Woman shamed teenage campers for requesting period products without ‘being prepared’ — one girl’s four-word response left her scrambling
You'd think women would be the first to show little understanding when it comes to periods, but that isn't always the case. Margo, who goes by @margomylastname on Instagram, learned this the hard way during a week-long sleepaway camp as a teenager. On October 13, 2026, she shared that when she and another girl needed menstrual products, they went up to the camp nurse and asked for period products. This is when a woman shamed them for not being prepared, but what Margo said next left her speechless.
Margo explained that when she was a teenager and got her period at camp, she asked the other girls if they had any products to spare. One girl, a couple of years younger, was in the same boat and had been borrowing from friends, too. Margo suggested asking the camp nurse for help, but the younger girl was nervous about being judged. So Margo went with her, expecting the adults to understand. The nurse agreed to help, but another woman nearby criticized them for not being prepared, saying, "There’s no reason as to why you wouldn’t have your own period products. It comes every month. You should be responsible." Margo wasn't about to let that comment slide. She replied, "I am not regular," leaving the woman caught off guard. The woman quickly backtracked, saying, "Oh, I guess that's understandable then."
Margo couldn't believe that another woman would be so judgmental about something as normal as getting a period. What bothered her even more was that she'd confidently reassured the younger girl that a grown woman would never make them feel embarrassed about something as natural as a period. Periods can be unpredictable, especially for teenagers, and there are plenty of reasons someone might not have products on hand.
Margo's experience shows why periods need to be talked about more openly. A 2024 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health surveyed more than 1,000 people aged 14 to 26 and found that 19% said they or someone they knew had struggled to access menstrual products. While period stigma still made some people uncomfortable discussing menstruation, 87% supported making products like pads and tampons easier to access.
People in the comments were just as baffled by the woman's reaction. @drkinetic wrote, "If we could always count on the support of other women, then the patriarchy would already be dead." @eventhatapple added, "ALSO it could have been your FIRST ONE!! So that lady is stupid. I didn't have my first one until I was 16!!!!" And @o2low wrote, "Some women never grew out of the mean girl vibe, and it shows."
For more of her content, you can follow @margomylastname on Instagram.