There have been a lot of adjectives to describe free bleeding, including "stupid," and "disturbing." In case you aren't aware, free bleeding is a relatively new trend where women don't wear a tampon or pad during their periods. Instead women allow their bodies to freely bleed.
The trend became well-known when a Harvard student named Kiran Ghandi (who also toured as a drummer with MIA) ran a London marathon while on her period without any sort of sanitary product.
She summed it up by saying, "Women's bodies don't exist for public consumption."
And I agree with her. I'm a die-hard Feminist, and if you talk to me for more than ten minutes, you'll understand how dedicated I am to equality. But I hate this trend.
I absolutely admire what Ghandi has done, and I think the idea behind the movement is so important. Women shouldn't be ashamed of their periods. Furthermore, we shouldn't have to feel obligated to hide our periods in order to make sure other people (particularly those who don't have periods) aren't uncomfortable.
At the same time, though, I don't think this movement achieves any particular goal. It doesn't create an open dialogue. Instead, it caused photos of women running in blood-stained pants to blow up the Internet with heartless and misogynistic comments.
Yes, the trend is gross. I can't imagine taking public transportation or walking in crowded spaces with blood-soaked clothing. But that is not why I have a problem with it.
I think it creates two polarized sides of the issue, each one fighting to be more defensive than the other.
Instead of calling the people who participate in the movement "disgusting" or "idiotic," let's discuss why this stigma of periods exists. Ask questions about why sexualizing women's bodies is a cultural norm, but a normal bodily function is taboo.
