Sssh! Periods

The podcasters have some burning questions for former college student/current 7th grade English teacher, Ms. Huq. Support the show

ANOTHER one! We uncovered an episode we recorded (and then forgot about) so we thought we should let this see the light of day. Special guest James Stefanik gets interviewed by pandemic podcasters Annely, Josmelkis, Parousia and Cristal on the awkward moments you encounter while adulting. Support the show

It's Christmas time, y'all! We're talking clothes, grandmas knitting sweaters, and whose Christmas dinner has the best seasoning (hot tip: it's all in the Goya packets). Support the show

TikTok got us talking about trans identities and whether or not trans women can get periods. Another blast from the past (and by the past we mean 2021, which at this point was 2 weeks ago). Support the show

New year, old us! Yes, we're late to the conversation about DaBaby's homophobic comments from his concert in 2021 but also this IS a pandemic year and time is a construct anyway, so...enjoy. Support the show

A very chaotic episode about women's bodies, the male gaze, and whose responsibility it is if a woman's pants are too tight. Support the show

Sade, Josmelkis, Fatima, Annely and 13 (aka Aissatou) weigh in on the pressure parents put on their kids' bodies to fit some ideal that nobody understands. Support the show

We're following up on last week's episode with an in-person rant session on starting beef in the group chat and why social media can be toxic.Support the show

The last episode we recorded during the pandemmy! Well, the pandemic is still ongoing but you know what we mean. Pandemic podcasters Parousia, Kadidja, Annely, and Josmelkis weigh in on the pressure they feel to fake a personality on social media. Support the show

What's Thanksgiving like for you? Do you get stabbed by a fork because your elbows touch the table? Did your family leave the plastic on your turkey and give you food poisoning? Are your parents out here asking you personal conversations? This episode is for you! Support the show

Uncovered a pandemic episode that we had never released! Pandemic podcasters Camilla, Parousia, Josmelkis, and Annely weigh in on the challenges young people face when deciding to come out. Support the show

Professional former student James sits down with co-host Ms. Huq to take questions from middle schoolers on the highs and lows of high school. Support the show

The newest batch of podcasters weigh in on the past 18 months of pandemic life and answer the question: would you rather be doing school in person or online? Support the show

6th graders Raizel, Annely, Tatiana, Sade and Josmelkis share thoughts on body shaming. In short, don't do it! It's gross and nobody wins. Support the show

We're BACK IN PERSON! For the first time in 18 months we are recording LIVE from SCHOOL like back in the yee yee old times. It's good to be back and ranting about the topic of the day, which happens to be homework (and why it is trash). Support the show

This week, the 6th graders discuss how culture gets co-opted to be "trendy," anti-Asian hate, police violence against black people, and just how much racism plain sucks. Support the show

The 6th graders are back! And they have a message for you: Give women credit for all that they do, y'all. Support the show

From what we eat to how we dress and when our parents need us to translate for them, we out here on the struggle bus. #immigrantkidlifeSupport the show

The 6th graders interview current and past middle schoolers about their relationships with their parents. Spoiler: a lot of times, it's not pretty. Support the show

Forcing women to dress a certain way is dumb. People should just let folks wear what they want to wear. Support the show

It's our last episode of the year (and maybe ever?) and we get emotional, y'all. Support the show

Podcaster and resident 6th grader Sade gives us her hot takes on the end-of-the-year poll taken by her fellow 6th graders. TL;DR: most of Sade's class seems stressed about their relationships with their parents. Support the show

Guest Ceasar Hernandez sits down with us to discuss immigrant parents' love language, mental health, and why it's important to tell your bros that you love them. Support the show

Special guest Annie Pei joins us to talk getting your first period at 10, the stigma around mental health in the AAPI community, and maybe a potential podcast where we only list common nouns that start with the letter "P."TW: Mental health, gun violenceSupport the show

3 years after our first episode, things...haven't changed much. People still get shamed for having periods! Who would have thought.Support the show

Scholars and teachers weigh in on how life has changed since the pandemic started a year ago. Support the show

Raizel interviews the ladies of The Girls Co. -- Abby Warner, Taimi Kennerley, Zoia Ali -- to talk about the challenges of being female entrepreneurs, empowering future generations, and, of course, how much cramps suck. Support the show

