Brooks Nader, Jennifer Lawrence and More Stars Who Normalized Discussing Their Periods
For far too long, reproductive health issues were treated as taboo subjects, but public health experts and celebrities have helped make huge strides in normalizing discussions around the menstrual cycle.
Dakota Johnson got very real in 2019 when discussing the ways in which she struggled physically and emotionally during her cycle.
'If I'm honest, my hormonal changes during my menstrual cycle are ruining my life," she told InStyle at the time. "Every month. It's unbelievable. It's really f****** amazing. I can't get a grip on it. I'm like, what? Every time, I'm totally scandalized about what happens to my body and my brain. My boobs are like eight times the size they normally are. It's really a traumatic thing, and it happens every month."
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The Materialists actress added that her experiences inspired her to partner with the charitable group Global Citizen to promote reproductive health education for the developing world.
'I really would like to understand and be able to manage things a little better, know what's happening in my body, and know what I'm putting into it,' she noted.
Keep scrolling for more stories of celebrities speaking candidly about their periods.
Nader revealed in July 2025 that her period unexpectedly started while she was watching a tennis match at Wimbledon. In a TikTok video, the model spun around in her cap-sleeve black blouse with a long white skirt to reveal a small bloodstain on the skirt.
'Tries to be chic. Starts 🩸 at Wimbledon,' she joked.
The 'Cool for the Summer' singer told People that her mom and sister celebrated when she revealed that she'd gotten her period for the first time.
'I told my mom and my sister [when I got my first period] ... and they actually embarrassed me so bad," she joked in 2015. "My sister folded a poster board in half and made a card out of it and drew pictures, and it said, 'Happy Period Day!''
Lovato went on: '[My sister] drew stick figures and kisses, and she used red markers ... I have a pretty good sense of humor, so on one hand, I was totally embarrassed, and on the other, I thought it was awesome."
The Hunger Games actress explained to Harper's Bazaar that her period has presented fashion challenges since it tends to occur right at the peak of awards season. Lawrence famously went with a 'Plan B' dress for the 2016 Golden Globes to avoid discomfort.
'Plan A was a dress that I couldn't wear because awards season is synced with my menstrual cycle, and it has been for years,' she said. "It was loose at the front. And I didn't have to worry about sucking anything in. The other dress was really tight, and I'm not going to suck in my uterus. I don't have to do that."
In a 1998 Rolling Stone interview, Winslet remembered what it was like to shoot Titanic in a massive water tank at the same time as she was going through her period.
'I'm not saying it was all happy-clappy,' the Oscar winner said. 'There were days when you'd just think, 'Oh, my God, I've got my period and I can't get in that freezing-cold water today.' I remember standing up and saying to everyone, 'Listen, if it suddenly looks like Jaws, the movie, it's my fault.''
The supermodel spoke earnestly with friend Kendall Jenner for Vogue about the way her body changed throughout her cycle.
'My boobs are small right now. They get really big when it's that time of the month,' Gigi explained.
Jenner nodded along and even joined in saying 'that time of the month' with Hadid, indicating that she may have had similar experiences.
Dunham has spoken about undergoing a hysterectomy in 2017 following her endometriosis diagnosis. (According to the Mayo Clinic, endometriosis is a condition that results from the 'inner lining of the uterus [growing] outside the uterus.' It can cause severe pain during menstrual cycles.)
The Girls creator told The Times U.K. that the medical procedure presented its own challenges for her viability to carry a child, since her uterus, cervix and one of her ovaries were removed.
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'It was a grief but it was also a relief,' she said in June 2025. 'I thought I would have the opportunity to experience my fertility and my cycle waning and it never was. Instead it was a very quick, sharp cut-off … I will say we're in the process of expanding our family in new ways.'
Decker revealed in 2020 that she used Depends branded underwear — which help control leakage for those suffering from incontinence.— after giving birth to her second child. (Decker and husband Andy Roddick share son Hank and daughter Stevie.)
'If you don't want to talk about periods, keep scrolling,' she joked via Instagram. 'I don't know why I'm putting this out there publicly, but wtf happens post-children that makes … well … let's just say I am now in the depends-wearing stage of my period.'
The model received lots of love for speaking so frankly, with many of her famous followers sharing similar experiences. Life in Pieces star Angelique Cabral agreed that it's 'a war zone down there' after having kids, while Teresa Palmer said she was 'still waiting for [my period] to return so I can't have more babies.'
Schumer fronted a PSA in 2020, in partnership with tampon brand Tampax, to encourage others to 'take control over their periods.' The humorous clip followed Schumer as she chatted with real people about their most vulnerable period stories.
'It made my heart hurt to hear about the discomfort people are putting up with because they don't understand periods or even how to use a tampon properly,' she said at the time. 'I want to do everything I can to change that. My hope is that through this partnership, we'll educate ourselves and each other and take the senseless shame out of getting your period.'
Cyrus revealed to Marie Claire in 2015 that she enlisted her mom Tish Cyrus' help in a moment of dire need when she got her period on the Hannah Montana set. Unfortunately, the singer was wearing white pants at the time!
'It was so embarrassing, but I couldn't leave,' she recalled. 'And I was crying, begging my mom, 'You're going to have to put the tampon in. I have to be on set.'
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