Who decided a period leak was the end of the world?
Most women spend their whole lives pretending they don't have a period. Girls are taught the art of concealment early – how to avoid leaks, how to sneak a tampon into their pocket on the way to the bathroom, the utility of a strategically wrapped sweatshirt to avoid post-seep humiliation.
For centuries, periods have remained stubbornly taboo. Half the world's population menstruates and yet no one really wants to talk about it. When they do, it's often quietly or through euphemism. Generations of women have been conditioned to believe their periods are disgusting or shameful, which has consequences for women's bodies, healthcare decisions, sex lives and overall well-being.
"Even those of us who have access to materials, even those of us who identify as feminists, even those of us who can talk period-positive, we are still soaked in shame," said Christina Bobel, a gender professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston and an expert in critical menstruation studies. "That's the genius of menstrual stigma. It's under our skin. It really doesn't leave. No one is immune.In America and elsewhere around the globe, menstruation is conceptualized as a problem rather than as a healthy bodily process. Framing menstruation as a problem, experts say, demands a solution, and the solution people have been offered is better access to feminine products. But some experts argue this doesn't address the underlying causes of menstrual stigma, which have roots in misogyny and have been exploited by corporations.
"I'm cranky about these pads and other product-focused menstrual campaigns because I don't think they fundamentally challenge menstrual stigma," Bobel said. "Menstrual stigma is what sets in motion this necessity of menstrual concealment."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/10/15/period-shame-problem-tampons-pads-not-only-solution/6060181001/
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