From hiding them under our shopping in the supermarket, to zipping them tightly into a pouch and stuffing them into the back pocket of our bags. Then sliding them under the table and into our pocket in class, before finally slowly peeling them open and disposing of the evidence. It’s ‘Aunt Flow’, ‘I’m on’, it’s ‘that time’, ‘I’ve started’…
Why so secretive? Women all across the world are faced with the feeling that we have to hide and be ashamed of this natural bodily process due to period stigma and discrimination. This preconception presents menstruation as unsanitary, impure, and dismissed but as a result, women are too. For example women in Venezuela are forced to sleep in huts during their period and in Ghana they are forbidden from cooking or being in a house with a man. However, this stigma is also very prevalent within the UK and Ireland too, as according to Plan International, 61% of girls in Ireland have missed school due to their period and 43% didn’t know what to do when they got their first period. This shows the impact of the stigma, preventing young girls from accessing their education and also being educated about their bodies.
Furthermore, menstrual stigma is ingrained into us from a young age in so many ways. There are ‘5,000 slang words used to refer to menstruation in 10 different languages’. The language we use to refer to ‘that time of the month’, is unknowingly creating a sense of secrecy about something so natural and implies it as something difficult to talk about. Additionally, period poverty, with the lack of access to products particularly within school settings, causes tampons to be snuck under the table like contraband, and that occurs after eventually plucking up the courage to whisper to a peer, asking if they have one. This demonstrates the worrying narrative that too many taboo terms and period poverty is writing.
In her recent Instagram post, Poet, Rupi Kaur, voiced her concern about period stigma. She detailed her experience with the censorship of a previous post about her photography project which addressed and worked to tackle period stigmas. She described the shocking backlash that she received as a result of that post, with comments saying that ‘this is disgusting’ and even receiving rape and death treats as a result. Kaur advocates the need for the barriers around menstruation to be broken down and the importance of the discussion of periods.
The media is gradually working to bring menstruation to our attention and neutralize the hostility towards it. Disney addressed starting your period for the first time in the relatable film ‘Turning Red’, “menstruation” and “period” appeared more frequently than ever before in news and social media, due to prominent hashtags such as #PeriodsAreNotAnInsult, and Period tracking apps such as ‘flo’ are working to make women more aware of their symptoms and menstrual education. Theconversation highlights ‘the use of slogans like ‘you’re free!’ in the period product brand Kotex advert for New Freedom adhesive pads’ and ‘Bodyform being the first to show blood-like stains’. However, while it is important to celebrate this significant progress, much still has to be done and Theconversation highlighted how advertisements are still facing criticism and are not representative. Women cannot be ‘free’ or ride a bike (like many adverts promote) on their period without adequate access to menstrual products. Menstruators are instead trapped under the tampon tax and period poverty. Furthermore, the stigmas are reinforced, and symptoms are undermined. This results in more taboo and could cause menstruators to ignore worrying signs due to the pressure to power through.
Bindi Irwin, who recently underwent endometriosis surgery, warns of the ‘stigma surrounding the disease’ and that she was told that ‘it was simply something you deal with as a woman’, but then goes on to thank the doctors and nurses who ‘believed’ her. This aligns with Rupi Kaur who expressed that the list of misconceptions around periods are endless. The stigmas around our pain and experiences are resulting in us relying on being ‘believed’ and to feel ‘validated’. Bindi reassures her followers and us women that this is their ‘validation that your pain is real & you deserve help’.
Our voices are precious in terms of periods. Whether it is speaking confidently when referring to menstruation, providing adequate education about women’s bodies, empowering fellow menstruators, being persistent when expressing our needs, or fighting for accessible products. This creates more awareness and shows how talking can help to tackle the taboo.