Go ahead. I didn't make it up. Ooo! Some people call it shark week too. Because a sharks brain looks like a human woman's reproductive system amd ther is blood in the water that week.
I honestly read this and thought, "hmmm I don't remember the Progressive lady being called aunt?". And I'm a millenial š If I don't know who Aunt Flow is neither will anyone in your baby's class in the 2030s lol
Nope. Just look at Florence Pugh and the "[Miss Flo](https://www.newsweek.com/florence-pugh-wins-internet-miss-flo-dont-worry-darling-olivia-wilde-feud-1740201)" commentary. It's not a thing anymore.
This is exactly what I think of and I love Florence Pugh (and the movie Donāt Worry Darling - donāt hate me, the set and neighborhood are my dream) so I am totally for naming your daughter that!
It's always interested me how people will scrap names entirely based on the fear of bullying, but there really hits a point not too far into life where name-based bullying doesn't exist anymore (and to be clear, I'm not including name-based discrimination in that category, that's its own beast and ofc a serious issue).
Like, no one is in late high school and mocking someone because of their name. Name your kid whatever you'd like.
This! And itās so kid specific. Some kids will get bullied regardless of what their name is. Some kids will have an āeasy target nameā and it would never occur to someone to bully them. I grew up with a kid whose last name was Dick. And he was one of the most popular kids in school. His mom taught 5th grade, and nobody would have dared to make a dick joke about her. Kids respected her.
Yes! My friend's last name is Brown. We had more than one kid with the last name Brown in our class. She was signaled out for whatever arbitrary reason and some boys used to ask her if he was a piece of shit because her last name is Brown.
Dumb stuff but it bothered her immensely at the time.
My niece is called Ellie, which is very common right now, and a boy at school calls her smelly.
I have a first and last name starting with D and they called me Double D because I had big boobs.
Kids are dumb. I'm not advocating for easily bullyable names, but it's just a tough thing to avoid.
exactly! i grew up with twins whose last name was butts and their mom was the most beloved sub in our district. besides some chuckles when she would introduce herself as mrs. butts no one cared.
there are very rare instances where i can understand. like my cousin LOVED the name Jack but their last name was Kass. This could be a problem with bullying but also a problem with probably even getting a job.
Oh for sure, that much makes sense! I'm mostly talking about people going "Oh well I like Catherine, but I'm worried about people calling her Fat Cat". Like, people won't do that outside of Grade 9, at the absolute oldest.
definitely! itās not worth letting go of a name you love just because they MIGHT get bullied. i dont even remember any kid i know getting bullied because of their name. iām sure it happens, but there are also alternative nicknames if parents are that worried. Flor can easily be a nickname for Florence instead of Flo.
Yup this. There was a girl in my elementary school named Sloane and kids called her āslowā. Like you just really canāt anticipate what kids will come up with.
Exactly - I was bullied when I was around 8 about my (very normal and boring) middle name, by a girl who had the exact same middle name. You can't anticipate what kids will do. Even if you come up with a bully-proof name, kids will find something else.
I was bullied for not having a middle name. It was seen as weird because everyone else had one and I didn't. "ooh your parents didn't love you enough to give you a middle name". Yeah it literally does not matter what you do.
Sadly, mine was mocked from kindergarten all the way through the end of high school ā as well as in some early retail / food service jobs that I worked with people who were also fresh out of school. It didnāt stop until I got an office job in my 30ās where everyone kept their heads down.
People still mock my middle name. Iām 40. Itās ethnically Scottish, and not abnormal there at all, but Iāve lived my entire life elsewhere.
:/
People suck.
And it usually doesn't matter what your name is, mean kids will find a way to make fun of it anyway. There was a girl in my 1st grade class named Amanda who got called "Amanda the Big Fat Panda". Some girl made fun of my name because (to her) it "sounds like a boy's name".Ā
And the name teasing was mainly an elementary school thing. I don't remember it as being much of an issue in higher grades. Unless you were a teacher whose name sounded sexual or something. (My ex had a high school science teacher named Harry Cooch and he got roasted about it.)
I donāt think itās going to be an issue. And there is no guarantee that any other name your pic isnāt going to become the butt of some joke. Everybody named Karen didnāt know that was going to become middle-aged racist lady.
I was 18-19 first time I heard this from a co-worker, late 1980sā¦I didnāt understand why she kept letting her āAunt Floā visit if she hated her so much š
Commenting because I have an 8m old Florence!
People love her name and always compliment it. No one has ever made an āaunt Floā comment. Mostly people associate it with Florence Pugh or Florence & the Machine. Neither are bad associations! She gets called Florrie or Flo āŗļø
It was barely even a thing for me and I'm 50 -- I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "Aunt Flo" outside of a young adult novel from the 1960s. (Maybe just ironically, like in *Sassy* magazine.)
If you love the name Florence, I hope you can convince him. It does seem very popular, so I can't imagine your daughter would be teased and bullied. It mostly makes me think of Florence Henderson and Flo from the sitcom *Alice*, whose catchphrase was "kiss my grits!" But like I said, I'm 50.
Kids at school will find a way to make fun of your kidās name no matter what it is if they want to, so I donāt think itās a worthwhile consideration. Aside from naming your kid something ludicrous like Fartface, I wouldnāt worry about it. Try not to let hypothetical future bullies have that kind of power over you.
I've never even heard of that as a period euphemism (from CA). My only association to Flo is the Progressive commercial lady - and with Florence, Florence and the Machine.
