Women are fighting back against the need to be discreet – a ‘freebleeding’ marathon runner, a zine celebrating periods and the #JustATampon campaign – it’s time (of the month) to break stigma and change how we talk about periods
Periods hurt in so many ways. First there’s the bleeding, cramps, sore breasts, swollen belly, hormonal shifts, dizziness, headaches and the pain of parting with at least a few quid a month on sanitary products taxed as though they’re a luxury, not a basic human right. Then there’s the stigma, which some might say is the sorest part of all. It begins with language: the “discreet” sanitary towels, “invisible” wings and “cotton-fresh” pantyliners. It continues with shame, symbolised by the cool blue stream of liquid we apparently seep from our sweet-smelling vaginas. And the view – held so long we’ve forgotten how dangerous it is – that the process of shedding the lining of our womb once a month makes us mad, bad, dirty.
Now to Donald Trump for the latest instalment of period-shaming. Last week, the real-estate mogul and Republican frontrunner was taken to task by Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly during the first TV debate of the presidential race. His response? To insinuate in a CNN interview that Kelly was menstruating at the time. “You could see that there was blood coming out of her eyes,” he said. “Blood coming out of her wherever.” Trump has since insisted he was not implying Kelly had her period (he maintains he was referring to her nose) and that anyone who claims otherwise is “deviant” – which, some might say, is just heaping more shame on the shame. O, on top of calling a vagina a “wherever”. Anyway, we could be here all day … The response, at least, has been uncharacteristically out and proud for a subject usually obscured by adverts featuring women laughing while star-jumping in white skinny jeans: a Twitter hashtag – #PeriodsAreNotAnInsult – used to tweet Trump with details of individuals’ monthly flows, and a perfectly pitched Buzzfeed list: “17 times Donald Trump was TOTALLY on his period.”
Related: Menstruation: the last great sporting taboo
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