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Al: You know who is a good woman? Veronica. You know, from Archies comics? She never had a period. Steve: That's true. But she still had an attitude problem. Al: You're right, there are no good ones. — Married With Children
Surfing the Crimson Tide. On the Rag. Riding the Cotton Pony. Receiving a Visit from Auntie Flo. Falling To The Communists. Liverpool Playing At Home. Walking Through a Field of Wildflowers in Soft Focus. Winning A Starring Role In A Period Costume Drama. That Time Of The Month... When I'm Not At My Best... Because My Uterus Is Bleeding.
This does not happen to TV and movie characters. It is rarely even indirectly alluded to. The only time this biological process is alluded to is under the following circumstances:
- When a woman misses a period, as an indication that she's about to be tied to a pregnancy plotline.
- As part of a Very Special Episode exploring a young girl's entrance into puberty. (Said girl may be horribly shocked when her period happens, thinking she's dying from some horrible disease. The likelihood of such a thing happening increases if the story is set pre-1960s, before sex-ed and frank public discussion of sexuality became the norm. Alternatively, she may shock the adult characters by having read all the available books on menstruation and talked to the school nurse).
- At the other end, the onset of menopause halts menstruation, making it comically ambiguous with pregnancy.
- A setting with werewolves contains a brief reference to "times of the month". This connection is never explored in detail.
- A Girl is disguised as a boy and as a plot point suddenly has to conceal (or is outed by) her menstruation.
- The woman is a main character trying to get pregnant.
Sometimes periods are played for comedy, as when one or both members of a Sit Com couple work themselves into a frenzy of anticipation for a planned sexual encounter, but the woman goes "on the rag" just before it happens. Or when a woman's Time of the Month turns her into a rampaging PMS monster, inflicting pain and woe on any hapless man unlucky enough to fall within her line of vision. A less common gag, typically seen in parodies of Very Special Episode-type stories, is that any discussion of the topic will cause all males in the room to flee in horror - which also gives the writers an excuse to shift attention away from the conversation. This is sometimes invoked by having two women bring up the topic intentionally to make the men leave. Males always seem to find menstruation a Squicky subject ...
Outside of mainstream television, this restriction is somewhat relaxed, but even so the topic only mentioned in passing, if at all. Naturally, Dead Baby Comedies are happy to make jokes about menstruation, but usually only allude to the topic. With novels, it depends on the target audience; while adventure and romance stories usually avoid the topic like the plague, some 'serious' women's fiction treats the matter thoughtfully and in detail. In Science Fiction, it generally only comes up as a contrast to someone else's Bizarre Alien Biology. Transformation Comics often involve at least one throwaway gag on the subject, where a male-to-female Gender Bender either has a period and doesn't know how to deal with it, or panics over the possibility of not getting switched back in time to avoid it. Other than that, the topic is usually avoided in favor of the more... entertaining changes.
An Action Girl will never get a menstrual period. Period. Nor does any other woman in an action-adventure story, unless she happens to be a sorceress, and her powers are somehow tied to her monthly cycle. It's not hard to see why - Sci-Fi and fantasy heroines probably couldn't even fit a maxi-pad into their skin-tight latex catsuits and stripperiffic bikinis. When Auntie Flo comes calling on Alice the Barbarian, out on the field slaughtering Scythians in her Breast Plate and leather thong, what's she going to do? Most writers don't care, since they're male, but female viewers are going to have their sense of immersion dinged at least a little upon seeing such a character, especially if it's obvious that she has no change of clothing on her. Ah well. Bellisarios Maxim, folks. However, there may be some truth in this, since serious female athletes will often experience irregular and/or fewer periods; the jury's still out on exactly why (body fat composition? stress? hormonal changes?).
Also, due to American television broadcast standards, animated women in family-oriented shows are never allowed to get periods or even talk about them. Any mentions of menstruation in a Japanese anime are fully excised before it is allowed to be shown on American TV. This can sometimes cause unexpected plot holes and long missing scenes, because in Japan a girl's first period is traditionally celebrated by her family with a special meal of red beans and rice.
A Sweet Polly Oliver, however, stands a fair chance of subverting this.
Occasionally a writer will mention periods in order to point out the effect they can have on animals, since predators may be drawn by the scent of blood.