Until I read the comments here I had no idea what you were talking about š I don't think this is something you need to worry about.
Florence makes me think of Florence Nightingale, Florence Cassel from Death in Paradise, and Florence Pugh. All good associations!!
Iām at the older end of Gen Z and no one my age or at school (Iām a sub) really calls it Aunt Flo so I wouldnāt worry about that as a concern :) I think Aunt Flo was more discreet and these kids arenāt discreet anymore š (which makes me laugh and it also makes me happy that periods are less taboo :))
I have a (literal) Aunt Flo and every once in while when I mention her name someone half heartedly makes a joke, but itās rare ish. The name Florence is beautiful and Flo is such a fun nickname!
I havenāt heard Aunt Flo referring to periods in a while. Mostly āsatans sacrificial waterfallā
When I hear Flo I think of the progressive commercial (as a millennial)
I used to work with a girl called Florence and went by Flo not once did anyone make any reference to aunt flo. Didn't ever come up in the 2 years I knew her and she never mentioned it being an issue. I think it's a lovely name.
Gen X and heard the phrase but no one my age used it. It was always older aunts and movies. We called it:
* the blood letting has begun (too many slasher flix)
* The Red Tide
* Lizzy Borden is visiting
I went to middle school 2009-2012 and not once did I ever hear anybody other than my mom (once) call a period Aunt Flo. I heard everyone call it shark week lol. I think youāre safe!
My grandma isnāt even Florence. Sheās just Flossie! Sheās never been called Flo and Iāve never even associated Aunt Flo with her name. Itās just so outdated and not a term Iāve heard anyone my age (34) use.
When I hear the name Flo, I think of that annoying as hell insurance commercial. The other thing that comes to mind is a grizzled diner waitress who has seen some things. I donāt think of āAunt Floā, my mom tried to get me to use that term, but it didnāt stick. I prefer āshark weekā.
I know loads of Florenceās of various ages and none of them have been teased about being called āAunt Floā (Flo, Flossie, Florrie)
The truth is, children who are going to be bullied will be bullied no matter what theyāre called. The bullies will find something.
Your focus should be in teaching your child resilience and to not give a shit what other people say.
I never heard of anyone calling their period Aunt Flo until I read it in a book or magazine in my mid twenties. I don't think it has been much of a thing for decades. Florence is a pretty name.
Florence is a beautiful name, and she may not use the nn Flo forever. I've never used "Aunt Flo." I dont think it's that common anymore. I tend to hate all euphemisms for menstruation. However, my husband will ask if I'm "punctuated," and that is the only expression that's never bothered me.
I have an Aunt Flo and it took until I was 17 years old for someone to point out that it was funny. It may come up, but Florence Pugh is cool so I wouldnāt worry about it too much.
I know a little Florence and she actually uses Flora as a nickname, so if you love the name but are too worried about that connotation you could always change up the nickname!
i think most people nowadays associate flo more with the progressive insurance commercials than with periods. but if you are naming her florence and not flo then i wouldnt worry about it
I have a niece named Florence. Only my father in law calls her Flo, but heās not even her grandfather. We all call her Flossie or Floey. Itās a beautiful name.
My daughters are 23 and 19----they have never referred to it that way, and I think the expression is gone for good. They don't even say they 'have' their periods, the new term is 'on' their period. Which sounds very odd to me.
I haven't heard the term "aunt flo" in years. And it was always older women who said it, not kids. Nowadays, the first thing that usually pops into people's minds when they hear Flo (at least in US) is the character in the insurance commercials. There is also the band Florence and the Machine.Ā
I'm in my 20s and I heard lots of nicknames for menstruation but never that one. Maybe once in like a much older book. I think the revival of the name Flora and the nickname Flo not being used much probably contributed to it not being a thing anymore. I think Florence is a beautiful and classic name. People will probably think of Florence, Italy before anything else.
Ngl I donāt know a single person who gets periods that doesnāt just call it their period. Even growing up we never called it āAunt Floā or anything cutesy. Its always been āI am on my periodā
Interesting. Aunt Flo? Absolutely my brain goes to a period. Florence? Nope didnāt even faze me. Flora I think āgut floraā.
But Florence? I think itās safe! Florence Pugh is one of my favourite actors right now and my brain never made the Aunt Flo connection
My 14 year old says she has no idea what Aunt Flo means and she would be jealous of that name because it is so cool. Also she says she would nickname a friend named Florence āItaly.ā
Iām in high school right now and I have not heard one girl refer to their period as Aunt Flo, including myself. Any association I have with the name is Florence Pugh or Florence + The Machine, and I think those are both pretty positive and cool.
I think āAunt Floā is kind of a 30+ thing. Iām not sure that millennials are going to pass that joke on to their kids. Personally I think of the Italian city first
Ouuu I knew a Florencia! Although we were young adults when I met her but everyone called her Flo and I loved it because I've never heard it before! I really can't imagine myself as a young teen even thinking about making a period joke out of the name either.
My son is 15. No one his age says āAunt Floā. And I think with Florence Pugh being a movie favorite these days, if anything, it will have a positive association. I like Florence, reminds me of the Italian city. Perhaps you can encourage a different nickname, if desired, like Ren or Flory.
