An Ode to Our Period Outfits, the Most Important Fashion Statement of the Month

Impact

On Tuesday, a Reddit user posted an image of his wife with the caption "This is my wife's 'don't fucking touch me I'm on my period outfit.'" In the picture, the woman wears an oversized snowman top that reaches her knees, gray cheetah print pants and a pair of fuzzy socks. It's delightful

For many people, it was also an all-too-familiar look. Below the image, one Reddit user even commented, "Mine is basically exactly this, only with the addition of a super fluffy robe and two cats that I use as heating pads." Because really, even if they'd never get a proud #ootd shoutout on our feeds, the "don't fucking touch me I'm on my period" outfit is a key part of so many people's wardrobes. 

Since some of us are treated to the joyous occasion of having our period every month, we treat ourselves and relieve the agony by embracing a certain look, a comfy, oversized look that says, "I have bigger things to worry about than fucking jeans right now." (And don't you dare judge us.)

So what are these outfits that somehow we wear every single month, yet never truly honor and celebrate? Mic reached out to Tumblr users for answers and asked them about what they like to wear when they're getting a visit from Aunt Flo. Here is what we found: 

The most popular feature is huge fucking tops. 

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You may be bloated or you may just be super uncomfortable. A huge fucking shirt provides security when you need it most. It can be so big that it's basically a blanket.

"I have one good bra that I wear specifically that week and a huge, HUGE sweatshirt with my favorite Disney character (Stitch) on it," Tumblr user lessthanlindsey told Mic. "It's like a security blanket to me almost."  

"Old undies that are all stretched out, basketball shorts with huge pockets (My favorite PJ pants), and a too-big T-shirt with the Avengers on it (though tbh, basically all my shirts have the Avengers on it)," werevampiwolf commented

"I always wear my black sweatpants and this huge shirt with a wolf on it that's pink bc someone put it in the wash with a red shirt [that] bled," Tumblr user whyisthereglitterinmygravy answered

Oh, and we like it when the shirts cover our butts. 

Tumblr user winged-firebreather said, "I have this one really, really oversized sweater that I always wear when I have my period. It's cute and I don't have to worry about blood stains because the swather also covers my ass." Totally valid and nicely put!  

Say it with us: sweatpants. 

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When you get that first cramp, you know exactly what's going on your body south of your bellybutton. Sweatpants, like huge shirts, are like a warm blanket for just the lower half of your body. For Tumblr user thebridgetonarnia, it's all about making sure her uterus is totally chill. "Literally anything that doesn't squeeze my uterus too much," she said. "Bye bye, skinny jeans. Hello, sweatpants."

"Old panties, and my comfy blue sweatpants," user soloweirdo answered. "Fun fact: I never actually sweat in them." 

And you know what's even better? Sweatpants and oversized shirts combined. 

"I usually wear an old pair of sweatpants that I got from graduating high school and a nice over sized T-shirt," Tumblr user kochelle said

We need clothing that basically feels like it's giving us a hug.

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We like to be cozy! What can we say? We deserve comfort just like we deserve that second pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream. 

"Typically I wear dark underpants and anything soft and fleecy," cutiewitchgirl answered. "The softer the shirt, the better! And hoodies if it's cold to cuddle up in." 

"My boyfriend's oversized T-shirts, leggings and cozy fuzzy socks," Tumblr user expelling said.  

An upside of super comfy clothes is that they can also feel like a huge hug when we need it most. 

"Nothing beats comfy leggings, Ugg boots (because I want to be hugged, obviously) and stupidly oversized sweaters so I can bury down in them and avoid scrutiny," user finnbigfuckingdeal remarked.

Wearing just a ton of really old shit is totally fine too. 

Mic/Tumblr

One of the upsides of period outfits is that you usually don't have to buy anything at all. For user beafrantic, she told us the outfit consisted of "my old granny undies and my leggings that have a massive hole in the thigh or my really old pink PJ pants with a hole in the knee and my BF's oversized sweater." That's what we call "resourceful." 

"Of course, it's just the oldest pair of stained sweatpants, a gigantic T-shirt and hoodie," a-study-in-scenes added. "Clothes you could swim in, basically."

But sometimes, you still want to look ... nice.

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We can't all turn into home-ridden slobs when our uteruses try to debilitate us. As much as it pains us to say, sometimes it pays to look nice. 

As bee-zur told us: "Black pants but still gotta look fierce — Mama didn't raise no quitter." 

So true and good for you. 

"I actually like to dress up because looking good makes me feel less lousy," solistentothethunder said. "I have a black and white dress that hides any bloating but gets me compliments every time I wear it!" 

Now that you know that all these perfect outfits exist, they can be inspiration for the next time your uterus sheds its lining, or the next time you just want to be super comfortable and not give a damn. Really, if we're being real here, these are the #ootd we really need and continue to aspire to — whether they're Instagram-worthy or not.