The 6th graders are back! We're weighing in on Jojo Siwa's coming out announcement, and how some people have been trying to cancel a whole seventeen-year-old for living her truth. Support the show

The 6th graders weigh in on the TikTok silhouette challenge, thirst traps, and people who try to police women for what women put on their bodies. Support the show

Resident LGBTQ guest James takes questions from our listeners about what makes us gay, if bisexuality is valid, and what is safe sex. Support the show

Abuse sees no gender, and male victims' experiences are valid. Our resident 6th graders and podcast co-host Raizel weigh in. Support the show

What is asexuality? Ms. Huq and her 6th graders bring you a special Friday episode inspired by our listeners. Support the show

Raizel speaks with two friends of hers, Mikayla (@mikaylasilva) & Gabby (@gabbyocruz), for International Women's Day on topics ranging from feminism to dress code to racism. Support the show

Professional adult James sits down to talk about stocks, the highs and lows of paying your own bills, and his love affair with using his Amazon Prime membership to score sweet, sweet deals at Whole Foods. Support the show

6th grader Kadidja shares an original horror story. Support the show

Does wearing makeup make you gay? (No, it does not) And even if you were gay and want to wear makeup, does that make you any less of a man? (Also, no) Our resident 6th graders weigh in. Support the show

Sixth graders share their thoughts on bad dating advice, right in time for Valentine's Day. Support the show

Ms. Huq's 6th grade class is here to tell you that catcalling isn't the way to go. Support the show

An international round table of gays, queers, and bis sit down to talk about sex ed, consent culture, and how the patriarchy does a disservice to our LGBT youth when it comes to learning about and validating their own sexuality. Support the show

The five minutes of sex education that most of us receive while in middle and high school in the U.S. is a d.i.s.g.r.a.c.e. to the guys, gals and nonbinary pals: a rant. Support the show

We sit down with community organizer and secret friend of Ms. Huq, Ibtisam Ahmed, for a chat about knowing when your insight is (and isn't) welcome, and which spaces you do (and don't) belong in. Support the show

Waking up to reports of Kim and Kanye's divorce, the results of the 2020 Georgia Senate runoff elections, and an insurrection by domestic terrorists. Six days in, and 2021 is already giving 2020 a run for its money. Support the show

The holidays are rough, and the holiday season of 2020 is garbage trash, but here's some holiday cheer to close out the year. See you in 2021, y'all. Support the show

Harry Styles was the first solo man to be featured on Vogue's cover, and he did it in a dress. Predictably, the internet had a lot to say. Raizel and Ms. Huq sit down to chat about men in dresses, the "feminization" of so-called "male ideals," and how gender is a construct anyway so can we just, like, chill about Harry Styles in a dress? Support the show

Backlash against the fox-eye trend on TikTok takes Raizel and Ms. Huq down the road of POC on POC hate. Also, Raizel plugs her recent interview in The 74 Million ('WAP' and Sex Ed: How the Billboard-Topping Track is 'Making Conversations about Sexual Health Less Taboo'). Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Buzzsprout, Spotify, IHeartRadio, and Instagram (which Raizel rarely updates but ANYWAY)! Support the show

Once upon a time, One Direction came out with "That's What Makes You Beautiful" but society had different thoughts on that, so here we are to talk beauty standards, how curly hair makes us witches, and how Lara Jean should have ended up with John Ambrose.Support the show

Raizel and Ms. Huq sit down at Raizel's kitchen counter to talk fatphobia, being the fat ugly friend of the friend group, and handling men who want to call you fat because they can't take no for an answer. Support the show

Got opinions on how a woman should dress? Think it's your place to get between a woman and her uterus? Raizel and Ms. Huq have a lot of thoughts that they'd like to share.Support the show

Caroline and Raizel eat Dunkin' and talk about internalized misogyny while their chauffeur Ms. Huq drives them around Inwood on a Saturday afternoon. Support the show

TV show Euphoria is giving some teens the entirely wrong message about mental illness, and Raizel and Caroline are having none of it. Support the show