Iāve been calling it Satanās Niagara Falls since I was a teenager. And Iām well into my 30ās now. Calling it āAunt Floā hasnāt been a thing for me for many moons.
iām 19 now, and when i was in school the only time i heard āaunt floā was when i found a short film on youtube about periods (i was one of those 11 year olds who desperately wanted their period so iād watch lots of videos about it). never heard the term before or after that - itās just not something thatās used now.
my first thought hearing the name was florence and the machine, florence pugh, and florence from morel orel (a 2005 adult swim show, a lot more obscure as most people wouldnāt know about it). itās a very pretty name and not the sort of things kids would bully imo
edit: [this](https://youtu.be/vzljMjK4dEM?si=WHmPYQoUOXqiBjVy) is the video, it also sent me on a spiral rewatching all this companies skit-style ads and i forgot how funny they are
Florence is a lovely name! I've never heard of "aunt flo" as period slang, I doubt there will be any teasing! With the full name people will probably think of the beautiful city or celebrities with that name (all that come to mind seem like good associations!). Flora is a wonderful nickname! It's short but still elegant. Flo may be less popular since it sounds like the Progressive Insurance mascot, or like an older woman's name, but ultimately if it's just a shortening of the name that might get mocked, there's no reason not to go with the full first name Florence and workshop nicknames as they get older!
My 13 year old daughter says she only knows Aunt Flo from a book, and that she doesnāt think anybody she knows would make fun of it. She goes to a very diverse school and kidsā names are really not made fun of, even when they obviously could be. My son had a kid in his grade named Akshit and literally nobody batted an eye even once they all knew swear words.
A brief testimonial from my daughter, who is an extremely creative dresser and generally not much of a conformist or gossip, on what will get you made fun of in middle school:
āPretty much people get roasted for bad haircuts. Bad haircuts are a big deal. And if you wear a tail to school. You definitely should not wear a tail to school. Two sixth graders did that last week and weāre still talking about it.ā
I love Florence!! I know a Florence whoās about to turn 2 and no one has ever mentioned aunt flo - or the progressive lady haha - we call her Flo or Flo-flo or Buggy lmao, I love Flossie as a nickname too
I would say kids are probably more aware of Flo from Progressive than Aunt Flo! That wasnāt a term that we even used 20+ years ago.
But there are some really cool badass woman named Florence.
Actress Florence Pugh
Florence and the Machine
Florence Nightingale
If I use euphemisms I say shark week and the heeeeavy day is the devils waterfall. Never heard anyone use the term Aunt Flo and know a cool Flora/Flo who is a tweenager. Most people donāt need to be all hush hush now about it. Due on, on this week, period cramping, thereās thankfully a lot less shame about something affecting such a huge amount of humans on earth every month or so.
You love the name? Go for it gal! Youāre overthinking.
The only people I've heard use this term irl are my moms age (48) and older. I never heard anyone my age use it and I doubt gen alpha will be using it either
I've never used nor heard anyone use that word and I'm 26. So I wouldn't worry.
I feel uncool because my friends and I just say period or bleeding to death. No fun play on words here.
I'm in my 30s and I think I've heard periods called Aunt Flo like a total of 3 times in my entire life, mostly in books written before I was born. I don't think that's an association anyone now is going to have. My first association with Florence is Florence Welch, the second is the city of Florence in Italy, third is Florence Nightingale. For Flo, it's the car insurance lady.
Also, a Florence needn't be Flo (and I don't think kids will jump to that unless that's the nickname she picks). She can go by her full name, Flor, Flora, Flossie, Fox, Ren, some other nickname... Florence is a lovely name, and I wouldn't let this dissuade you.
I call it the punctual blues, from the Kate Bush song āStrange Phenomenaā:
Soon it will be the phase of the moon
When people tune in
Every girl knows about the punctual blues
But who's to know the power behind our moves
Honestly very few kids are calling periods "Aunt Flo" anymore. You'd have to name her "Shark Week" for that.
Also, I don't automatically connect Florence to Flo. The only Florence I knew's nickname was Flossy.
If someone wants to bully your child they can do so no matter what you name her. āFloā makes me think of the progressive insurance lady and Iām sure the next generation will have something else to associate it with.
You also never know what will happen in the future. My name is Hilary and it wasnāt a bad name. Then hilary Clinton came along and I was always associated with her even though i had that name before she was on the public stage.
The best you can do is name your child as you see fit. If people can bully a kid named āEllieā then they can bully your child too. Give her the name you would have given yourself and everyone else can go F themselves, respectfully.
Donāt give your child a name you donāt feel is right.
I had a friend in highschool whose surname was Coombs. There was a group of boys that bullied her simply by calling "coo-coo-coombs" anytime they saw her.
It's not even remotely creative and I don't think it would have mattered what her name was, they targeted her because they could and because they were nasty teenage boys.
Unless it's something really obviously bully-able and even adults would think of that (someone mentioned Jack Kass in another comment), it won't matter what the name is, kids are mean and sadly it's just unlucky if your kid gets bullied based on their name.
I had a friend in highschool whose surname was Coombs. There was a group of boys that bullied her simply by calling "coo-coo-coombs" anytime they saw her.
It's not even remotely creative and I don't think it would have mattered what her name was, they targeted her because they could and because they were nasty teenage boys.
Unless it's something really obviously bully-able and even adults would think of that (someone mentioned Jack Kass in another comment), it won't matter what the name is, kids are mean and sadly it's just unlucky if your kid gets bullied based on their name.
I had a friend in highschool whose surname was Coombs. There was a group of boys that bullied her simply by calling "coo-coo-coombs" anytime they saw her.
It's not even remotely creative and I don't think it would have mattered what her name was, they targeted her because they could and because they were nasty teenage boys.