Compare to Nobody Poops. Completely unrelated to No Punctuation Period.
Exceptions
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- Semi-subverted in Runaways, Nico has the power to manifest a magical staff whenever her blood is spilled, something which she finds very unpleasant since it forces her to frequently cut herself and she has never been a cutter. After one particular magical battle, another team member expresses confusion at the fact that she seemed to manifest her staff without bleeding this time, only for Nico to reveal that not all bleeding comes from knife wounds. It is still not a regular issue for the characters (Despite the fact that the gang has four girls, all in or entering puberty, and more women get added later), but at least it was brought up without it being A Very Special Issue.
- And of course, subverted in Molly asking several characters about her changing body and mysterious bleeding. Each and every character (Including her doctor parents) mumble, stutter, and brush her off with the obvious assumption that she's "becoming a woman," only for The Reveal that her body is changing into a super-strong mutant and she was suffering from a Psychic Nosebleed from her emerging mutant powers.
- Also, on one shopping trip, Karoline and Nico buy "enough feminine hygiene products to last until the end of the world or menopause. Whichever comes first".
- Averted in The Boys quite staggeringly.
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- A Dilbert strip mentions this by implication. Alice wants a day off to see her doctor, and the Pointy Haired Boss refuses until she starts vaguely describing her condition as a "woman thing". The Boss quickly agrees and runs away with his hands over his ears looking panicked. Whether this was Alice's actual condition or just a method of getting her way is left unaddressed.
- In another strip, Alice apologizes for her bad mood, saying that it's almost time for her "friend" to visit. Dilbert doesn't understand, and says that a visit from a friend should be a happy occasion. Alice is not amused...
- The title character of the film (and book) Carrie has her Psychic Powers start to manifest after a sickening incident in the gym shower, when she discovers herself menstruating. Her classmates mercilessly torment her about it, and as a result, she has to be sent home. Carrie, of course, was ignorant about how her own body worked thanks to the efforts of her mother, a religious fanatic with a pathological fear of sex.
- Amanda Bynes' Shes The Man featured Amanda cross dress at an all boys school. A running-gag in the movie was Amanda's character telling her male-roomies that the tampons in 'his' bags were used to stuff up 'his' nose if 'he' ever got a soccer ball to the face. Thus, other guys at the school began to imitate.
- In Ginger Snaps, Ginger getting her period is a major plot point; the blood attracts a werewolf which had been killing pets in the area and it attacks Ginger. At first her sister Bridget attributes the ensuing personality change to hormones...
- A minor plot point in Pitch Black, the young "boy" travelling with our fleeing group is revealed to be otherwise when Riddick announces it is her menstrual blood attracting the monsters. They can smell it. Apparently, so can he...
- In A Walk On The Moon, Anna Paquin's character Alison gets her first period, and when she tells her grandmother Lillian, Lillian slaps her. Alison asks why her grandmother did that, and Lillian says it's what her grandmother did when she got her first period. Alison hesitates a moment, then slaps her grandmother back... who then says she did that too.
- In what is intentionally an awkward conversational moment in Center Stage, when Maureen's mother feels she is acting odd and touchy, she asks, "Did you just start your period?" Maureen, who is actually dealing with a serious emotional issue rather than being hormonal, replies with shock in the negative.
- In one of the Bridget Jones movies, the title character reflects that she's had three months of uninterrupted good sex - then realizes that that means she hasn't had a period in all that time. Though the character had realized she hadn't had a period so it must be true, the statement itself would not necessarily indicate a missed period in the real world.
- In My Girl Vada Sultenfuss, raised as she was without a mother, was convinced she was "hemorrhaging".
- These people In The Meaning Of Life seem more embarrassed by a woman giving the explanation of a "heavy period" as to why they are leaving than they are by the diner next to them vomiting uncontrollably.
- In Superbad, someone points out a red spot on one of the main character's pant legs. The main character is confused about where it came from until someone else asks "Dude, were you dancing with a chick in there?". Indeed he had been, and hilarity ensues.
- In Summer School, the character Pam House convinces her teacher, Mr. Shoop, that she should be allowed to leave class because of cramps. Another student character (Francis "Chainsaw" Gremp) specifically alludes to this trope by saying, "This menstruation thing? It's a scam! Women are so lucky."
