Society places an unnecessary and harmful taboo on menstruation. There is always a negative connotation when people talk about periods, especially around men. This menstrual taboo sees menstruation as unclean or embarrassing. To be honest, the way people view periods scares me, especially how it is seen in other cultures. The truth is that this taboo is ridiculous and needs to stop.
Periods are a natural part of our lives for both men and women. The survival of humanity relies on it, and everyone is ashamed of it. Without the menstrual cycle, there would be no new life. Why should women be punished for something that brings life and is a normal aspect of our lives? Menstruation is the shedding of blood and the uterus lining after a month without an egg being fertilized. There is nothing to be ashamed about. If proves that the body is functioning normally and that in the future, it is possible to have children. It is a great sign of life and future prosperity. We have to stop looking at with a negative connotation and begin seeing it as normal and natural.
Personally, I have some struggles being open about my period. I hide my products while I make a run to the bathroom and don’t ever talk to guys about it because I feel embarrassed. That’s what makes it so ridiculous. We have been conditioned to believe that periods are bad all our lives, for thousands of years. Even religious books like the Bible or the Quran see periods as an unclean, a negative thing, shunning women away during it. The way media and society view menstruation places a permanent doubt in every young woman undergoing puberty. From the beginning, girls become embarrassed and ashamed of their periods, and this feeling stays with them until they are done with menopause. That is around 40 years of constant struggle to hide from embarrassment. Life for women is stressful enough, so take off the weight of that worry and shame and life could be so much better.
One of my biggest questions is why feminine products cost so much and are scarce and unavailable in other countries. In most places, they are seen as luxury items that many cannot afford an abundance of. Without such products, leading a normal life is hard. Young women in other countries cannot go to school because of the effects of their periods, sometimes making them drop out of school. They are presumed to be “unclean” and laughed at if there is any sign that they are on their periods. Many miss a week of school each month because of their periods, making education hard for them. There is already a lot of suffering involved with having a period: the cramps, the mood swings, and just the general fact that you are bleeding for a week. Adding the stress of trying to hide it and being ashamed makes it much worse. Reducing the negative connotation and destroying the menstrual cycle is the only way to stop this from happening. Women are being discriminated against because of a natural part of life, and this is unacceptable.
So, next time you think about making a joke about a girl being on her period, think about where you came from because there is no better way to show that periods are bearers of life, not disgust.
From this day on, I will try my hardest to end this taboo, both in my life and in the lives of those around me. Periods are nothing to be ashamed about. They are normal and natural. It is time for all of us to decide that the menstrual taboo should come to an end, thereby creating a healthier environment for all women.
For some more information about this taboo and how we can end it, watch this incredible video from THINX about the truth about periods.
