Period Positivity

yup those are tampons I'm wearing as earrings !!!

Last year on International Women’s Day I made a blogpost outlining some goals for the coming year. One year later and two of these goals have some tangible results. My first goal was to simply be more vocal about feminism and the inequalities that face women. If you ask anyone who knows me they can probably tell you that I’m extremely outspoken about women’s rights. The second goal was to increase my awareness on specific issues that women around the world face, and guys there’s LOTS of them. But over the past year one specific topic kept coming up, and that was related to period positivity. In this blogpost I want to really briefly highlight three sections of period positivity that I have learned more about over the past year. 

The Tampon Tax: 

Often referred to as “the pink tax” or the “period tax” the tax on tampons is a significant issue in countless countries around the world. This includes most of the 50 states in the U.S.A, the U.K., and other E.U states. It’s a big deal because it illustrates the fundamental inequality and injustice women face for their simple biological functions. Because tampons aren’t considered a basic necessity they fall under the “luxury” (rolls-eyes-heavily) category and are subject to VAT. So while this hygiene product is considered a luxury, Jaffa Cakes (an orange & chocolate biscuit) is considered an essential and is exempt from tax in the U.K. And Jaffa Cakes aren’t the only ridiculous “essential” tax-fee item to scrutinize. Men’s razors and condoms (along with many other products) are tax-free. While shaving and sex are a choice, bleeding once a month is not. This tax is bigger than just the illogical nature of it. It also fortifies the economic inequality between genders. Women already make less than their male counterparts, and the tax only makes tampons inaccessible to those already on the low end of the wage gap. NEWSFLASH: Homeless women still menstruate and doing so in a dignified way is a basic human right that they are often denied because of the high prices of tampons and other menstrual hygiene products.  Last time I checked having my period didn’t leave me feeling a sense of luxurious bliss akin to a weeklong spa get away. It’s time for governments to the end the period tax, period. 

Menstrual Taboo’s:

The world surrounding menstruation has been taboo for as long as I can remember. Even upon getting my period for the first time the ins and outs of biology and how to use different products was heavily glossed over. It just wasn’t talked about. I remember being in school and shuffling through my bag to find tampons or pads discreetly kept in a special pouch, and then immediately sliding the product up my cardigan sleeve as to ensure that NOONE caught a glimpse. If anyone was talking about menstruation the words “gross” or “ew” were often circling in the air- particularly from young boys. And this isn’t just a personal narrative, menstruation is taboo in so many societies. As I’ve gotten older I found I’ve become quite open about my period, I don’t try to hide my sanitary products of associate bleeding with disgust anymore. Despite this personal growth I noticed that most of the world still functions in the realm of taboo. If you buy sanitary products in Japan they won’t just bag them like any ordinary product in a transparent white bag, instead your purchase will be “discretely” stuffed in an opaque black or brown bag to obscure its contents. Even though I thought I was over being ashamed of my period, this simple act left me feeling dirty and humiliated all in a matter of seconds. The taboo around menstruation is starting to crack, campaigns like the #padmanchallenge are helping to challenge the stigma, but there is still a long way to go before girls and boys everywhere start to embrace periods as a natural, healthy and positive thing. 

Menstrual Health Management: 

MHM is an issue in many developing countries, and it’s something I have been exposed to through my coursework. Over the past semester I was able to take a close look at the consequences of poor menstrual health management in rural India and their leading factors. MHM is incredibly important for overall hygiene and quality of health, but in countries were strong social stigmas and taboos around menstruation exist proper menstrual hygiene practices fail to be cultivated. Accurate education about menstrual hygiene is severely lacking, and young girls internalize the inaccurate cultural beliefs that surround periods. Additionally, access to clean and safe menstrual hygiene products are scarce, due to lack of demand and due to high social stigmas. Improving menstrual health is instrumental to achieving the health and sanitation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Although there is a lot to say about each of these areas and about period positivity in general I wanted to give a brief overview of some of the major issues that the world and women are still facing today. While the point has been to highlight a few areas that have really interested me recently, I hope it has sparked an interest in you to read more about these subjects or other subjects concerning women’s rights. I know this post was a bit of a longer read, but I really do think it’s necessary to have these conversations and to be open about them. Thanks for stopping by! 

xx,

F.