In today’s, so-called progressive society periods are still seen as something to hide or be embarrassed about.
Although there are almost four billion women in the world who will experience periods in their life, words like sanitary and hygiene products can add confusion about what these products are.
Have you ever chosen to go to a till with a woman cashier because you were too embarrassed to purchase your pads or tampons from a male cashier?
Laura Cullen a social scientist said, “I think words like sanitary and hygiene can sometimes have connotations of uncleanliness or dirtiness. This can in turn make us feel like periods are dirty and something to hide adding to the stigma surrounding them.
I think old-fashioned ways of thinking can make any woman feel that periods are disgusting and that cannot be shared.”
The way we approach periods from a young age can affect how we feel about our bodies while on our periods.
Cullen said, “The way periods are spoken about in primary schools can also affect how we perceive we should feel having a period. I remember in my primary school the girls were taken into a different room and told that there was an emergency pack of pads hidden in a wash bag in the girl’s bathrooms.
Immediately this causes people to think that this is something that should be hidden and kept a secret, which is not true at all. The human race is a funny thing, we all have periods, and we all have sex, but these are still seen as very taboo subjects to many.”
Hygiene products can cover a wide range of products such as soap, toothpaste, mouthwash, and even toilet paper.
Jennifer Kelly a 16-year-old student said, “when I first heard words like sanitary and hygiene products in 1st year during SPHE I was confused about what they were.
I think they should just call period products what they are. I feel like my generation is becoming more aware and open about each other’s bodies and things that happen to us all naturally.
I think the words sanitary and hygiene products are designed to make the adults who are speaking about these issues more comfortable rather than making it more accessible to understand for women.”
Many young people feel that it is older generations who are more self-conscious and reluctant to speak about periods in public or even to family and friends.
Bridget Lennon, a mother of four said, “When we were growing up it was something to keep quiet about. If you went into the shop and a man was at the counter, you would make do with some toilet paper until a woman was at the front.
I’m glad that women are becoming more open about how they speak about periods to make it easier for younger girls to understand what is happening to their bodies and the fact that it is completely natural.”
Periods are not something to be embarrassed about, they are not unhygienic or unsanitary they are natural and they make us women and we should be proud of that.