Don’t enter the kitchen
Don’t wash your hair
Don’t touch the pickle
Don’t go near the gods
Don’t sit there
Don’t run
Don’t play
Don’t stain the bed sheets again
Don’t talk about it
Don’t tell anyone
Don’t wear new clothes
Don’t eat spicy food
Don’t be so moody
How many of these have you heard or lived with or practised?
The shame associated with periods is ingrained at a societal level. The horror of ‘DO NOTs’ is what made me despise periods initially. There were so many restrictions that I felt like a different person on those five days of the month. I was discriminated against; especially if my grandparents were visiting. The conditioning was so intense that I practised some of them even after I moved to college and got my first job. My rational brain refused to take that jump over these barriers of myths that were forced upon me through the hands of patriarchy.
I say this because, in hindsight, it feels like yet another excuse to oppress women and perpetuate inequality. Think about it, could I control it? No. Could I get rid of it? No. Could I live the way I want? No. Did I bring it upon myself? No. Then the only reason I can fathom is being born with a uterus (I am now aware that not everyone who menstruates identifies as a woman).
Many young and adolescent women still live through these superstitions. It becomes increasingly essential to create conversations around periods in our homes, schools, public spaces, colleges, workplaces, digital platforms and everywhere else where people will take note. Hence, I am taking this small step to bust some of these very prevalent myths around menstruation.
- PMS is not real: The comment on going through ‘That time of the month’ always gets to me. Most of the menstruators go through PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) which happens in a week or two before your period starts as hormone levels (estrogen and progesterone) begin to fall after ovulation. This is the reason for the different feelings of anger, sadness, happiness, and irritability before the onset of periods. PMDD or Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder causes more severe symptoms than PMS, including severe depression, irritability, and tension.
- Physical activity during periods is harmful: Light exercises during periods can be useful in reducing cramps and help my symptoms of bloating and mood fluctuations. Stretching the muscles through walking and yoga can be good ways to relax your body and mind.
- Eating spicy food will worsen cramps: There is no correlation between spicy food and menstrual cramps. Spicy food could result in heartburn or bloating but doesn’t increase the cramps.
- No washing hair or bathing during periods: I’ve heard different variations of this – should wash their hair on the first day or the last day or not at all. My take on this is that it can be connected to the notion of how period blood is considered impure and the reason society has built illogical concepts around it. It is believed that bathing will slow the menstrual flow, but there is nothing of this sort. Menstruation is one time when you should maintain hygiene and clean yourself to feel fresh.
- A virgin cannot use menstrual cups: The society defines virgin as someone whose hymen is intact because she has not had intercourse. However, there can be various other reasons for a hymen to rupture like sports or other physical activities. The fact is that using a menstrual cup is not related to virginity at all. There is undoubtedly a learning curve associated with using menstrual cups, and there are multiple videos available on the internet, which can guide you through the process.
- Period Blood is impure: “Menstruation is the only blood that is not born from violence, yet it’s the one that disgusts you the most.” – Maia Schwartz. This is a social construct and has no connection with scientific reasoning or logical understanding. Periods are a natural, normal bodily function which a menstruator goes through. The using of euphemisms rather than say ‘Period’, the guilt of being unable to work while bleeding, the fear of staining a dress, hiding of information from family and friends – everything is correlated to this notion of ‘Periods being dirty‘.
Only when I started reading and understanding more about this process and my body, have I been able to acknowledge my mistakes and push the societal barriers towards a liberating period experience. It is essential to keep reminding yourself that you are important enough to ask questions and challenge these ridiculous myths that social and cultural norms keep imposing on us.
Nearly half the world population are menstruators, and they have every right to raise their voice for better menstrual health; and feel confident about themselves and their bodies.
No More Shame! Let’s Talk, Period!