“Pssst. Do you have a tampon?”, you whisper under your breath to the nearest female in your class. She nods her head yes, then carefully looks to her left and looks to her right; the coast is clear. Nobody is looking. She pretends to give you a high-five as she slips the tampon into your cold, sweaty, nervous palm. Then, you slide the tampon under your sweater sleeve discreetly, trying not to make it obvious to those around you. You attempt to avoid crinkling the plastic wrapper as you sneak your way out of the classroom.
Is this a familiar situation for you? Why are periods so awkward for us to talk about when the entirety of the female body experiences them? Why are we so ashamed of them and pretend like they don’t exist when we are in the presence of men? Why does talking about periods make people uncomfortable?
We need to normalize period talk to grow the support system among women and periods. Change is needed in the way that society views and talks about periods.
Stop acting like periods are gross.
Sure, I get it. Blood secreting from your vaginal walls, the uncomfortable bloating, the mood swings, they’re not the most pleasant thing in the world. But it’s COMPLETELY NORMAL and all women experience it throughout their lives. Without periods, the reproduction of human life literally could not exist. We need to start viewing periods as a beautiful thing that signifies that we can create life instead of as the red river of doom and shame. The female reproductive system is the basis for life. Periods are part of that system. Life is beautiful, so there is no reason to be ashamed of your period.
You might already believe that you harbor no shame when it comes to your cycle, but consider what you might be doing unconsciously. If you have to change your tampon at work, do you tuck it under your sleeve as you walk to the bathroom? Try to shove the pad at the bottom of your bag and then take your bag with you to the bathroom? Check yo’ selves ladies! Try to make a conscious effort to stop treating your period like it is something to hide. Stop hiding your period products! You are just trying to live your life. There is no need to smush a pad down at the bottom of your bag. It is not your responsibility to conceal a perfectly natural bodily function. Be period proud. Additionally, when you can, try to stop pretending that menstruation does not exist when you are around males.
We all do it sometimes, I’m guilty too. Not saying you need to describe how heavy your flow is to your male coworkers, but if we can’t be more open with men about what we need to manage our periods, it is literally impossible to imagine a world where everyone has access to sanitary conditions and products. Food for thought. Period.
Xo, A.