Jessica Biel Recalls 'Crying Hysterically' When She Got Her First Period: 'I Was So Scared'

Jessica Biel wants people to realize that "periods are cool!"

On Tuesday, the Candy actress, 42, shared a get ready with me clip on Instagram, in which she spoke about having her first period at age 11.

"Today I want to talk about something that not a lot of people talk about, which is crazy because it happens to 50% of the population," Biel began.

"And, still, in 2024, having a hard time destigmatizing this... your period, right? I think it's just important to normalize this thing," she added.

The 7th Heaven star noted that "it's so hard when you're trying to hide" your period, adding that you "feel embarrassed" and "ashamed by it," and that's exactly how she felt when she got her first period.

She went on to tell the "funny story," which happened the morning of her play in school. "I was like 11 years old, and I was playing the grandfather character, which was one of the best characters of the show," Biel recalled.

She continued, "I was so scared, I locked myself in the bathroom. I was crying hysterically, I called my mom. I told her, you know, 'something's wrong.' That's what I felt, I felt like something was wrong with me. Even though she had prepared me, I wasn't prepared."

"And to this day, I'm still hiding tampons up my sleeve as I scurry away to the bathroom, which is insane. You should not feel that way at 42," she added. "I ended up doing my play, my mom helped me out, hooked me up. It was bizarre, I managed to do everything I needed to do that day and still have my period, so pass that around."

"I know this was the story you all were waiting for. But actually, can we talk about this?? Periods are cool!" Biel captioned the post.

The actress is mom to sons Silas, 8, and Phineas, 3, whom she shares with husband Justin Timberlake, 43. The pair tied the knot in 2012.

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Biel's latest post was a little different to her last, as she marked the morning after her 42nd birthday on Sunday by sharing some photos on Instagram of herself having coffee and a cookie while wearing sunglasses and a gray hooded sweater.

"Mob Boss Morning ☕️🍪" Biel captioned the two snaps. Before that, on her birthday, she'd captioned an array of sexy photos: "Not a mob wife, a mob BOSS. 💋."