- In "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka", one of the female characters beats up a gang sent to kidnap her. When one of the gang members asks if she is possessed by the devil (possibly due to her glowing red eyes) she replies simply "No - cramps!"
- In Clueless, Cher argues her way out of a tardy mark by declaring that she'd been "surfing the crimson wave". Whether she actually was or is just using it as an excuse is not clear, but it works.
- In Lethal Weapon 3, after Lorna Cole has finished beating on five henchmen, she rounds on Murtaugh, apparently about to smack his lights out, until she registers it's him and stops. The following dialogue occurs.
Cole: This PMS, it's murder
- In Mean Girls, when the principal is trying to mediate problems between members of the school's female population, "lady to lady":
Mr Duvall: Now does anyone have a "lady problem" they would like to discuss? Yes?
Girl: Somebody wrote in that book that I'm lying about being a virgin because I use super jumbo tampons... But I can't help it that I have a heavy flow and a wide-set vagina!
Mr Duvall: ...yeah, I can't do this.
- House MD: a 6-year-old patient presents with menstrual bleeding; the team wonders if she might have cancer, prompting Too Much Information:
Cameron: "If menstruating is a symptom of cancer, I should be getting chemotherapy right now."
House: "Now that's ridiculous. You're way too skinny to be menstruating."
- The show has also featured mentions of Cameron's PMS, as well as House (for reasons unknown) keeping track of Cuddy's menstrual cycle.
- Few medical shows that appeared before 1995 mentioned periods. Before the mid-80s, menstruation couldn't be mentioned on American TV even in commercials for pads or tampons.
- The Thorn Birds has a scene where a Catholic girl gets her period and panics, believing herself to be dying.
- Married With Children: Al's worst nightmare comes to pass when Peg, Marcy and Kelly accompany him on a camping trip to a small cabin where they all get their periods at the same time. This, of course, compels them to act like PMS-crazed mini-Godzillas until just before the trip ends, when they become serene and calm once more.
- Played for comedy in The IT Crowd, where Jenn had a rather angry period and male co-workers Moss and Roy started feeling its effects on themselves, and eventually, thanks to Moss' naivete and some online teasing from fellow techno-geeks, computer technicians all over the world began rioting in sympathy. The following exchange also occurred between Jenn and constantly depressed Goth Richmond:
Jenn: You don't think you're affected, do you?
Richmond: I might be, actually. I've been feeling pretty moody; not my cheery self at all.
- 7th Heaven: Oh, where do we start? Well, there's when Ruthie doesn't want to tell her parents about hers because she knows "there'll be tears, crying, a special dinner that ends with Dad buying me feminine products." This doesn't lead to her parents respecting her wishes and responding in the way that makes her most comfortable, but to the Family Unfriendly Aesop that this is important to her parents and she should go along with them!
- There's also the first episode, which centres around Lucy looking forward to hers. Her reaction is the opposite of Ruthie's.
- The Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie subverts this somewhat. Buffy gets menstrual cramps whenever a vampire is around. This is explained as her body's reaction to something perceived as unnatural (it also underscores the connection between slayer-ness and femininity).
- Although if she was getting them as a form of spider-sense, they weren't exactly menstrual cramps, just abdominal ones.
- In Buffy the show, however, this was still in place, despite the overwhelming percentage of the main cast being female. Only twice in this editor's recollection were periods ever referenced in seven seasons: Xander going through Buffy's purse in search of a stake and being horrified to discover a tampon, and Willow telling Oz, in response to discovering he's a werewolf, that "for a few days a month, I'm not so fun to be around, either."
- In Babylon 5, after transforming into a partially human form, Delenn gets help from Ivanova in managing her new head of hair. Later, as the two of them are boarding a lift, Ivanova volunteers to help with any other "questions". Delenn asks her about "these odd cramps" she's started having. As the doors close, Ivanova gives Delenn a look of sympathy with overtones of "Oh, no...."
- Ivanova seemed to be the go-to target for declarations of TMI-ness. (See also: Vir trying to explain to her the Centauri version of "Getting To First Base")
- In The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon goes shopping with Penny, and observes that she only buys one months' supply of tampons at a time. He suggests that if she buys in bulk, she'll save money - 'they don't spoil'. He eventually starts marking her periods on his calendar.
