and sometimes prevent a bigger problem.

Now, can someone explain the random chin hair? You don’t even where it came from and when. Why is it always so long? Its normal.

Another normal thing is my rivalry with bras! Hay no lanto ingiphatha kabi. Honestly why are boobs so dramatic? Nothing feels liberating than taking it off. If you’ve mastered the art of removing your bra through your sleeve without taking off your shirt, congratulations, you’ve reached expert level womanhood.

And while we’re on awkward things, can we please discuss public toilets? You squat because we’ve all agreed not to trust the toilet seat, only for your stream to betray you completely and run down your thigh instead. Now you’re standing there using half a roll of toilet paper trying to dry yourself, hoping no one notices why you’ve been in the cubicle for so long. Its an experience that builds character. Its normal.

There are some parts of our bodies that are naturally darker than others, and that’s completely normal. Your underarms, inner thighs, elbows, knees…the list goes on. If you want to use turmeric, body scrubs or other products to even out your skin tone, that’s perfectly fine. But please don’t lose sleep over it because those areas aren’t supposed to be the same shade as the rest of your body. And it’s normal.

Lastly, stretch marks. Blessed are those who only experienced them as a side effect of after childbirth. Mine arrived long before motherhood and have been making themselves comfortable ever since. And the number of theories I heard with regards to those stretch marks, lani likhuluma kakhulu… jokes. At this point I’ve accepted them and agreed to coexist peacefully. Its normal.

Being a woman is honestly one long series of, “Wait…is this normal?” Most of the time, the answer is yes. Our bodies are wonderfully weird, occasionally inconvenient, and forever keeping us humble.

Now tell me I’m not alone. What’s one completely normal thing women go through that nobody warned you about?