Let’s face it—without periods, NONE of us would be here. It’s how life begins, and it’s crazy to think that it is not talked about enough. Some argue that it doesn’t even need to be discussed. According to them, it is too “tmi”, “gross”, or “bloody”. Despite this mindset, there are MANY reasons why we need to discuss this topic.
Let’s start with the facts. It is outstanding to think that 58% of women have felt shame and embarrassment surrounding their period. Even more shocking, 73% of women have hid period products from fear of public view, 65% have worn certain “period-friendly” clothes, and 29% have canceled plans for fear it would expose them for being on their period. All of this leads to a decline in the empowerment of women. How are we supposed to feel empowered if we have to hide normal products once a month and/or feel the need to cancel plans?
Some forms of this period shaming can be attributed to the workforce. In the work field, 51% of men actually think talking about periods is inappropriate in a work environment. Considering many of those with periods make friends at their job, this creates even more of a stigma, and it doesn’t help them feel supported AT ALL. In addition to the workplace, many partners can shame their significant other. 17% of men claim that they would not go into a store and buy period products for their partner. If you can’t even be open about your period to your partner, then you are going to be really shameful about it.
All of this shame that leads to women staying silent about their periods can create severe and troubling issues. Periods can come in all shapes/forms and in many different types of people. When those are silenced about their period, they cannot learn more about their cycle. Therefore, many suffer from fertility issues, PCOS, Endometriosis, and other period related problems that they are not even aware of. It is important to know about these issues early on, so they can go about the right way to treat them. However, they cannot regularly talk about their period issues because they didn’t want to make others “uncomfortable”, so they opted to stay silent, leading to a decline in their health. Women are already silenced and told to “tough things out” in many diverse healthcare settings, so they definitely do not need another thing shaming them.
The spokeswoman for the period company, THINX, stated, “Period-shame is something a lot of women feel, starting with their very first cycle, which can occur as young as eight years old. Those feelings of embarrassment and self-hate are then reinforced by society, which tells women that their bodies should be clean and tidy, and if they aren’t, well that’s not something to be openly and honestly discussed. By anyone.” In order to stop period shaming, we have to fight against it. We need to have open conversations, create safe spaces about menstrual cycles, and use the correct language when talking about it. There’s no reason to hide buying tampons in a store or carefully opening a pad in the bathroom so no one can hear it. Once we eliminate the awful shame around periods, we can help us feel more empowered. There’s no more hiding who we truly are.