Biologically, menstruation is an essential function for reproduction and quite literally the only reason everyone reading this exists. Yet, socially, menstruation has awful connotations, is considered dirty or impure, and is ridiculed.
Why do we feel the need to make fun of womxn, blaming their aggressiveness for “their time of the month?” Why are young girls banned from entering the kitchen or the temple just because they have their period? And most importantly, why is it so hard to have access to simple feminine hygiene products? These stigmas against periods should not be issues in these modern times, but sadly they are.
Period Stigmas
I particularly remember an instance from when I was a teenager of going to the temple for a religious event with my family. Here, I saw that many individuals were sitting in a staircase and eating their meals rather than sitting with everyone else. The reason that they were isolated is because they were on their period and were considered “untouchables”. The fact that womxn on their periods are labeled as dirty and considered shameful because they are leaking out blood NOT BY CHOICE but rather because of BIOLOGY is despicable to me. This is basic science and no female should be forced to feel ashamed for it.
Going into the kitchen while you are on your period isn’t going to poison the food, going to the temple while on your period isn’t going to make God upset with you, and being on your period certainly is not an excuse to be punished or isolated.
These stigmas against menstruation are very real and completely unfair. We praise womxn for their ability to be strong and give birth, yet at the same time we make them feel so awful for such a natural and normal process. This isn’t to say that everyone within the South-Asian culture has these beliefs. For instance, in my house, my dad buys our feminine hygiene products for us because he knows that it’s nothing that’s shameful, and we don’t follow those outdated practices! More households need to adapt this forward way of thinking.
Period Poverty
The stereotypes revolving around periods are just the start of the problem. Period poverty, which is the lack of access to feminine hygiene products during menstruation, is a prominent global issue.
Only 42% of Indian womxn have access to proper hygiene, and the rest who don’t use old rags, trash, leaves, and so much more (The Borgen Project).
Because these womxn aren’t using proper products, they are extremely susceptible to disease and inflict a great deal of mental and physical stress on their bodies. In turn, other aspects of their life such as their education are affected. Every womxn should be comfortable during her period, and right now, so many womxn do not have this basic liberty. Luckily, there are some great organizations in the world such as PERIOD, Freedom4Girls, and others that are working towards menstrual health equity. For example, Project Stree is a newer NGO that strives to empower Indian womxn by getting them access to menstrual products. So far, they have done some great work and have donated almost 5,880 pads!
The Tampon Tax
Furthermore, when womxn do have access to menstrual products, there arises the issue of “the pink tax” or “gender biased taxing.” This essentially means that there is a greater tax or general price for female products, including menstrual products, which is also known as “the tampon tax." 36 states in the US still have this tampon tax because apparently these products are a luxury. It’s absurd that for a simple, biological need how much we need to spend (Healthline).
Where Do We Go From Here
For the girls out there, don’t hide your pad or tampon the next time you go change it or shy away from talking about your period because it’s nothing to be ashamed of. For the boys out there, don’t say that talking about periods is “TMI” or that every time a girl gets remotely mad it’s because it’s “that time of the month.” If both genders do their part and start to openly discuss something so mundane, then these stigmas won’t be as prevalent. Growing up, we are taught to not openly discuss our periods and keep it a private matter, but this should not be the case!
For example, rather than teaching boys and girls about puberty in separate sections during elementary school, let’s refine our education system so that from a young age, kids know about these general changes and how it’s not something to be disgusted about.
We need to stand up for ourselves, our rights for access to feminine hygiene products, and to simply raise awareness. At the end of the day, It’s Just Blood, and not a something that should be attacked to this extent.