From
quite a long time now we have been hearing in those long speeches, awareness videos
and blogs that periods are quite normal and absolutely they are as normal as
breathing but why is a girl who bleeds 7 days in a month bullied and shamed for
the same!
Till
menopause menstruation becomes the part and parcel of our lives. Menstrual blood is
the only source of blood which is induced without any violence or traumatic experience
yet considered the most impure, never spoken of and is expected to be hidden.
When I got my first period, I was told not to
worry about and “It’s completely normal”. Normal? If it was normal why was I expected to stay locked in a room,
why I was not allowed to the kitchen, to the temples and why was I forbidden to
talk about it especially infront of males.
And you
speak of normal? That pain I bore for the first time was near to death. I just
want to say to all the mothers out there; never be ashamed of your periods
because then your daughters would be too. Be period positive. A girl’s self esteem should never be sacrificed at the
altar of Menstrual Myths.
The society
never fails to astonish me. Let’s talk about a sanitary pad; do we wrap a
packet of cigarettes or tobacco with black polythene or newspaper while buying
it sounds quite unusual right? Then its not so while buying the sanitary pads?
Sanitary pads are health products and are even classified as medical devices.
Pads shouldn’t be a choice for girls; it should be a right and definitely not a
taboo at all. I see absolutely no point in smuggling them as if it’s an illegal
drug, sounds quite funny but that’s the harsh reality. I mean unless it’s an
individual’s opinion as it’s a very personal thing to be used. We live in a
world where its so easy and comfortable to wear it but so uncomfortable to
speak about it.
However,
pads emit toxic chemicals which cause undesirable side effects and can be
detrimental to health. Over time, they may even lea to major illnesses like
cancer!
So what’s an better alternative to that?
Menstrual cups have now evolved as the best alternative for pads and tampons. No more rashes and odour. Unlike the others,
the menstrual cup doesn’t absorb the menstrual fluid rather collects it, so no
more feeling uncomfortable and dry. With proper care a single menstrual cup can
be used for 5 to 6 years.
Why should boys have all the fun?
No more cancelling all your plans for the day just for your periods! With a
menstrual cup, swimming, scuba diving, camping, hiking; anything is possible.
I think
all the young girls and women should be encouraged and introduced to menstrocup.
Its 2K22; All menstruators should have access to affordable, sustainable period
products.
Have you
ever noticed the advertisements using the weird blue liquid to show how
absorbent their products are?
Television is still one of the prevalent media till now. So the commercials
been shown hold great impact on the mass. These ads have the power to
exasperate certain existing stigmas or bring a revolution of change in
normalizing and destigmatizing menstruation. These ads should really become
sensitive and responsible towards this topic and should not promote the idea of
negative prejudices attached a woman’s body. Why blue anyway?
There
exist some really absurd superstitions about periods that has crossed all
levels of stupidity. I am a girl and proudly bleed every month knowing how
strong I am! Trust me, I have been to temples, worshipped the Lord and nothing
has turned impure, I have been to my kitchen and touched the jams; nothing
rotted and it’s still delicious! I have carried pads without wrapping it in a
newspaper and no one has turned blind!
So to all the girls it’s time to speak up, never let yourself be bullied just
because you bleed!
To all the girls fighting to build their identity and to all the girls learning
to stand up for themselves! More power to you’ll!
~ Milonee Mishra
