Periods. Menstruation. They can be a cause of mystery and sometimes fear for any girl on the cusp of puberty and can be a cause of inconvenience and frustration for the rest of us.
But for some reason, men are never quite as educated as girls are on the matter (and even girls aren’t always educated properly). Western civilization and its patriarchy have very long history of shaming girls for having periods.
So this is the purpose of this piece: take the mystery out of periods (for guys especially) and assure there’s nothing more natural.
1. We're NOT having a baby.
Waking up to a red morning is a moment of relief for sexually active women, as it's the universal sign of "BABY NOT HOME." So first take a moment to celebrate, and now deal with the oncoming storm of weird cravings and bloating.
It's also sometimes taken as a sign that you're not ovulating and it's safe to have sex without worrying about birth control. If you're not ovulating, you can't get pregnant right? WRONG.
Bottom Line: Don’t get it twisted - you can have sex on your period and not have your visitor next month. The likelihood is low but still there.
2. PMS will not get you killed.
Pre-Menstruation Syndrome has been cited as justification from everything from crying at inconveniences to sexists claiming that's why we can't have a female president. Is it not real?
Actually, yes and no. If you’re a woman anywhere, you will have various physical reactions to your period. It might be cramps, bloating, acne or an increased sex drive.
However, according to Big Science PMS doesn’t exist in places that aren't the West, at least not in the ways it presents itself to Western women. It doesn't make women emotional or irrational (at least physically). Instead, anthropologists have found that this is a culture-bound syndrome used to express frustrations at women's place in society.
Bottom Line: If a woman that you know is on her period and is being mean to you, it's not hormones. Either you or she or both is the problem - just like any other conflict.
3. Tampons.
I’m going into some more about this a little later, but wearing tampons doesn’t make you not a virgin or a slut. No, really, there are cultures around the world that have/do perpetuate this myth.
Tampons are not penises. They are a tool to cleanly dispose of period blood in a way that allows the woman more freedom of movement than a sanitation pad, but they come with their own drawbacks.
Virginity (if you believe in that kind of thing) is only when you decide to not have sex, and there is nothing pleasurable about inserting a glorified cotton wad inside your vagina.
Not only that, but any sanitation products for women specifically are expensive, costing the average woman over $1000 over the course of her lifetime. That's not even counting the fact that any sanitation products are taxed as non-necessities according to most state tax codes, and since men don't pay any equivalent taxes on other products, women take the hit economically.
Bottom Line: Give yourself or someone you know a break if they're freaking out about not having the right tools. Learning the right system for you is a hard process. And guys, maybe start carrying some extra tampons around if a lady experiences such distress. They'll never forget it.
4. Women are not cursed.
Sometimes periods are called (even jokingly) "Eve’s curse." I have to disagree. It’s a sign of a healthy biological system and a vehicle of powerful bonding between women. I could go on more, but I don’t think I could sum it up any better than award-winning poet, author, educator, and activist Dominique Christina...
So go with new knowledge and empower the women in your life!
