Written by the amazing Louise Miolin from our blog team.
This post was also featured on Pltform.
For as long as I can remember, menstruation has been a topic shrouded in secrecy and shame. The first time I ever seriously thought about periods was when my Year 6 teacher sent all the boys outside to play football, gathering the girls in a circle to watch, horrified, as a tampon expanded in a glass of water. When my friend got her period and some boys found out, the teacher told her to keep it a secret because “it’s not really something you’re supposed to shout from the rooftops.” From that moment on, groups of girls at school devised top-secret code words for their periods as we quickly learned that this thing our bodies did each month was to be kept under wraps (or rags!) at all costs.
From shaming by sexual partners to menstrual huts and girls skipping weeks of school, global taboos around menstruation pose a dangerous and seemingly insurmountable threat to the freedoms and wellbeing of people with periods. They also prevent us from having important discussions. In a world where periods are viewed as something that should be kept hidden, it’s no wonder we don’t discuss the environmental and financial impacts of menstruation.
Luckily, in 2019, those menstrual taboos are being deconstructed. Today, the popularisation of new period technologies means that we are talking more about the natural phenomenon half of the world experiences. Hand in hand with this new, open discourse is a period revolution; bleeding is becoming more manageable, as well as more eco-friendly.
A tampon – like the one that terrorised us in that primary school class all those years ago – and all its associated packaging can take years to decompose. Pads are much the same. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my legacy to the world to be in the form of my period waste.
A menstruating person (bearing in mind that not all people who have periods are women!) might spend up to AU$7300 on pads and tampons in their lifetime. By contrast, the menstrual cup costs AU$40 and can be used until menopause! Period panties offer an alternative to pads that can also be used repeatedly. These beauties grow more popular every day, but taboo stands in the way of a mass conversion: Tampons and pads have been marketed to us as discreet, acceptable tools with which to have discreet, acceptable periods. We don’t want to think too much about menstruation because we’ve been taught that it’s dirty, embarrassing and shameful. As such, we are reluctant to actively change the way we deal with our periods.
However, I would argue that if you’re a period-having person and you’re privileged enough to be in a position where you have access to these products, you should take it upon yourself to genuinely consider the best way to manage your period not only for you, but also for the planet. Of course, not every product is going to work for every person – but surely we should all consider our options.
I believe that social progress lies in people, not products. At the same time, I think products like the menstrual cup and period underwear are helping people change the conversation about periods. And I think that’s an important thing to do, for both individuals and the planet. Menstruation isn’t disgusting, or dirty, or shameful; it’s natural and happens to millions of people worldwide. We should be free to discuss it openly and manage it in the best ways that we know how.
So here’s to hoping that when my kids reach Year 6, a teacher will hold up a silicon cup to wide eyes and open minds…and the days of terrified pre-teens and water soaked tampons will be no more.
Image source.