We start off talking about the pervasiveness of street harassment and end with the normalization of violence against women. Warning: We do discuss sexual assault and violence against women. May not be suitable for children under 13. Support the show

We are one week away from the most pivotal election of our lifetime, and we have some thoughts. Support the show

In which Raizel roasts Ms. Huq for her Harry Potter tattoo, and Ms. Huq roasts Raizel back for being a former Shane Dawson stan. Support the show

In which Raizel gets salty about selective activism and Ms. Huq's inability to introduce the podcast, but also shouts out the 2020 winners of the NPR Student Podcast Challenge for being the cutest and the best. Support the show

We are on the precipice of a game-changing election year. Too many lives hang in the balance, too many issues on the ballot for any of us to be indifferent. In today's episode Raizel, Litzy, and resident ghost Ms. Huq discuss the ways in which they have advocated for issues at home and abroad. P.S. Please vote. Not just in this election, but in every election you can. Your voice matters. Support the show

Raizel, Litzy and resident ghost Ms. Huq talk about the various issues on which they have taken a stand. It's beyond hashtags and wokeness, y'all. P.S. Some of us were all over Disney+ when it released #Hamilfilm, and it shows. Support the show

When it comes to canceling someone, why do we have different standards for what actions are deemed cancel-able and what actions aren't? And how come women seem to get the short end of the stick in these scenarios? Raizel and Litzy discuss. Support the show

Some of us are new to TikTok. Some of us only learned about TikTok because of time spent at home, social distancing in the midst of this pandemic. And some of us recently discovered some viral TikToks where young women ask her boyfriends how a pad works, and these answers were wild. Also, a brief plug for the editor's favorite reality TV show, 90 Day Fiancé. If y'all haven't seen Paul from Kentucky ask his wife the difference between maxi pads and regular pads, please check out the clip on Yo...

Welcome back! We're kicking off Season 2 with an interview with resident Florida woman Litzy. Florida's been in the news for a few different reasons -- no mask mandates! Reopening schools in August with no social distancing guidelines! A Disneyland rollout straight out of some dystopian future -- and Litzy has some thoughts to share. Support the show

Reflection time! Time to wrap up the year, look back on our accomplishments, and look ahead (as much as we can) to the future. Support the show

In which a 7th grader gives career advice to a middle school English teacher on how to get more clout to finally make that Instagram aesthetic money. Editor's note: This episode was recorded on May 14, 2020. Little did we know what a dark turn society would take in the ensuing weeks. We hope this 10-minute snippet of a conversation between a teacher and a student will bring some levity to your day. Thank you for your continued support. Support the show

All of us on one Zoom call? Amazing! Editor's note: This episode was recorded on May 14, 2020. Our world has taken a dark turn since then. We hope that this conversation among friends will bring some levity to your lives, even if it is for eight minutes. Thank you for staying with us. Support the show

At the time of this recording, New York State is in its 47th day of self-isolation due to COVID-19, and xenophobia against Asian-Americans is rampant. Raizel Febles sits down--from a safe social distance--with Mikayla Navalta and Abigail Sy to discuss the rise in race-related crimes against Asians and Asian-Americans, the misnaming of the "Chinese virus," and how TikTok plays a role in perpetuating xenophobia amongst younger generations. Support the show

It's been 365-ish days since Sssh! Periods received the phone call that would change our lives. One year since winning NPR's Student Podcast Challenge, where are we now? Raizel and Litzy, our two out-of-state correspondents, jump on this conference call to fill us in. Spoiler alert: 80% of this episode is about how Wawa and Publix could never level up to a Bronx corner store's version of a bacon egg and cheese. Support the show

At the time of this recording, we were in Day 23 of quarantine. We chat with Raizel Febles, calling all the way from Bergen, New Jersey, to chat about life in the time of COVID-19. How's our mental health? Do we need hugs from our mom to fall asleep at night? And should middle schoolers be drinking coffee in the middle of a podcast recording? Raizel offers us some hot takes. Support the show

In December of 2019, we heard about the first reported case of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. Two months later it came to New York. Within weeks towns went into lockdown, schools shifted to remote learning indefinitely, and life was nothing like it used to be. We sit down with Raizel Febles, straight from her bedroom in New Jersey, to talk about life in the midst of a pandemic. Support the show