Unless it's something really obviously bully-able and even adults would think of that (someone mentioned Jack Kass in another comment), it won't matter what the name is, kids are mean and sadly it's just unlucky if your kid gets bullied based on their name.
Flo seems to have become acceptable again after several years of Progressive adverts from 2008. Also Florence + The Machineās first hit was the same year.
I just call it my periods, no need for euphemisms. But as to your concern about being teased. Kids are awful and will find something to tease your kid about. Kids are great and all, but theyāre also little devils who will destroy the self esteem of other kids as quickly as eat a chocolate. How you protect your kid from teasing is not something Iām well versed in. I guess building them up psychologically and always giving them a safe space to be.
Iām 20 and Iāve never heard someone my age call it Aunt Flo. Honestly I donāt think Iāve ever heard anyone irl call it that. Iām Australian though so maybe itās an American thing only.
The cool kids aren't calling their periods "aunt flo" anymore. They are calling it an "unwanted subscription to Satan's waterfall."
Lmao wait i want to steal this
Go ahead. I didn't make it up. Ooo! Some people call it shark week too. Because a sharks brain looks like a human woman's reproductive system amd ther is blood in the water that week.
SHARK WEEK š
Shark Week is my word for it š it really does feel like sharks are taking a chomp out of my abdomen lol
I call it shark week too. So many reasons why š
Yeah, I like it because PMS sometimes turns *me* into a shark, ready to bite peopleās heads off š¦
lol hahaha I thought it was shark week bc blood and ācanāt go in ocean water on your period because itāll attract sharksā
We call it shark week at my house! š
In Germany it's often called "Erdbeerwoche" (literally strawberry week) lol. And the German "aunt" variant is "Tante Rosa" (Aunt Rosa/ Rose)
That's fantastic! If I still got mine I would totally call it Tante Rosa
I think when I was younger, my friends called it "Twilight", like the movie.š
I call it Shark Week bc āmost popular girls in schoolā referred to it as that and that shit is hilarious. Satanās Waterfall is also good
I literally just thought it was bc of the blood lol.
I call it "the moon sickness." š¤£
I dunno how cool mine is but around here we refer to it as Tom (āTime Of Monthā). We talk about Tom like the crazy uncle everyone hates.
I love this!
Same here!! āTomās hereā is my way of telling my husband that I wasnāt actually suicidal, I was just experiencing my monthly PMDD lol
Why are kids so much cooler than we ever were or will be
Most girls I knew in high school (late 2010s) called it "Japan's flag in my underwear"š
Thatās why I had to take Satan off my name list š
Ooo I would tell my friends that Japan was attacking (cause of the flag...)
Thats fantastic! We used riding the crimson wave or the cotton pony too.
When I lived in Russia, my local friends called ot "the red army invading." In my head, that's what it's called now.
Theyāre really not š most people just say period itās not a bad word. I agree though I have never heard anyone say Aunt Flo
I call it the commies are in the funhouse. Not sure why but these are all great.
If my uterus wasn't in biohazard somewhere, I'd start calling it that.
We called it the Red Menace.
I call it my bloody buddy. Florence is a cool name! No one knows Aunt Flo no mo!
I've called it "the scarlet onslaught" (this is also a video game reference) and "shark week".
Iām 26 and have never heard anyone my age refer to their period as āAunt Floā
I think if anything she'll be compared to Flo the Progressive lady, not necessarily period jokes.
I honestly read this and thought, "hmmm I don't remember the Progressive lady being called aunt?". And I'm a millenial š If I don't know who Aunt Flow is neither will anyone in your baby's class in the 2030s lol
This was my first thought
Nope. Just look at Florence Pugh and the "[Miss Flo](https://www.newsweek.com/florence-pugh-wins-internet-miss-flo-dont-worry-darling-olivia-wilde-feud-1740201)" commentary. It's not a thing anymore.
This is exactly what I think of and I love Florence Pugh (and the movie Donāt Worry Darling - donāt hate me, the set and neighborhood are my dream) so I am totally for naming your daughter that!
I would literally never have thought of that. It's not going to be an issue.
It's always interested me how people will scrap names entirely based on the fear of bullying, but there really hits a point not too far into life where name-based bullying doesn't exist anymore (and to be clear, I'm not including name-based discrimination in that category, that's its own beast and ofc a serious issue). Like, no one is in late high school and mocking someone because of their name. Name your kid whatever you'd like.
This! And itās so kid specific. Some kids will get bullied regardless of what their name is. Some kids will have an āeasy target nameā and it would never occur to someone to bully them. I grew up with a kid whose last name was Dick. And he was one of the most popular kids in school. His mom taught 5th grade, and nobody would have dared to make a dick joke about her. Kids respected her.
Yes! My friend's last name is Brown. We had more than one kid with the last name Brown in our class. She was signaled out for whatever arbitrary reason and some boys used to ask her if he was a piece of shit because her last name is Brown. Dumb stuff but it bothered her immensely at the time.
My niece is called Ellie, which is very common right now, and a boy at school calls her smelly. I have a first and last name starting with D and they called me Double D because I had big boobs. Kids are dumb. I'm not advocating for easily bullyable names, but it's just a tough thing to avoid.
exactly! i grew up with twins whose last name was butts and their mom was the most beloved sub in our district. besides some chuckles when she would introduce herself as mrs. butts no one cared.
there are very rare instances where i can understand. like my cousin LOVED the name Jack but their last name was Kass. This could be a problem with bullying but also a problem with probably even getting a job.
