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 .