Stigma and Lack Of Education as Barriers in the Fight For Society’s Acceptance of Menstruation
Alyssa Sinicropi
What comes to mind when you think of luxury items? Maybe a Kate Spade purse or the new PlayStation 5? The last thing you would probably think of is tampons or sanitary pads. So why do menstrual products fall under the same category? The answer is miseducation surrounding menstruation and the resulting stigma that follows.
Neil Young on July, et al. “Classroom Management for Middle School Teachers.” S&S Blog, 12 July 2019, www.ssww.com/blog/classroom-management-for-middle-school-teachers/.
You have not felt real panic until you have locked eyes with a cisgender boy in your high school class, at the exact moment you are hiding a tampon or pad up your sleeve to take with you to the washroom. The look of confusion that transforms to disgust as he realizes what you are doing only reinforces the feelings of shame and embarrassment you already have surrounding your period. The question we must ask is, where do these feelings of revulsion stem from?
I have lost track of all the baseless assumptions I have heard non-menstruators make about periods. Nevertheless, I have kept track of the most memorable ones. For example, there is the common assumption that menstruators can “just hold it in like when you pee”, a relatively harmless belief when compared with the assumption that menstruators are “sluts for wearing tampons.” This assumption stems from the myth that menstruators lose their virginities when they wear tampons and encourages the spread of false information. However, both assumptions promote the stigma surrounding menstruation and ensure feelings of shame about a natural bodily function. It is important to note that these assumptions are not limited to young cisgender boys. I can clearly recall being told by a cisgender male phys ed teacher that I cannot miss class “just because [I’m] on my period,” dismissing the very real, debilitating pain that I was in. You see, the uneducated high school students grow into uneducated adults who use their positions in society to uphold the stigma surrounding menstruation.
The task of reversing stigma and normalizing menstruation is easier than it may seem. The first step in reversing stigma is having open conversations about periods and menstruation in the presence of all genders so that non-menstruators grow accustomed to the concept while also furthering their knowledge on the topic. Beyond social situations, increasing knowledge about menstruation falls into the hands of institutions. While most schools separate health classes by gender to discuss puberty, students would benefit from a general presentation about puberty before being separated by gender. This system would ensure a basic understanding of bodily functions; while perhaps uncomfortable for some, this system would help reduce the stigma surrounding menstruation. Classes could still be separated afterwards for questions and further explanation, but this way non-menstruators would not treat the topic of periods as taboo. Which, in turn, would make the sight of unopened menstrual products common instead of something to be disgusted by.
Normalizing open and honest conversations about periods and menstruation as a whole in institutions and social situations will gradually destigmatize menstruation in society. With less stigma, more menstruators will be able to get help without facing backlash for something out of their control and there will be a shift in how menstrual products are viewed by society. Right now, menstrual products are considered luxury items and are inaccessible for many. By educating non-menstruators about periods, we can create a shift in understanding that menstrual products are not, in fact, a luxury, and should be considered a necessity instead. This shift in perception is a necessary step toward the goal of free and accessible menstrual products for all.