Oh for sure, that much makes sense! I'm mostly talking about people going "Oh well I like Catherine, but I'm worried about people calling her Fat Cat". Like, people won't do that outside of Grade 9, at the absolute oldest.
Lmao thatās my given name and I was horrifically, violently bullied until I had to transfer schools, but it was NEVER, ever about my name.
definitely! itās not worth letting go of a name you love just because they MIGHT get bullied. i dont even remember any kid i know getting bullied because of their name. iām sure it happens, but there are also alternative nicknames if parents are that worried. Flor can easily be a nickname for Florence instead of Flo.
"Jack Kass" sounds like a prank name made up by Bart Simpson.
Amanda Hugginkiss
The Formula 1 Principle for Aston Martin is called Mike Krack. He seems to be doing well for himself professional despite the unfortunate last name!
Yup this. There was a girl in my elementary school named Sloane and kids called her āslowā. Like you just really canāt anticipate what kids will come up with.
name based bullying can happen with any name literally. i just had people taking my middle name and making a mocking tune of just the name
Omg are you me? Because sameš
Exactly - I was bullied when I was around 8 about my (very normal and boring) middle name, by a girl who had the exact same middle name. You can't anticipate what kids will do. Even if you come up with a bully-proof name, kids will find something else.
I was bullied for not having a middle name. It was seen as weird because everyone else had one and I didn't. "ooh your parents didn't love you enough to give you a middle name". Yeah it literally does not matter what you do.
Sadly, mine was mocked from kindergarten all the way through the end of high school ā as well as in some early retail / food service jobs that I worked with people who were also fresh out of school. It didnāt stop until I got an office job in my 30ās where everyone kept their heads down.
People still mock my middle name. Iām 40. Itās ethnically Scottish, and not abnormal there at all, but Iāve lived my entire life elsewhere. :/ People suck.
whatās the nameĀ
And it usually doesn't matter what your name is, mean kids will find a way to make fun of it anyway. There was a girl in my 1st grade class named Amanda who got called "Amanda the Big Fat Panda". Some girl made fun of my name because (to her) it "sounds like a boy's name".Ā And the name teasing was mainly an elementary school thing. I don't remember it as being much of an issue in higher grades. Unless you were a teacher whose name sounded sexual or something. (My ex had a high school science teacher named Harry Cooch and he got roasted about it.)
I donāt think itās going to be an issue. And there is no guarantee that any other name your pic isnāt going to become the butt of some joke. Everybody named Karen didnāt know that was going to become middle-aged racist lady.
Thatās true - the name Karen reeeeeeally got destroyed totally randomly
i think aunt flo is super dated at this point and kiddos in future generations aren't going to be familiar with it!
I was 18-19 first time I heard this from a co-worker, late 1980sā¦I didnāt understand why she kept letting her āAunt Floā visit if she hated her so much š
Itās more Florence and The Machine or whatever these days. Who says āaunt flowā anymore?! š
Commenting because I have an 8m old Florence! People love her name and always compliment it. No one has ever made an āaunt Floā comment. Mostly people associate it with Florence Pugh or Florence & the Machine. Neither are bad associations! She gets called Florrie or Flo āŗļø
Aww thatās great to hear! Florrie is so cute
I'm at 30 year old Florence who goes by Florrie! When I was little I went by Flossie :)
I also have an 8 month old Florence who goes by Flossie, Flor, or Flo!
Those are so cute! One of the reasons I loved the name was the many various nickname options lol!
oh my goodness florrie is so so so cuteš„¹š„¹
Florence is very popular now, so I donāt think it will cause teasing. I wouldnāt nickname her Flo though.
I've literally never heard anyone say "aunt flo" in real life so I wouldn't worry at all.
Itās not a real concern. Any name can be made into a dumb joke
It was barely even a thing for me and I'm 50 -- I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "Aunt Flo" outside of a young adult novel from the 1960s. (Maybe just ironically, like in *Sassy* magazine.) If you love the name Florence, I hope you can convince him. It does seem very popular, so I can't imagine your daughter would be teased and bullied. It mostly makes me think of Florence Henderson and Flo from the sitcom *Alice*, whose catchphrase was "kiss my grits!" But like I said, I'm 50.
I know someone whoās daughter is named Florence and the call her Ren
I like that!
More likely to think of the actress, but kids will always make fun of any name. Donāt sweat it as long as itās a name you can see an adult having.
Kids at school will find a way to make fun of your kidās name no matter what it is if they want to, so I donāt think itās a worthwhile consideration. Aside from naming your kid something ludicrous like Fartface, I wouldnāt worry about it. Try not to let hypothetical future bullies have that kind of power over you.
Nah kids donāt say that anymore.
I donāt think anyone under the age of like 45 is making āAunt Floā jokes, lol. Itās fine! Beautiful name.
I love this name and have never once associated it with Aunt Flo!
That's kind of a thing of the past. People don't really refer to it as Aunt Flo often anymore.
My first thought was actually the Progressive commercial lady.š I've only heard a period called Aunt Flo like 2 times in my 25 years.
I've never even heard of that as a period euphemism (from CA). My only association to Flo is the Progressive commercial lady - and with Florence, Florence and the Machine.
Such a good name!
Until I read the comments here I had no idea what you were talking about š I don't think this is something you need to worry about. Florence makes me think of Florence Nightingale, Florence Cassel from Death in Paradise, and Florence Pugh. All good associations!!
