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Period Pains - Why We Must Fight Against Stereotypes and Negative Perceptions

At best, periods are seen as a monthly inconvenience for most women.  It’s true that menstruation is often accompanied by painful cramps or mood swings, yet this entirely natural, healthy process suffers from unnaturally negative associations in modern society.  These squeamish, almost superstitious attitudes seem to be cultivated by the so-called feminine hygiene industry which claims to serve women during their periods.

Tampon companies have a vested interest in maintaining long held cultural perceptions of menstruation as dirty or something requiring protection.  This means they can keep selling disposable sanitary products (note the word sanitary which implies the need to take precautions against dirt, infection or disease, as if menstrual blood was some kind of bio-hazard !)  Tampons and pads are always bleached white which adds to the sterile image. Blood is even bizarrely replaced by a blue liquid during TV commercials.  And of course, the big hook with commercial pads and tampons is that they have to be bought each month, then thrown away after a single use, increasing profits while perpetuating the notion that menstrual blood is something that must be sanitized and disposed of untouched.

The other subtle yet powerful message is that your period is embarrassing and shameful .  Adverts often use words like ‘discreet’ or claim that no-one will ever know you have your period.  Sometimes tampon boxes and wrappers have neutral designs in order to disguise their contents.  While women usually have no trouble discussing menstruation amongst their close female friends - most would never mention it to an acquaintance, and would be horrified if a tampon box or pad happened to spill out of their handbag in public.  This programming starts early when a girl first menstruates in her early teens. Formal sex education in schools is often accompanied by free samples and commercial pamphlets with the same vaguely negative messages.   Teenagers tend to be self conscious about the changes in their body during puberty, so it is easy to add menstruation to the long list of things for girls to be anxious or ashamed about - and unfortunately this shame often persists unquestioned into adulthood.

If you want to start rejecting these attitudes and the industry which fuels them, there are several alternatives to commercial pads and tampons.  Tampons made from non-bleached cotton are available for those with allergies, eczema or prone to irritation caused by bleaches in tampons.  Another option is to use washable cloth pads, which is actually what women have always used historically anyway.  Some women use reusable menstrual cups such as the Diva Cup, Mooncup or The Keeper.  They are soft cups usually made from medical grade silicone that sit inside the vagina and collects the blood.  They are then emptied, washed and reinserted.  Sea sponges are also used as tampon alternatives as they are very absorbent and sit inside the vagina. The difference with sea sponges is that they are entirely natural and, like the menstrual cup they can be rinsed and re-inserted.

Some of these alternative menstrual products mean you need to become more comfortable with your vagina and more familiar with its processes and unique rhythms.  The fact is - menstruation is not dirty or unhygienic, or shameful or weird.  It’s a wonderful sign that your body is working - something you’ll never hear on a tampon ad.