Ballerina reveals how she deals with her period (2024)

A Los Angeles-based ballerina has candidly detailed how she deals with having her period when she has to wear form-fitting leotards all day long.

Luna Montana Hoetzel, an 18-year-old YouTube star with more than 392,000 subscribers, has shared her tips and tricks for preventing— or at the very least hiding — embarrassing leaks during training, though she insists it isn't anything to ever feel ashamed about.

'Girls, if you are not a ballet dancer and watching this, imagine having to wear the tightest outfit, like the lightest color clothing on your period,' she says in her latest YouTube video. 'It's very difficult. It's stressful, I know. I've been there.'

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Luna, who has been practicing ballet since she was three years old, explains that a lot of her friends who aren't dancers wear baggy clothes and lie in bed when they are menstruating, but that's not an option for her or many other athletes.

The influencer says she first got her period in the middle of 9th grade when she was 14 years old, admitting she didn't even want it that time.

'I was always like, I don't want my period. Like, not getting my period is a sign that I'm skinny enough and my body doesn't need to do that and all that,' she recalls of her struggles with bodydysmorphia. 'That's a really unhealthy mindset.'

After she got her period for the first time in the 9th grade, she says it didn't come back for another year or so. She admits her menstrual cycles have only recently started to become more regular.

However, she says after 15 years of dancing, she has 'learned a thing or two' about how to handle periods as a ballerina.

'My first tip, which should be very obvious to you guys, is to not wear light-colored leotards when you're on your period,' she explains. 'You want to wear dark colors. Red, maybe? Just for peace of mind.

'You know if you're wearing a dark color and you're bleeding through a little bit, you're totally gonna be fine,' she says, noting her tips only really work if there isn't a dress code at the dance studio.

Luna goes on to advise wearing layers, saying her dance warm-ups have always helped her feel confident going into class.

'The absolute best thing that you can do is wear shorts,' she says. 'I know this is something that me and my friends did all the time. I remember when I first got my period and I wasn't really comfortable wearing tampons yet, I wore like a huge pad in my leotard and wore trash bag shorts over.

'Skirts are something that would probably work better if you have a dress code,' she adds. 'Teachers will allow you to wear skirts, especially a woman teacher. Just go up to her and say, "Hey, I'm on my period. Can I please wear a skirt?"'

Luna says ballerinas who don't have a dress code should also consider wearing their tights over their leotards because panty liners are less likely to shift this way.

'Obviously, if you are a dancer, tampons are your best bet. It's very hard to be a full-time ballerina and only wear pads,' she admits. 'I wear tampons always when I'm dancing.'

The dancer says ballerinas should wear super or super plus tampons on their heavy days and change their tampons right before class 'just to make sure.'

'Another thing think for peace of mind is the tampon string,' she adds. 'You never want to have that, you know, hanging out. Make sure your tampon string is tucked either back or front or, you know, whatever.'

Luna says she also always tries to wear a panty liner in addition to her tampon, explaining: 'No matter what, I am going to bleed through a little bit.'

Although there are thong panty liners available, she says they are 'still a little big,' so she always cuts them with scissors to make them fit into her leotard.

The ballerina has a pad and scissors on hand in the clip, and she quickly demonstrates how she cuts her panty liners into small ovals.

Despite her tips, she points out that leaks are inevitable, and she urges other dancers to 'always' have an extra pair of tights and an extra leotard in their bags just in case.

'Always be that person that has extras,' she says, noting that if you do bleed through your clothes, use 'cold water only' to wash out the stain.

Luna stresses that period leaks are nothing new, and women shouldn't feel ashamed if they get them during dance class.

'If you do bleed through or have a tampon string hanging out, like who cares? You know what I mean? Every single girl in that class has their period, probably, and deals with stuff like that,' she insists.

'So don't be ashamed or ever embarrassed when something like that happens because it happens to everybody.'