- In Red Dwarf upon discovering the existence of periods for the first time Kryten points out that you never see this on TV, before, well just see it yourself
- In an earlier episode, Rimmer in the holographic body of Kochanski tries to explain his odd behavior by saying "I'm having a woman's period."
- An episode of Murphy Brown had the title character acting crabbier than usual, leading to Miles asking the question, "Is it the 18th already?"
- Corky also mentions that it would be a good idea to "Circle the 18th. We all do."
- In the very first episode, Murphy says that she has "very bad PMS".
- Several episodes of Sex And The City mentioned it or used it as a plot point. In one episode, the central characters note that they all got their periods at the same time. In another Samantha thinks that she's menopausal because she's late. It later arrives while she's having sex, much to her delight (and her male partner's horror).
- In one BET family comedy, the father is horrified to discover on the morning of a family trip to some historical site it's 'that time' for both his wife and daughter. He tells his uncomprehending son, 'Let's just say that the colonial is not the only period we are going to be experiencing today!'
- Played with by The Physics Of Giving, where Gary thinks that periods and PMS aren't that unpleasant, but are made to sound terrible as a conspiracy by women so that they can conquor the world.
- For the most part, Lost keeps to the rule, rather than delving into the inconvenience of twenty or more female survivors being trapped on an island with no feminine supplies. However, in season 4's "Eggtown," Kate, who has been worried she might be pregnant, is suddenly certain she isn't, and mention is made that she and Sawyer abstained that night.
- In Californication Becka gets her first period while she's staying with her father, a few hours before her mother's wedding. They rush to the nearest convenience store to buy the last package of tampons. Hilarity Ensues.
- In the first season of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Dr. Quinn's 14-year-old adopted daughter Colleen gets her first period, and since her mother died in the premiere, she is totally ignorant about what is happening to her. In a perhaps not unrealistic portrayal given the show's setting (late 1860's), Colleen thinks she is dying because she's "been bleeding for three whole days", leading to her being told the "facts of life" by Dr. Quinn's own mother, who has come to visit. Almost a Very Special Episode, but partially subverted by the medical doctor adoptive mother of a teenage girl's obliviousness to the situation, even though it is revealed later in the episode that Dr. Quinn was 14 when she got her first period. Toward the end of the series, poor Colleen suffered more menstrual trauma when she grew frightened about missing several periods, thinking that if Dr. Quinn knew, she would think Colleen was pregnant. Subverted in that instance by Dr. Quinn's explaining that a woman's cycle can be thrown off by emotional or stressful situations (Colleen was studying to attend medical school).
- One of the last Taxi episodes, "Simka's Monthlies", hinges on her crippling PMS keeping her from the appointment with the immigration board she needs to attend to become an American citizen.
- During a party on The Young Ones, Rik once found a tampon in a young woman's purse. Not only did he fail to recognize what it was, he unwrapped it in the mistaken belief that it was a 'present', then innocently played with the parts, in front of a room full of party guests. (In the DVD commentary, the show's writers were astounded that the BBC censors hadn't made them cut the scene!)
Rik: Oh look, a little mousie! Mousy, mousy, mousy... (dances it along the mortified girl's arm) Would Mousy like a little drink? (dips it in her drink) Oh look, it's swelling up!
- The first episode of Blossom revolves around this, as the writers decided to get that issue out of the way early (and work a Phylicia Rashad guest spot in).
- Inverted in an episode of Charmed when all the sisters have their period at the same time and, predictaby enough, act a bit Out Of Character (or is it temporal Flanderization?) for the entire episode: Piper becomes crankier, Phoebe becomes whinier and Paige becomes jumpier. Of course, when other, magical, stuff happens to them, they write it off to "that time of the month". The fact that the Moon became blue for a few nights doesn't bother them at all.
- In a CSI: Miami episode, a teenage girl disappears from her bedroom in the middle of the night and the only sign of a struggle is a small pool of blood on the sheets. It took the CS Is a disturbingly long time to figure out that the girl had started her period during the night.
- In one of the early episodes of Blake's Seven (probably the second episode, this Troper can't remember), a prison guard tells Jenna that the prison ship doesn't have any "female facilities." Three guesses to what he's referring to—then again, Jenna is the only female prisoner.
