Tag: feminism

^{A discussion (well, rant) about feminine hygiene and the stigma around it.}

Periods. The natural occurrence of shedding the endometrium. It is reported that over 1.8 billion people menstruate monthly. So why is the discussion around this topic so stigmatized? Any and all reasons stem from one real reason: the hatred of people who were born with uteruses. 

 

Let’s look back in time, turn back a few pages of the history book. One of the oldest written menstrual stigmas was in the Bible. Leviticus chapter 15, verses 19-33 states (in layman’s terms) that women, and anything they rest upon, become “unclean”. If menstrual blood touches anything, it too becomes unclean. This passage led to a constant mindset throughout male scholars in history that anyone who bled and everything around them was corrupt and dirty. An example of this mindset early on was from Pliny the Elder (AD70) that menstruation “is productive of the most monstrous effects”, that crops will “wither and die”, and bees “will forsake their hive if touched by a menstruous woman”. These quotes are disturbing to think about. Imagine how much abuse stemmed from these types of mindsets. Even in 1694, women were compared to cockatrices, mythical beasts that had venomous breath, all because they were bleeding (according to James McMath, M.D). 

 

Alright, stepping forward some, let’s look at the 20th and 21st centuries. In 1950, Good Housekeeping (THE magazine for women), advertised sanitary towels as “So skillfully shaped not to look like a napkin box” and so “that the sharpest eyes couldn’t guess what’s inside the wrapping”. This, even in “modern ages”, made periods seem like something that people should be embarrassed about and ashamed of. A monthly function to regulate your body is shameful. Wow. What about the 2020 Tampax criticism, where they advertised tampons that “open silently for full discretion”? More recent studies in the medical history of menstruation contain euphemisms such as “the curse”, “dirty red”, and more (from as recent as 1975) contribute to the unclean stigma of periods and feminine hygiene.  

 

Now, we talked mostly about women throughout history, but they aren’t the only people who bleed monthly. AFAB people, or assigned female at birth, struggle with these stigmas and frequent transphobia due to this natural phenomenon. Period discussions and products are tailored for women. Pad wrappers that say “Strong Like a Girl” create an isolating barrier for transgender and gender non-conforming folks. When we also look at the prices of menstrual products, things get worse. The average price for 36 tampons can easily cost $12 a box. The federal wage is $7.25 an hour. So why does this hit trans individuals harder?  The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey stated that transgender people are twice as likely to live in poverty and three times as likely to be unemployed compared to the general population. Now, ten years later, times for the working class have been ever harder. We also need to think about those who prefer gender-affirming bathrooms, such as a transgender male using the men’s room. They will rarely have access to period products when they’re needed most. Along with bathrooms, opening a crinkly, plastic wrapper in the men’s room can lead to a sense of fear and lack of safety, especially in a time when transphobia and violent hate crimes are rising. 

 

Now, the bloody point of this article was centered around the menstrual hygiene stigma in the United States, but there is so much discrimination for people who bleed monthly across the world. There are also discussions about people not having certain healthcare rights due to the assumption “all women want to or should bear children”. There’s also discussion around other feminine reproductive issues, like the age for hysterectomies and abortion, or even the effects of birth control, or how the medical system is very anti-AFAB people. But that, my friends, is all we have time for today.  I really hope this gave you a better perspective on menstrual hygiene and why it is so important. Please read the linked articles for more information if you can.  

^{Articles used for reference:} 

^{https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/population-care/why-stigma-prevents-treating-menstrual-hygiene-essential} 

^{https://magazine.publichealth.jhu.edu/2022/stigmas-toll-sexual-and-reproductive-health} 

^{https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-men-pain-menstruation-more-just-physical-n1113961} 

^{https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Executive-Summary-Dec17.pdf} 

^{https://theconversation.com/dirty-red-how-periods-have-been-stigmatised-through-history-to-the-modern-day-206967} 

^{https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/B26427.0001.001?view=toc}