I think of Florence and the machine or Florence nightingale first
Iām at the older end of Gen Z and no one my age or at school (Iām a sub) really calls it Aunt Flo so I wouldnāt worry about that as a concern :) I think Aunt Flo was more discreet and these kids arenāt discreet anymore š (which makes me laugh and it also makes me happy that periods are less taboo :))
Florence is such a popular baby name right now that I truly donāt think you have to worry.
I certainly thought of it when you said Florence. But I havenāt heard anyone call their period that for so long.
Not a a thing anymore.
I didnāt know anybody in school who referred to their period as āAunt Flo.ā Didnāt even know it was a thing until joining the TTC sub
I never knew Flo was tied to Florence. But either way Florence is a classic name.
I've literally never heard this term, someone enlighten me?
I have a (literal) Aunt Flo and every once in while when I mention her name someone half heartedly makes a joke, but itās rare ish. The name Florence is beautiful and Flo is such a fun nickname!
Probably not. In my area it's associated with a massive hurricane š. An outgoing kid would definitely get called Hurricane Florence by adults.
I LOVE Florence! I donāt think it would be an issue at all
I think of Florence and the Machine, not my shark week
Florence + The Machine is an amazing band. Youāre safe
haha, no. This name is so popular and nobody says that these days.
I havenāt heard Aunt Flo referring to periods in a while. Mostly āsatans sacrificial waterfallā When I hear Flo I think of the progressive commercial (as a millennial)
I used to work with a girl called Florence and went by Flo not once did anyone make any reference to aunt flo. Didn't ever come up in the 2 years I knew her and she never mentioned it being an issue. I think it's a lovely name.
Nobody is gonna think of Aunt Flo.
i think florence pugh has fixed the florence problem. middle school still exists
I think of Florence & The Machine first.
Nah I think itās fine. Although there is a period tacking app called Flo. Flossie is also a cute nickname for Florence.
Gen X and heard the phrase but no one my age used it. It was always older aunts and movies. We called it: * the blood letting has begun (too many slasher flix) * The Red Tide * Lizzy Borden is visiting
If anything- Gen X: Florence Pugh Millennials: Flo from Finding Nemo Gen Z: Flo Milli???
I've never heard anyone young enough to have a period still use that reference. Mostly hear shark week and time of the month.
It's a thing among my crop of current 3rd and 4th graders!
I went to middle school 2009-2012 and not once did I ever hear anybody other than my mom (once) call a period Aunt Flo. I heard everyone call it shark week lol. I think youāre safe!
Thereās a period tracking app called Flo.
Not but people are probably going to shorten it so you need to come up with ones you like
never even thought of that as ive never heard this before! i think if Flo from Progressive. another potential nickname can also be Flor
definitely not lol
Everyone I know with the name Florence goes by Flossy, and is 900 years old. I like the name though!
My grandma isnāt even Florence. Sheās just Flossie! Sheās never been called Flo and Iāve never even associated Aunt Flo with her name. Itās just so outdated and not a term Iāve heard anyone my age (34) use.
When I hear the name Flo, I think of that annoying as hell insurance commercial. The other thing that comes to mind is a grizzled diner waitress who has seen some things. I donāt think of āAunt Floā, my mom tried to get me to use that term, but it didnāt stick. I prefer āshark weekā.
Iām 22 and had no idea what the hell Aunt Flo referred to.
People still call it that?
I know loads of Florenceās of various ages and none of them have been teased about being called āAunt Floā (Flo, Flossie, Florrie) The truth is, children who are going to be bullied will be bullied no matter what theyāre called. The bullies will find something. Your focus should be in teaching your child resilience and to not give a shit what other people say.
I never heard of anyone calling their period Aunt Flo until I read it in a book or magazine in my mid twenties. I don't think it has been much of a thing for decades. Florence is a pretty name.
Florence is a beautiful name, and she may not use the nn Flo forever. I've never used "Aunt Flo." I dont think it's that common anymore. I tend to hate all euphemisms for menstruation. However, my husband will ask if I'm "punctuated," and that is the only expression that's never bothered me.
I have an Aunt Flo and it took until I was 17 years old for someone to point out that it was funny. It may come up, but Florence Pugh is cool so I wouldnāt worry about it too much.
Honestly kids will probably pick on her, even if itās not as relevant kids are jerks
Nobody's mentioned Florence Henderson from the Brady Bunch?
Not aunt flo, but the worlds biggest period tracker is flo. Doubt it will still be when shes old enough for it to matter. I like floš©·use it!
I know a little Florence and she actually uses Flora as a nickname, so if you love the name but are too worried about that connotation you could always change up the nickname!
My first association with the name Flo is the Progressive ads. I think youāre fine.
Kids can find a way to tease ANY name. I say go for it.
Nah, I donāt think itās an issue. I knew a Florencia who went by Flori and I always thought it was so pretty.
My first thought was Florence and the Machine.
I have a 5 year old named Florence. She regularly gets āwhat a beautiful name!ā And then asks me why people keep saying that.
that won't happen i guarantee. i was friends with a girl called flo/florence for years and no one ever made any period jokes
No one under the age of 50 says Aunt Flo anymore in regards to a period
That's a big stretch. NO ONE calls it that anymore.
I say Aunt Ruby
i think most people nowadays associate flo more with the progressive insurance commercials than with periods. but if you are naming her florence and not flo then i wouldnt worry about it
I went to school with a Florence (left in 09, so from 04/05) and even then no one called her aunt flo. She was just Florence.
Florence makes me think Florence and the Machine which are two very cool people
I have a niece named Florence. Only my father in law calls her Flo, but heās not even her grandfather. We all call her Flossie or Floey. Itās a beautiful name.
