Life

6 Things We Used To Think Were Gross To Talk About

by Kaitlyn Wylde

What we considered to be TMI and super disgusting when we were teens, is totally different than what we consider to be disgusting now. You might have to return to your high school diary to convince yourself of this, but the things we openly gab about over brunch now are things that we wouldn't be caught dead talking about without a shameful red face in high school.

Menstruation embarrassment is so old news — we're more likely to tweet about our flow then be embarrassed by it. Our sex lives are typically the first thing we catch our friends up with when we get together. You better believe if you've just slept with one of my friends and you had geometrical shave job, I'm going to hear all about it. And if my friend just slept with you, I'll know every weird or awesome thing that happened between the sheets. Because when you're in your 20s and 30s, sex is just a thing. It's a thing you do, or don't do. It's a part of life. It's not shameful. It's not always secret or sacred.

When I was an ever-embrassed teenager in high school, I never would have thought that I'd talk about the things that I do now as an adult with such ease. But I'm glad I do, because it's so liberating. Here are six things that we used to think were too gross to talk about when we were teenagers and don't give AF about now:

Periods

Then: Once upon a time, periods were not things we gabbed about openly. When we first got our periods they were these embarrassing secrets that made us feel shameful and like childhood was slipping away.

Now: It took a few years for us to start asking each other for tampons and complaining about cramps and chocolate cravings. But now we send each other selfies of our most dramatic period habits: couch-bound, 10 hours deep into a television rerun binge, eating a giant chocolate Easter bunny.

Sex

Then: Sex was once disgusting. Just mention of the word made our bodies wiggle with disgust. Sex was a nasty thing our parents did or a biological thing our textbooks bored us with.

Now: It wasn't till we became sexually interested that we started to associate "oohhh la la" with sex and not "ew gross!" Now, sex is old news. We talk about it like we talk about the weather. We've heard it all at this point. Nothing can make us squirm.

Feelings

Then: When you're a kid, you're expected to have clear emotions. Either you're happy or you're sad. If you were a sensitive kid, you were often made to feel weird. No one wanted to handle your emotions.

Now: It wasn't until junior high that it started to become interesting to have feelings and being a complex individual was a blessing rather than a curse. Now, not only do you tell your friends every emotion that you experience, but you probably blog, tweet and status update about it, too.

Romantic Efforts

Then: When we were teens, being in love was mortifying. We were constantly downplaying our feelings. Being in love was just grounds for being made fun of.

Now: It's totally normal for us to talk to each other about the insane things they do for love: the Internet stalking, the pining, the obsessing. We all want each other to live our best rom com life.

Things On Our Skin

Then: Acne, rashes, hairs, everything on our skin grossed us out. We'd sweat in long sleeves before we revealed a botched armpit shave or wear shorts in the pool before we risked showing too much.

Now: In our 20s, we talk about laser hair removal on the subway and acne scars over brunch. We don't care anymore. Our skin is just another stop on the grooming train.

Our Bodies

Then: Before we were women, we were overly aware of our bodies, sometimes in a negative way. We saw them as embarrassing things that took up space, rather than amazing vessels to carry our souls in to the world.

Now: What a relief to no longer be disgusted by something that's so beautiful on everyone.

Images: Giphy, Dualstar Entertainment Group