The Last of Us viewers praise boundary-breaking menstrual cup scene

The Last Of Us may be only halfway through its first season, but the post-apocalyptic hard-hitter has done it again.

The gloomy, end-of-the-world tale has used its story to break down societal boundaries left, right, and centre - and episode six was no different.

THE LAST OF US EPISODE SIX SPOILERS AHEAD

A few episodes after the show's heartbreaking LGBTQ+ love story, the series has now accurately portrayed how confusing it can be to get your first period, and fans were bloody here for it.

We're not sorry about the pun, either. If you can handle flesh-eating monsters, you can handle a period joke.

In episode six, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) arrive in the calm, communally-run town where Joel's younger brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) lives with his new wife, Maria (True Blood's Rutina Wesley).

The couple are welcomed with open arms.

Ellie is offered fresh, clean clothes and in amongst the pile she finds a menstrual cup.

She is initially confused, then excited, squishing the cup between her fingers and reading the instructions as to how to insert the cup.

She exclaims with a smile: "Gross."

They had a menstrual cup on the latest episode of The Last Of Us. That is very practical in a zombie apocalypse.

— Kevín (@KevOnStage) February 21, 2023

Typical reaction from a 14-year-old, if you ask us.

It's a tiny moment, but fans were quick to praise the realistic depiction of what it is like to get your first period.

It's confusing, messy, and then keeps happening every month... regardless of if you're trying to dodge the Infected or not.

Fans praised the moment on social media for normalising the discussion around menstruation.

One person on Twitter said: "Awesome to see a show like this acknowledge periods the way it has."

Another added: "The menstrual cup thing in The Last of Us was a really sweet touch. A lotta zombie/apocalypse media just ignore the whole thing, was nice to see it acknowledged openly."

I am so obsessed with #TheLastOfUs finally showing us how people deal with menstruation in the apocalypse pic.twitter.com/j7VHjLXKxb

— Aiko Hilkinger (@aikohwrites) February 20, 2023

menstrual cup representation on this week’s The Last of Us… that’s what we like to see

— Emma Keith (@emma_ckeith) February 20, 2023

A third commented: "Hell yeah The Last of Us is out here representing for the menstrual cup. Even showing the booklet and everything."

The episode then doubled down in a following scene, with Maria asking Ellie later: "Did you get the thing I left you?"

Ellie responds: "Yeah, weirdest gift ever."

Maria replied: "But useful."

Damn useful. And completely necessary for a huge chunk of the world's population, apocalypse or not.

Well done, The Last of Us.