- In a later episode of The Cosby Show, youngest daughter, Rudy, gets her first period. Her mother, Clair, declares a "Women's Day" to celebrate it and to answer any questions Rudy might have. Rudy doesn't want to talk about it.
- Twelfth Night, Act I, Scene Five, William Shakespeare, in the words of the Countess Olivia: "If you be not mad, be gone; if you have reason, be brief. 'Tis not that time of moon with me to make one in so skipping a dialogue." And who says Shakespeare isn't relevant?
- Baby, a musical which follows two pregnant couples and one who is trying but failing to conceive starts with the "trying" couple believing that the woman has gotten pregnant because her period is late. When they see a fertility specialist, he explains that her overachiever jock lifestyle is the cause of her missed periods and that she should simply reduce the number of miles she runs per day to smooth things out.
- In Grease, one of the female characters has a minor crisis because her period is late and she doesn't know how to tell he boyfriend she might be pregnant. It is referred to in 50's euphemisms: Menses is "having a visit" (presumably from Aunt Flo) and the possible consequences of its lack are simply "PG".
- The Sims fans went far enough to make a hack for it, although for every one person who uses it there's someone protesting the infliction of 'needless cruelty' on their Sims. I kid you not.
- In Baten Kaitos, one of the flashback cutscenes involves Lady Melodia getting her first period and it's played out that it's the sign that she is now the rightful heir.
- In The King Of Fighters, it's implied that every month, Leona has one Hell of a PMS. Makes sense that Orochi heirs awaken their demonic side when their/other heirs' blood is drawn; So, since women have their blood drawn every month... Yeah. It's even clearer at her team's ending in the 2002's edition.
- In Persona 3 a conversation on 6.8 notes something was effecting Yukari's mood during the monorail incident they are talking about the full moon, but the comparison seems to be purposeful
- Katawa Shoujowould like to introduce you to Rin Tezuka. Rin has no arms. The end of Rin's story arc in Act I contains a Crowning Moment Of Funny.
Rin: I'm having my period and I need some help regarding that. However, I don't feel that our relationship is yet on the level where I could allow you to pull my underwear down in the girl's toilet even if you offer to.
- In Misfile, Ash does get periods, and is understandably horrified and irritated when she does, given that she's supposed to be a guy. The first one was a major plot point; subsequent flows less so.
- The Wotch: see here
- Something Positive, as the main gag here, here and here, but also used as a throwaway line here.
- In Pandect, one subset of (female) Gladiators is able to inflict the pains of menstruation and labor on others. See here.
- Questionable Content, like this and this and implied here.
- In The Order of the Stick #29, Haley temporarily splits from the team and discovers a treasure hoard, which she promptly appropriates for herself. Roy attempts to call her on this, finally demanding to know what is in the large bag of holding (labeled "Haley's Loot" and with gold glittering on top) beside her. Haley calmly responds 'feminine products', to which Roy has no reply.
- Later, in #380, Sabine (a succubus-like demon/devil) excused herself claiming it was "That time of the century". Her friend was somewhat surprised, but chose not to press the issue. ("The red knight is requesting lodging" is probably as good as euphemisms get, by the way).
- Actually, since both those characters were lying, maybe people just don't have periods in Oot S world...
- Arthur King Of Time And Space here.
- Girl Genius plays this straight. In all the time that has passed in the comic there has been no mention of any of the non-Construct female characters having a period (assuming that female Constructs probably aren't equipped to do that)
- Possibly played behind the scenes, given her behavior during the current arc after she gains control over part of Castle Heterodyne. Of course, that doesn't explain where her periods were as she was growing up.
- In Sluggy Freelance a spell causes people to start singing about every little thing Gwynn does. Yes, everything.
- This XKCD comic uses this to set up a horrible pun.
- VGCats manages to link this with the current vampire craze.
- The Saga Of Tuck has a number of points where periods play a mentioned role:
- One of the major factors in Tuck and Debbie's breakup was that Debbie had been having severe cramps that night, and had taken both painkillers and alcohol to ease them; this left her in too unstable a state of mind for the events later that night.
- One night, when Valerie was changing at Rachel's apartment, Rachel commented that it was Val's period. Use at least 1cc of lubricant for anal sex, and go very slowly at least the first time.
