Twenty-five years ago a group of women decide to take back their periods and created ‘Menstrual Monday’ where women redefine the way people think about their periods and turn something negative into a positive experience. The holiday has been celebrated around the country the first Monday of May since. Yesterday the Women’s Center Celebrated Menstrual Monday a few weeks early with their program ‘Period: A Menstrual Monday Preview ‘amp; Celebration.’ 106 Hannah Hall was covered in red, as were many of the attendees at the program, to celebrate women’s periods everywhere.’ Grace Mbungu, graduate assistant at the Women’s Center, said the event was especially important because all women are connected through their periods. ‘If women did not go through this process we would not be here,’ Mbungu said. The guests at the event were invited to eat red candy, make ‘tampon corsages’ and encouraged to share the story of their first period. In some cultures women’s first periods are met with celebration, Mary Kruger, director of the Women’s Center, said. Kruger said her first period was not met with so much excitement at home. ‘It was kind of just like, ‘Ok now I guess I’ll get you a pad,” Kruger said. Julie Haught, a professor in Women’s Studies and English, said she remembers being horrified at the idea of her period when she was a young adult. ‘I remember I was on my period and my mother was on the phone laughing and talking and I just thought ‘How can you be happy at a moment like this?” Haught said. ‘It was very melodramatic.’ In honor of Earth Day, Kayleigh Radel also presented environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional pads and tampons. ‘Pads and tampons are actually bleached and we are supposed to put them in very sensitive places,’ Radel said. ‘There are alternatives which are much better for you and the environment.’ Radel presented many options including the ‘Diva Cup’ a small silicone cup which collects the blood from menstruation and can be washed and reused. ‘I love this product,’ Radel said. ‘It seems a little gross at first but that is just become people think your period is gross, which we are tying to get away from.’