This episode was recorded in January, 2020, months before New York went into lockdown. Our school has moved to remote learning for the rest of the school year; all field trips, college visits, and proms have been canceled. That being said, please enjoy this episode on femininity, "girliness," and other hot takes from Randolph, Aissatou, Sheslianny, Caroline, and special guest Jaylin Lewis. Support the show

We're a self-proclaimed bunch of nerds here at Sssh! Periods, so we sat down to talk about what life has been like as a nerd. Do glasses make you smart? Do you get bullied because people think you're a nerd? Special guest (and Bronx Prep 6th grader) Jaylin Lewis joins us for this after-school storage closet chat.Support the show

It's a spring Wednesday and Amir, Sheslianny, Madison (the silent support sister), Randolph and Ms. Huq like the bird sit in the 3rd floor hallway of Bronx Prep Middle School to talk clothes. Are we sneaker heads? How many of us have been sent home for dress code infractions (hint: it's not the one you think)? And is it fashion forward to pair a black or white sweater...with shoes?Support the show

What do periods have to do with religion? More than you'd think. We spent the past year looking into how period stigma alienates us from our peers, but there are other forces in our lives that also makes us feel different from the people around us. For some, religion is a major cornerstone of identity. For others, leaving religion helped shape their identity. Today we talk with Naveed Choudhury, 2020's answer to Crocodile Dundee, about how leaving religion has shaped his identity. Suppor...

A month ago we started recording our Valentine’s Day episode, but the episode ended up being more of a reflection on how we express love. Some of us, we found out, express love through actions. Some of us, we found out, want the kind of love that can be used to flex on social media. And some of us felt that a potential love interest’s preference for black coffee can determine their tendencies to become a serial killer, and how if you get whipped cream on your Starbucks tea then you’re not the...

This week we interview Maureen Smith, a menstrual rights advocate and author of Your Moontime Magic. Your Moontime Magic provides first-time menstruators with tips and tricks to navigate the tricky world of periods, and Maureen had plenty of insight to share with our podcasters about listening to our bodies, finding support in our friends, and so much more. Support the show

Middle schooler Sheslianny sits down with high schoolers Yelitssa, Ashley, and Jasmin to talk about the transition from middle school to high school. The two campuses may just be a hallway apart here at Bronx Prep, but the classrooms at the opposite ends of the third floor are wildly different worlds. Friendship, homework, college -- we talk about what we thought we knew, but found it that we really didn't. Support the show

We're back at it again with yet another episode, the title of which came from a terrible pun that we found on Google! This week we sit down (more like stand around a mic, but who's counting anyway?) to talk makeup. Do our moms let us wear makeup? How open is makeup for both girls and boys? And how does makeup help us express ourselves?Aissatou, Sheslianny, Madison, and special guest James bring you their thoughts. Support the show

Are people dragging Valentine's Day? Who is Valentine's Day for? And why do some of our partners refuse to celebrate Valentine's Day? We sit down with skeptic James Stefanik, love expert Amber Harrison, and middle schoolers Darlene, Madison, Kassy and Aissatou to find out. Support the show

Hair puns! We love them. We also love looking into our relationship with hair, and how it's shaped by our culture, families, and genetics. Why do we wear our hair the way we do? What's the story behind our braids, weaves, extensions, and bangs? We interview friends from across the United States -- Texas! New York! Brooklyn (which is also New York but still!) -- to find out what our hair says about us. Support the show

A comment from an Instagram follower about homelessness in the South Bronx sparked this episode. What does homelessness look like in our community? How many NYC children spend their nights in shelters because their single-parent households can't afford rent? We find that the face of homelessness in the South Bronx is not the one we had imagined. Support the show

Free pads and tampons are great and all, but what would the people of Bronx Prep do without their favorite bodega? We hear from students, teachers, and bodega customers alike about Los Amigos, Bronx Prep's faithful source of chopped cheese, Arizona iced teas, and egg and cheese on a butter roll.Support the show