- During a house party at the Tuckers, Tuck noticed blood on the dress of one of the freshman girls, and tried to discreetly take her aside to mention it. Hilarity occurred.
- So far averted in the Whateley Universe; this may in part be because for some of the protagonists, who have only recently turned female as a side effect of their mutation, their first period is a pretty big deal. (Fey's first bout with PMS was particularly memorable, thunderstorms in the hallways of the dorm and all.)
- And that's why the writers of Animaniacs created Katie Kaboom to explain to innocent little children why their big sister chucks a psycho for NO JUSTIFIABLE REASON WHATSOEVER once a month. ("I'm Not Overreacting!! Im a Teenager!!")
- 6teen has an entire episode dedicated to the boys dealing with the girls who are on their periods. One eats lots of chocolate, on gets irritable and one is cramped. They even have a discussions about how their cycles have synced up which proves that they are such good friends and then go buy chocolate and tampons. Also, all of the men are horribly squeamish about the whole thing. All in all, it was a remarkably open episode about a normally taboo subject.
- The King Of The Hill episode "Aisle 8A" was all about Hank's neighbor's daughter Connie getting her period — and all the chaos that ensues because of it.
- As with other touchy subjects, periods are often fodder for humor in South Park:
- In the Halloween episode "Spooky Fish" Stan receives a visit from his Aunt Flo, leading to the inevitable jokes about her visiting his mother once a month.
- Cartman once mentioned that Kyle's mom "gets a bug up her butt" once a month.
- In "The New Terrance and Phillip Trailer", Stan makes a deal with his sister to get her tampons so he can see the titular trailer, as she wanted to watch Buffy instead. The TV blows up, the boys run around town looking for another and forget about the tampons entirely, leading to them breaking in and being washed away by a tidal wave of menstrual fluid.
- The infamous "Bloody Mary" episode centers around a statue of the Virgin Mary that miraculously bleeds out her ass. Under closer inspection, the Pope declares that the blood is coming from the vagina, and that there is nothing miraculous about that.
- In "Are You There, God? It's Me, Jesus" the boys think they are having their period, when it actually turns out to be stomach flu.
- In "Towelie", while at Stan's house, Cartman discovers a used tampon which he mistakes for an aborted fetus in the garbage. In an effort to get the kids to never mention the tampon again, Stan's mother buys the kids a video game system, the Okama Gamesphere.
- In "Summer Sucks", the Mayor's aides have to field a press conference, claiming her to be sick. When the reporters complain about how lame an excuse that is, one of the aides announces "She's having her period!" and they all go quiet.
- In the movie, Bigger Longer & Uncut, Mr. Garrison remarks that he doesn't trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn't die.
- And lest we forget... Cherokee Hair Tampons.
- Made and promoted by Cheech and Chong, no less.
- Drawn Together handles this with the usual grace and sensitivity when promiscuous Foxxy Love is surprised to see she's gotten her period. Implied, of course, is that Foxxy has never been non-pregnant enough to cycle normally.
- The Robot Chicken episode "Slaughterhouse on the Prarie" shows what happens when She Ra Princess Of Power has her period while the usual problems arise. There were no survivors. (Or almost none, anyhow.)
- During a flashback on Family Guy Peter announces Meg's first period to the entire neighborhood during the middle of the night. Quagmire responds that though the news is very hot, he'll deal with it in the morning because now he wants to sleep. In another episode Stewie buys an On The Raggedy Anne doll that shouts abuse at him when he pulls her string, saying that he'll at least get to play with it three weeks out of the month. And in another episode, Meg rushes into a marriage with a doctor who she falls for because she has shown signs that he impregnated her... but at the last minute before walking the alter, what does she tell her mom in the locker room? You guessed it. ;) In still another episode, Stewie reads a book that explains the menstrual cycle, and he reacts with extreme revulsion, saying "that's the most disgusting thing I've seen in my entire life!"
- Ask any Avatar The Last Airbender fan, and they'll guarantee "The Awakening" took place during Katara's time of the month.
- Fans speculate that Raven in Teen Titans "Trouble in Tokyo" was having her period because she was uncharacteristically mean to Beastboy, smacking him around and yelling at him the whole time (something she normally didn't do in the series).
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