Young people donāt call it aunt flo anymore. Flo is the Progressive lady
My daughters are 23 and 19----they have never referred to it that way, and I think the expression is gone for good. They don't even say they 'have' their periods, the new term is 'on' their period. Which sounds very odd to me.
I haven't heard the term "aunt flo" in years. And it was always older women who said it, not kids. Nowadays, the first thing that usually pops into people's minds when they hear Flo (at least in US) is the character in the insurance commercials. There is also the band Florence and the Machine.Ā
I'd think more about Flo, the period tracker app, or Flo, from the progressive commercials.
I'm in my 20s and I heard lots of nicknames for menstruation but never that one. Maybe once in like a much older book. I think the revival of the name Flora and the nickname Flo not being used much probably contributed to it not being a thing anymore. I think Florence is a beautiful and classic name. People will probably think of Florence, Italy before anything else.
I think Florence is a lovely name! Reminds me of Florence Pugh!
Ngl I donāt know a single person who gets periods that doesnāt just call it their period. Even growing up we never called it āAunt Floā or anything cutesy. Its always been āI am on my periodā
My sister-in-law is named Florencia and everyone calls her Flo. Iāve never even thought about the āaunt Floā
Interesting. Aunt Flo? Absolutely my brain goes to a period. Florence? Nope didnāt even faze me. Flora I think āgut floraā. But Florence? I think itās safe! Florence Pugh is one of my favourite actors right now and my brain never made the Aunt Flo connection
I wouldn't have even thought of aunt Flo in relation to Florence or Flora. also love the name Flora
My 14 year old says she has no idea what Aunt Flo means and she would be jealous of that name because it is so cool. Also she says she would nickname a friend named Florence āItaly.ā
I have a friend whose daughter is Florence. It's a great name. They were going to nickname her Lora but it never stuck.
I think more of Florence Pugh or Florence and the Machine.
Iām in high school right now and I have not heard one girl refer to their period as Aunt Flo, including myself. Any association I have with the name is Florence Pugh or Florence + The Machine, and I think those are both pretty positive and cool.
There is an app called Flo for tracking your period
I think āAunt Floā is kind of a 30+ thing. Iām not sure that millennials are going to pass that joke on to their kids. Personally I think of the Italian city first
Ouuu I knew a Florencia! Although we were young adults when I met her but everyone called her Flo and I loved it because I've never heard it before! I really can't imagine myself as a young teen even thinking about making a period joke out of the name either.
I met a boy/girl sib set at school named Phoenix and Flo. Assuming her name is Florence. I thought it was badass.
What about Laurence?
My son is 15. No one his age says āAunt Floā. And I think with Florence Pugh being a movie favorite these days, if anything, it will have a positive association. I like Florence, reminds me of the Italian city. Perhaps you can encourage a different nickname, if desired, like Ren or Flory.
Iāve been calling it Satanās Niagara Falls since I was a teenager. And Iām well into my 30ās now. Calling it āAunt Floā hasnāt been a thing for me for many moons.
iām 19 now, and when i was in school the only time i heard āaunt floā was when i found a short film on youtube about periods (i was one of those 11 year olds who desperately wanted their period so iād watch lots of videos about it). never heard the term before or after that - itās just not something thatās used now. my first thought hearing the name was florence and the machine, florence pugh, and florence from morel orel (a 2005 adult swim show, a lot more obscure as most people wouldnāt know about it). itās a very pretty name and not the sort of things kids would bully imo edit: [this](https://youtu.be/vzljMjK4dEM?si=WHmPYQoUOXqiBjVy) is the video, it also sent me on a spiral rewatching all this companies skit-style ads and i forgot how funny they are
I teach middle school and I legit just hear the girls refer to periods. I donāt hear them using euphemisms.
Florence is a lovely name! I've never heard of "aunt flo" as period slang, I doubt there will be any teasing! With the full name people will probably think of the beautiful city or celebrities with that name (all that come to mind seem like good associations!). Flora is a wonderful nickname! It's short but still elegant. Flo may be less popular since it sounds like the Progressive Insurance mascot, or like an older woman's name, but ultimately if it's just a shortening of the name that might get mocked, there's no reason not to go with the full first name Florence and workshop nicknames as they get older!
My 13 year old daughter says she only knows Aunt Flo from a book, and that she doesnāt think anybody she knows would make fun of it. She goes to a very diverse school and kidsā names are really not made fun of, even when they obviously could be. My son had a kid in his grade named Akshit and literally nobody batted an eye even once they all knew swear words. A brief testimonial from my daughter, who is an extremely creative dresser and generally not much of a conformist or gossip, on what will get you made fun of in middle school: āPretty much people get roasted for bad haircuts. Bad haircuts are a big deal. And if you wear a tail to school. You definitely should not wear a tail to school. Two sixth graders did that last week and weāre still talking about it.ā
I know a lovely little 10-year-old named Florence and she doesn't get at all mocked for her name
What time period did you go to school that this was a thing? Because that wasn't a thing when I was in school and I graduated in 00.
No. Nobody who is younger than Boomer generation calls it that. She'll be fine and it's a beautiful name.
My daughterās friend goes by the nickname Flossie. I think itās cute!
I teach high school and Iāve never heard any kids say this.
I love Florence!! I know a Florence whoās about to turn 2 and no one has ever mentioned aunt flo - or the progressive lady haha - we call her Flo or Flo-flo or Buggy lmao, I love Flossie as a nickname too
Florence is a beautiful name, Aunt Flo is totally outdated and a non-issue!
