Welcome to a “top five favorites” with no solid basis, in no particular order, just pure nostalgia. So stick around to revisit some urban legends of taboo references from our Y2K puberty days. Fair warning, it’s not all PG.

So coming in number five from the favorites list is the urban legend of period rituals. Did that ring any bells? Give you a flashback of when and where you got your first period? Remember when you first told your mom about it and what she told you to do?

Yeah, well, aside from emotions being all over the place, the rituals weren’t any different. Depending on where you are in the world, you get to experience it uniquely. So for your convenience, we’ll give you a roundtrip ticket to some of these superstitions:

• Wiping your face with your first period blood will help prevent breakouts. One thing’s for sure though, this is one step to busting the myth that period blood is dirty blood. Because it’s not.
• Do not touch plants or flowers while on your period because they’ll wilt easily. Talk about period power!
• Carrying babies while on your period is a big no-no because you’ll make them sick. Better safe than sorry?
• Don’t paint your nails, wash your hair, or shave. Period.

On to number four from the favorites list of urban legends from our puberty days is the phrase, “Popping the Cherry”. This one can be anybody’s puberty days because this age-old slang was used way before “groovy” was a catchphrase. So as much as this not-so innocent phrase has a youthful ring to it, there isn’t much truth to it.

Following the popular belief that the cherry refers to a woman’s hymen that pops or breaks when they’re no longer a virgin… well, it’s just that. A popular belief. But in reality, just how bodies are built different, not every body bleeds when they pop their cherries.

Now continuing with the taboo countdown—called taboo just because they’re normal bodily functions that aren’t experienced by everyone—is number 3. The urban legend of period syncing.

While other friend groups have friendship bracelets and matching tattoos, some have their periods synced with one another. Remember how in school you’d ask your best friend if she has a pad and you’re almost always not surprised that she’s prepared because she’s on her period too? Ah, good times. Or when you’re super stressed out with final exams, take a toilet break to change, and hear more wrappers opening in the other stalls? Fun times when your stresses are syncing up, too.

But as much as this urban legend needs some more backing up, it’s still nice to believe in a connection that only you and your bloody friends can have.
Down to the last two! Here we have our number two spot saved for, drum roll please, the Teen Angst stereotype.

Oh the notion that teen angst is just unnecessary mood swings and over dramatic episodes is pretty legendary. Just how parents used to excuse their preteen and teen’s behaviors for quote unquote, teen angst. And how one kid in class overuses the term as an excuse for bad behavior.

But to set it straight, those undergoing puberty do express bigger reactions as part of growing up. And some sad triggers can lead to depression. It can get dangerous to dismiss someone’s feelings and put them in a stereotype, especially if the talk of mental illnesses is still a taboo. So yeah, there’s no stereotype, just actual feelings.
Oh my, what do we have next? The number one urban legend of taboo references goes to… jelly bracelets! Again, in no particular order, it’s just fun to place it on top. It’s so legendary and so taboo that at one point it got banned.

The jelly bracelets or shag bands that came back in the early 2000s as more than just a fashion statement. Well, to some it was still cool to wear regardless of its rebrand as a sexual accessory piece, thanks to tv shows and those who sold them in schools to hop on the trend.

Quite the throwback to knowing about the color codes as a middle schooler… when someone breaks your yellow bracelet you need to hug them, and then other colors breaking mean something more.

Oh nostalgia.

And that’s the end of it! Be sure to leave your likes and subscribes for more taboo talk. We hope you enjoyed @rhcareinfo’s urban legends list, and ‘til the next countdown!