No more shame!
I couldn’t wait to start menstruating. Before puberty, I was one of those girls who were eager to grow up so I could wear bras and frilly panties.
Since most girls get their first period during middle school, this was when we gossiped and bragged about everything. However, menstruating was embarrassing for some girls. Some found themselves constantly wondering if everyone knew and whether or not boys could see the bulge of the pads. Even in the girls’ bathroom during lunch, some tried to quietly changing their pads, so the other girls wouldn’t hear.
Even though we were taught that the process of menstruating is completely natural and that almost all women go through it, some still felt ashamed.
Fast forward to third and forth wave feminism, women are embracing their bodies, periods and all. There’s females who drink their period blood from their menstrual cups alongside women who paint with their menstrual blood. Free bleeding is even happening these days.
So, with the feminist movement and women freely talking about the periods, why is there still a revulsion by many people?
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Boyz r dumm
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In a time where you can Google anything in mere seconds, there’s still all sorts of misconceptions about periods. Like that kid on Twitter who said, “Tampons should not be free, why does everyone keep saying they should be?? if u can’t control ur bladder then that’s not taxpayers problem!”
“I had a boyfriend in high school who asked why I didn’t just push [the menstrual blood] all out at once. When I looked at him confused, he told me it ‘was just like pooping,’” reader shannonh49685c191 told Buzzfeed.
Of course, there’s that lovely question cis men like to ask any time women get angry, upset, or are just aggressive in general: “What are you, on your period?”
For many men, period equals bad.
All Grown Up
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Some little snot-nosed boys grow up and get woke. So woke that having sex with a woman on her period is no big deal. In fact, it’s even a fetish for some who enjoy going down on a woman while she’s bleeding. They’re referred to as “blood hounds.”
As for us bleeders, period sex can help with cramps and may help shorten your bleeding time.
Ew, that’s nasty!
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There are many unpleasant bits to being on your period: Cramps, gas, diarrhea, pimples, bloat, etc.
Is it “gross” though? Many women have issues with having to look at blood, even if it’s their own. They seem especially grossed out by the bits of clotted blood and mucus that come out sometimes.
On Reddit, user King_Max_Cat21 wrote:
Do I think menstruation is disgusting? OH HELL YES. Why? Because there is disgusting, clotted, thick, SLIMY, absolutely-HORRID-smelling blood SLOWLY leaking constantly out of my vagina. It would be one thing if it all came out in 2 hours. It would be one thing if it was bright red, NORMAL blood (like the kind that comes out when you cut your arm/leg/whenever). But no. It’s like blood boogers, coming out of my most sensitive spot. And the smell. The smell is disgusting.
The only comparison I can think of would be poop (diarrhea) coming out of your penis. It’s a disgusting fluid/semi-solid/?gel? coming out of your most sensitive spot, your genitals. Yeah. You’d be grossed out. Or maybe another comparison would be constantly having a slow leak of diarrhea coming out of your butt, 24/7, for a full week. And you have to wear diapers the whole time, and there is nothing you can do to stop the flow, it just slowly drips out your butt. Grossed out yet?
I feel like the ugliest troll in the world when I’m having my period.
A good friend of mine is constantly disgusted by her period. Even when I told her that she’s not supposed to flush the used tampon down the toilet, she said wrapping it up in toilet paper and having it sit in her bathroom garbage was unconscionable.
Needless to say, since I started using a menstrual cup a few years ago, she’s been looking at me like I have three heads.
For those who are grossed out, keep reading for some helpful advice…
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Original by Chewy Boese