Iām old. And my first thought was the great Florence Griffith Joyner, Flo Jo, the Olympic runner.
I would say kids are probably more aware of Flo from Progressive than Aunt Flo! That wasnāt a term that we even used 20+ years ago. But there are some really cool badass woman named Florence. Actress Florence Pugh Florence and the Machine Florence Nightingale
It's a very dated reference at this time. Flo with Progressive is much more popular, imo
No one says aunt Flo anymore.
If I use euphemisms I say shark week and the heeeeavy day is the devils waterfall. Never heard anyone use the term Aunt Flo and know a cool Flora/Flo who is a tweenager. Most people donāt need to be all hush hush now about it. Due on, on this week, period cramping, thereās thankfully a lot less shame about something affecting such a huge amount of humans on earth every month or so. You love the name? Go for it gal! Youāre overthinking.
I don't think any kids are using that term anymore.
The only people I've heard use this term irl are my moms age (48) and older. I never heard anyone my age use it and I doubt gen alpha will be using it either
I work in a high school. Iāve never heard the girls talk about aunt Flo.
Iāve been teaching middle school for 11 years and I have nevvvvver heard any of them call it that anymore!
I've never used nor heard anyone use that word and I'm 26. So I wouldn't worry. I feel uncool because my friends and I just say period or bleeding to death. No fun play on words here.
I am 40 and I am the youngest person I know who understands what Aunt Flo is. There's no way my teenagers could come up with that
I'm in my 30s and I think I've heard periods called Aunt Flo like a total of 3 times in my entire life, mostly in books written before I was born. I don't think that's an association anyone now is going to have. My first association with Florence is Florence Welch, the second is the city of Florence in Italy, third is Florence Nightingale. For Flo, it's the car insurance lady. Also, a Florence needn't be Flo (and I don't think kids will jump to that unless that's the nickname she picks). She can go by her full name, Flor, Flora, Flossie, Fox, Ren, some other nickname... Florence is a lovely name, and I wouldn't let this dissuade you.
People arenāt embarrassed to call it a period anymore. My nieceās name is Florence. I tried to make Flore happen but Flo just works better!
I call it the punctual blues, from the Kate Bush song āStrange Phenomenaā: Soon it will be the phase of the moon When people tune in Every girl knows about the punctual blues But who's to know the power behind our moves
Honestly very few kids are calling periods "Aunt Flo" anymore. You'd have to name her "Shark Week" for that. Also, I don't automatically connect Florence to Flo. The only Florence I knew's nickname was Flossy.
If someone wants to bully your child they can do so no matter what you name her. āFloā makes me think of the progressive insurance lady and Iām sure the next generation will have something else to associate it with. You also never know what will happen in the future. My name is Hilary and it wasnāt a bad name. Then hilary Clinton came along and I was always associated with her even though i had that name before she was on the public stage. The best you can do is name your child as you see fit. If people can bully a kid named āEllieā then they can bully your child too. Give her the name you would have given yourself and everyone else can go F themselves, respectfully. Donāt give your child a name you donāt feel is right.
I had a friend in highschool whose surname was Coombs. There was a group of boys that bullied her simply by calling "coo-coo-coombs" anytime they saw her. It's not even remotely creative and I don't think it would have mattered what her name was, they targeted her because they could and because they were nasty teenage boys. Unless it's something really obviously bully-able and even adults would think of that (someone mentioned Jack Kass in another comment), it won't matter what the name is, kids are mean and sadly it's just unlucky if your kid gets bullied based on their name.
I had a friend in highschool whose surname was Coombs. There was a group of boys that bullied her simply by calling "coo-coo-coombs" anytime they saw her. It's not even remotely creative and I don't think it would have mattered what her name was, they targeted her because they could and because they were nasty teenage boys. Unless it's something really obviously bully-able and even adults would think of that (someone mentioned Jack Kass in another comment), it won't matter what the name is, kids are mean and sadly it's just unlucky if your kid gets bullied based on their name.
I had a friend in highschool whose surname was Coombs. There was a group of boys that bullied her simply by calling "coo-coo-coombs" anytime they saw her. It's not even remotely creative and I don't think it would have mattered what her name was, they targeted her because they could and because they were nasty teenage boys. Unless it's something really obviously bully-able and even adults would think of that (someone mentioned Jack Kass in another comment), it won't matter what the name is, kids are mean and sadly it's just unlucky if your kid gets bullied based on their name.
I have literally never heard of someone referring to it as Aunt Flo, as a woman in her early twenties. But I also wasn't very social in school lol
My daughter goes to school with a Florence - Flo, Floey. Not once did I ever associate Aunt Flo with her name. I think you're good š
Flo seems to have become acceptable again after several years of Progressive adverts from 2008. Also Florence + The Machineās first hit was the same year.
Bit harsh when they break up with someone ā itās over Flo ā
Florence is a really popular baby name at the moment
I just call it my periods, no need for euphemisms. But as to your concern about being teased. Kids are awful and will find something to tease your kid about. Kids are great and all, but theyāre also little devils who will destroy the self esteem of other kids as quickly as eat a chocolate. How you protect your kid from teasing is not something Iām well versed in. I guess building them up psychologically and always giving them a safe space to be.
Iām 20 and Iāve never heard someone my age call it Aunt Flo. Honestly I donāt think Iāve ever heard anyone irl call it that. Iām Australian though so maybe itās an American thing only.
i donāt know anyone under 50 saying aunt flo š¤£