The holidays are a great time for many people, but what if you have a hard time getting behind the Christmas merrymaking and festivities? We sit down with Sheslianny, Amir, and Thirteen to chat about being Muslim during Christmas, being dragged to family holiday parties, and how to navigate the season of caring and sharing when your parents have split. Support the show

Kids at school bat around these words on the regular: "that's gay," "no homo," and whatever else we haven't heard yet. Where does this culture of homophobia come from? How does someone's sexual identity threaten your own? We sit down with two middle school boys to find out. Support the show

What do five high schoolers and two Dartmouth grads have in common? A fierce passion for women's reproductive health, and a love of fun stickers. We sit down with Jordana Kier and Alexandra Friedman, co-founders of LOLA, to chat first periods, cramps, and revolutionizing the feminine care industry.Support the show

Raizel Febles interviews menstrual equity extraordinaire, 16-year-old Hannah Samimi, one of the co-founders of the NYC's first-ever National Period Day Rally. We're talking tampon tax, custodians who won't clean out receptacles in girls' bathrooms, and so much more. Support the show

Veteran podcasters (Jasmin, Ashley, Yelitssa, Caroline, and Kassy) are joined by newcomers (Kaylee, Kiara, and Sheslianny) in a frank conversation about what adolescent boys do, and don't, learn about women's bodies. Support the show

On August 3, 2019 a gunman opened fire in an El Paso Walmart and killed 20 people. Less than 13 hours later, a separate gunman opened fire in Dayton, Ohio and killed 9 individuals outside of the Ned Peppers Bar. Instances of mass gun violence have become a recurring story in the U.S. news cycle. Producer Litzy Encarnacion has some thoughts. Support the show

Producer Raizel takes questions from Instagram about birth control. How young is too young to be on birth control? Would your parents let you get on birth control? What is birth control good for, anyway? Support the show

Summer is almost over, but teachers have been back at school for the past three weeks. What do teachers talk about when they're putting up the first bulletin boards of the year? How do you make your way through a crowded airplane to get to the bathroom before you bleed through your pants? The summer is full of adventures, but sometimes they're not the fun kind. Support the show

It takes a village to go from a 7-person operation to a nationally recognized student podcast. On this episode each of us pays tribute to the advocates whose support us took us from the bottom to the top. Support the show

From teachers to moms, partners to coaches, the ladies of Sssh! Periods have been loved and supported from Day 1 to keep doing what they're doing. We bring Part 2 of our favorite episode, Advocates, because the love for our tribe does not end. Support the show

The instructional staff at Bronx Prep Middle School is over 80% female, and many of the female teachers have families with young children. How do they manage to spend 12+ hours a day at work, then find the energy to go home and raise their own families? Guest interviewer Elijah speaks with Mrs. Dunja Varciana, Vice Principal of Bronx Prep Middle School, about the challenges she faces as a working mom.Support the show

East Coast meets West Coast (again)! Our conversation with the ladies of Vicious Cycle was such a hoot that we had to upload it in two parts. We ask the ladies how they cope with period stigma, their experiences of menstruating in middle school, and what has changed about the culture of period shame (if anything).Support the show

East Coast meets West Coast! On this episode the ladies of Sssh! Periods share a long-awaited conference call with Vicious Cycle, three women across the country who are also fighting the good fight to make Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) visible. Support the show

Our podcast has reached the Mobjap Girls' School in Kenya! Today we take questions from 7th and 8th grade girls in Nairobi. We may be separated by an ocean but we still have similar anxieties about dating, boys, the awkwardness around periods, and so much more. Support the show

The girls are weeks away from graduating eighth grade, and they're frustrated by how little progress they see for women. Reproductive rights. Access to healthcare. Ending the stigma around menstruation. How do we change the narrative? Support the show

Fresh off our win on NPR's Student Podcast Challenge, the girls take the stage at NYCLU's Centennial Celebration to talk about the pink tax, period poverty, and how to stay in dress code while still feeling yourself for prom. Support the show

The ladies of Bronx Prep Middle School bring you the first episode of their podcast, Sssh! Periods. On this episode the girls share their experiences with menstruation in middle school, the 5,000 different euphemisms for periods, and how getting a period is not the same as getting kicked in the nuts. Support the show