Normalizing the Menstrual Cycle
Normalizing the Menstrual Cycle
Individuals who have a period know one thing from the moment they get it for the first time and that is that it’s never an appropriate topic of conversation. Periods have always held a reputation of embarrassment, silence, and discretion to those who get them. They have very minimally been a topic of empowerment or easily spoken of without feeling the underlying judgment. To anyone with a period, it can seem extremely ridiculous that we share a collective shame about our body’s natural, healthy process but the social perspective outweighs our own every time. Even in my own experiences, attempting to be open about one’s period whether that means carrying a tampon or pad without being discreet, can be immensely conflicting.
When you are told constantly that something is not socially appropriate, even if that thing is your body’s natural way of being, it can be difficult to unlearn those behaviors. So that bears the question, why is it that periods are so socially unacceptable? Well, people around the world are constantly discriminated against due to menstrual taboos and this arises from the idea that it somehow “dirty” or “wrong.” As stated by the United Nations Population Fund, menstruation is a question of human dignity, and to exclude or shame people who experience it is to undermine the principle of human dignity. Often this discrimination or deeply-rooted disdain for menstruation is what attributes to the poverty surrounding periods.
With cisgender women, menstruation is seen as a barrier to their fullest capacity due to making them “overly emotional,” as if having emotions were a barrier to overcome instead of something to cope with. There are also the physical aspects such as cramping, breast tenderness, back pain, etc. which despite being seen as an obstacle to a woman’s ability to be at “her fullest capacity” is still disregarded as a valid reason to need time off work or daily responsibility. The absurd amounts of people who experience a lack of healthy hygiene and sanitation due to poverty and overpriced period products only exemplify another way that society fails to address the way periods are demonized and misconstrued.
Young girls should not have to grow up with the notion that their body’s natural functions are somehow incorrect or unfortunate based on their anatomy. These ideas are only further perpetuated into adulthood and become more deeply ingrained if people do not take action to discuss the normalcy behind it. Many influencers and social media accounts are now dedicated to making periods a normal thing to discuss and feel confident about. Additionally, discussing the negative side of periods is just as important for young people to understand. Research on hormonal impacts due to PMDD or PME is extremely minimal and rarely discussed, many times they are misdiagnosed for something else. These are all things that should be talked about more often and with less social pressure to be “discreet” about our bodies.
Normalizing the menstrual cycle would give anyone who experiences it, and all its extremities, the opportunity to tell their stories and feel more comfortable in their own bodies. It could alter the way some women are taught to experience shame and embarrassment from young ages due to getting their period. Periods will continue to be a normal bodily process for many people and addressing the issues surrounding would significantly impact the lives of many.
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