Hushing Her. PERIOD.
The red river, crimson wave, the time of the month,
Period.
These labels given to our bodies’ natural flow has pushed women and society to perceive menstruation as an illicit or shameful presence. Many cultures forbid women from acknowledging its existence, viewing their body with disgrace. Many South-Asian communities bar women from participating in religious practices because of their periods. From my experience as a Hindu, I was told that women are seen as “impure,” “dirty,” and “unclean.” Such words stigamize menstruation as a disgraceful function of our human body. As we gave birth to tiny human beings, society gave birth to these demeaning stereotypes. In a religious setting, how can a natural function be disgraceful in the eyes of God? Why are women told not to observe religious practices when their creator created this?
Many of these misogynistic beliefs stem from culture and not religion. Hinduism does not dictate the chemistry of a woman's body, nor does it prevent her from her religious practices. However, the culture within South-Asian communities have condemned women into perceiving their periods as taboo.
While religion and culture play a big role, modern-day society still conceals the importance of a person's reproductive system. In high school, I observed a gym teacher threaten to fail a girl if she refused to participate. Her reason, being her period cramps, did not suffice to him. These incidents show the lack of awareness and comprehension of a woman's reproductive system. We are not weaker because of our periods, we are not incapable or fragile, we are and have always been resilient.
A class I attended in college exposed me to an interesting conversation about people who menstruate. As there were males in the class, a girl mentioned to the professor that he/she should not speak about periods in their presence. The more we hide menstruation, the more society will hide its importance. We have to normalize the natural flow of our bodies, as this flow created humanity.
From being a taboo subject, it then becomes one we cannot afford. The lack of access to sanitary care is very much real. Some feel ashamed to even disclose the need for a pad, something society has told us must be hidden. We also fail to understand that ciswomen are not the only ones with their monthly cycle. To say that this is an issue that affects only women neglects the experiences of transmen and those who are non-binary.
As a society, we need to collectively support reproductive health in regards to menstruation. The need to control a person's right to pray, practice, or simply live while on their period delivers a message of oppression and shame. The blood that leaves our body was never impure, for it creates the mouths that once told us so.
