A period is generally a monthly process. Yet it’s a broadly stigmatised issue. Still, most of the people are not comfortable talking about it publicly. Period stigma isn’t limited only to developing countries. Even in the United Kingdom, where I live currently, period stigma still prevails.
International media always portrays the myths and taboo in under-developed and developing countries. So we are unaware of the menstrual hardships of the girls in the developed countries. There are a lot of myths which exist as a bane that deprives them of their rights. This also distances them from the wider society during period days.
Period Stigma In India
The society has developed unfavourable concepts and false beliefs about menstruation. Many of us grow up, believing that menstruation is something very embarrassing. I was born and brought up in a traditional Hindu family in Kerala. My grandparents have always been strict about the so-called ‘period rules and regulations’. In those days, I would consider the period as a monthly punishment.
Period days during school time were really awful. The entire day, I would be tensed of uniform getting stained. In those days, I was embarrassed to buy a sanitary pad. I used to wait outside for the shops to become uncrowded to avoid being stared at.
In school, there were no such proper awareness classes on menstruation. Even in biology class, ‘reproduction’ chapter was given to students to study on their own. Some teachers would explain it to girls after sending boys on a break. We wouldn’t discuss menstruation in detail even with friends. In class, we used some codes to address the periods to avoid embarrassment in front of boys.
While doing my masters in Tamil Nadu, I had gone to a village named Kachipattu, to do fieldwork. There I saw a couple of schoolgirls going back to their home during lunch break to change their sanitary cloths. On having a conversation with the students, I realised that they didn’t have a working toilet. So during period days, they had to walk home to change clothes. They had a little awareness of menstruation and menstrual hygiene practices.
Parents and teachers have not been giving attention to adolescent girls regarding menstruation. They have failed to make girls aware of menarche before it is attained. When they reach puberty, their parents will celebrate it as it’s a custom in the village. It’s called ‘Manjal Neer-Attu Vizha‘ (turmeric bathing ceremony) with a grand feast at home.
Mothers would ask their daughters to follow some rules as they are now considered mature. They are told, if they go against the rules, the goddess will curse them. Due to this fear, they obey the rules blindly. Girls have to face many restrictions in their daily lives just because they are menstruating!
Due to family reasons, I have temporarily moved to the United Kingdom. I had always thought period days would be easier for people here. Little did I imagine that people in a developed country like the UK would also stigmatise periods.
Here too, most of the girls consider it an awkward subject. Girl flu, shark week, code red, on the blob are common codes used to refer to period. They keep their tampons inside their sleeves while going to the toilet, to avoid embarrassment. Period poverty is still a big challenge faced by many girls in the UK during this lockdown. Socks and kitchen paper are some of the items being used as sanitary products.
In the UK, being a rich country, it’s unbelievable that many girls can’t afford sanitary products. The report says that girls miss school during their period days due to period poverty. Campaigns and protests made the government consider providing free sanitary napkins in schools and colleges to end period poverty.
In advertisements in the UK, period stains on sanitary pads are shown in blue colour. First TV advertisement in 2017, which showed red-coloured stains got loads of objections.
Talking about the Indian community in the UK, they are still following the same myths and taboos. These were conditioned in them by their parents or grandparents. A friend of mine was barred from an online religious ritual during her periods. On experiencing period stigma in India and the UK, I realised that it’s a global issue. In the UK, too, some don’t have access to facilities and products for period hygiene.
In India, the period restrictions are deeply rooted. But in the UK, girls don’t face any restrictions in family or society. In both countries, there are shortcomings in education on menstruation. No matter how developed a country is, menstruation remains a stigma!
The author is a part of the current batch of the #PeriodParGyan Writer’s Training Program