SOMETIME ago, I stumbled upon a meme online that read, “Condoms should be sold and sanitary pads should be shared for free, sex is a choice while a woman’s period is not.” I was bemused by those words because I came to the realisation that a woman’s period is actually a marketing strategy for many brands. In fact, studies have shown that some brands actually make medications with the same ingredients of a regular pain killer and label it as ‘period painkillers’. They tend to retail the ones ‘for menstruation’ at a more expensive price compared to the regular medications. Sanitary pad commercials showcase the “gallons” of liquid a pad can absorb, but yet still the average woman uses 10,000 to 15,000 sanitary pads in her lifetime. You can do the math to come up with the excessive amount of dollars women have to spend.

Why is it that in high school my friends and I came up with nicknames and phrases for our periods (red car, time of the month, Pee-pee)? Or every month a woman is so paranoid that she asks her friends to check for red spots on her light colored pants or skirts? Last week’s column was focused mainly on what the menstrual cycle is, while this week’s piece shines light on the social perception of periods.

Aleeya Sugrim, a young teacher at the Berbice Islamic School shared her thoughts on the topic:
“Within our culture we are told that menstrual functions are something to be hidden, something shameful. That is why persons find all these different code names for it, so as to hide it. [One] superstition I heard was that if I touch a tree, it will become barren and die or that if anyone touches me, they become unclean.

Menstruation is a normal female body function and should not be hidden. Women do not deserve to be treated as unclean because our body is having a normal function.  I would say to the young girls to get themselves educated about menstruation. These negative attitudes are shown towards menstruation because of the lack of information about it. We tend to believe cultural stereotypes when we don’t have enough information so let us educate ourselves on this normal body function.”

One can only imagine how awful it must be to be homeless or financially unstable and also have your period every month. Homeless and less-fortunate women would use reusable rags and cloths. Next time you see a desolate female, make sure you share some of your new sanitary pads with her. With the exception of pads, there are also menstrual cups, tampons, period underwear and slowly emerging, there are now bio-degradable sanitary pads because 90 per cent of traditional pads are made with plastic.

For centuries, women have always been controlled by the social oppression of the idea that periods are disgusting and should not be talked about. Track your periods by means of modern period tracking apps; talk to both female and male colleagues; educate them more on this topic, speak up and against someone who discriminates women and periods.
Menstruation and sex are complimentary, from the beginning of time women have been giving birth and experiencing menstruation. Never be ashamed, it is a gift to be a woman and birth life. Our female ancestors before us struggled. They had no idea what a pad was, what sex education is or was; were always taught to be quiet about the passing of blood through their thighs, so stop hiding your pads and tampon boxes on the way to the bathroom or when you’re shopping at the grocery store. I’ll end this by sharing a poem that seeks to celebrate the humanity of women:

‘Menstruation is the only blood
that is tied to creation, but you
prefer the kind that is tied to death,
because the red dripping from a
man’s head is strength but the red
dripping between a woman’s thighs
is filth even though that is the only kind
that brings life.’

-Danica Gim