NORMALISING PERIOD TALK
A period is nothing to be embarrassed about, so why do so many of us do what we can to hide it? Here are three ways to normalize talking about your period( if you want to).
1. REMEMBER HOW NORMAL IT IS There are millions of periodhaving humans across the world, so there ' s really no need to feel like it ' s unnatural. They ' re painful, uncomfortable and inconvenient but also completely normal and remembering this is useful when trying to talk about it. A large percentage of the population bleeds every month so the shame and stigma attatched to it is ridiculous, and its up to all of us to remove the shame that is often thrust upon us. As a society we have begun to move towards open discussion of things like sex and mental health( which is amazing), however periods should be no different desoite the fact many still consider it a taboo topic. You can begin to counter this by initiating conversation with close friends or family members. You don ' t have to go into detail, but you ' ll be suprised at how many people love talking about it once the topic is bought up.
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2. RECOGNISE 1HAT PERIOD SHAMEHURJS Although period shaming is an issue across the world, for those who are from non-Western countries a period is a dangerous time. There are some countries that view menstrating people as ' tainted: forcing them to remain in dirty clothing and sometime even sending them away to live alone during the duration of their period, which can lead to all sorts of infections and cause severe phycological harm. This is truly upsetting, and it is important that those of us in Western countries begin to use our positions of privalege to bring light to these issues. We need to make it known that period shame is not only emotionally damaging, but also physically dangerous.
SO GET CHATTING AND REMO THE STIGMA. ONE BLOODY CONVERSATION AT A TIME.
3. SUPPORT EACHO'IHER Periods aren ' t fun, anyone who ' s had one knows that, and the last thing we need when our stomach feels like it ' s being ripped apart is other people who have periods calling us disgusting for being open about it. If you ' re uncomfortable talking about them personally, that ' s fine- but don ' t try and make other people feel bad for doing so. With all the social, political and economic justices in the world, someone talking about how they leaked over their new bedsheets once is not the end of the world nor is it wrong. It can also be helpful to encourage positive period talk. Sure it ' s great to bond over the mutual agony and despair but by turning it into more of a positive we help to lift the existing taboos. Finally, recognise that it is not just a ' women ' s issue� There are thousands of trans and non-binary people who get a period every month, and exlcuding them from discussion causes stigma and hurt. Make sure your conversations are in inclusive- it '; s much easier to normalize something when everyone is involved.