Menstruation and the Media: Changing the Tides of Period Stigma and Poverty Through Normalization
Photo by Cliff Booth from Pexels
Like nearly every girl, woman, and/or menstruator on this planet, I remember when I got my first period. I didn’t know what it was until a week into it, when my mom randomly showed up at cheerleading practice a month after I turned twelve to bring me pads after seeing my laundry. I hadn’t seen anything about periods on my tv shows, or heard about them from my friends. My forty-year-old mom had never mentioned what it was to me back then, telling me later on in life that she had assumed my little Lutheran middle school teachers had been educating us about our changing bodies (they were not). I felt like a smelly, achey, dirty freak of nature and a stranger in my own body. My cramps hurt so bad, my joints ached, and I suffered tumultuous mood swings every month. I remember I once got my period on a school trip where I only packed two pads, and I didn’t have a trusting relationship with any of my female teachers whom I could ask for hygiene products from. It wasn’t until I transitioned to a public high school that I even knew of other girls who had gotten their periods.
Suffering my periods in silence made me miserable. It wasn’t until I started talking about them on a regular basis to my high school friends that I learned my symptoms were severe and unusual (I was later diagnosed with endometriosis, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and polycystic ovarian syndrome). This is just my personal experience, but it’s reflective of a larger issue that our world faces today: period stigma.
Period Stigma is a broad term used to describe discrimination against people who menstruate, according to 10. It can manifest as jokes about periods, politicians arguing that menstruators don’t function properly at work on their period, or religious doctrine requiring “purification” rituals for people on their periods. Our society doesn’t give a lot of social leeway for people to experience their periods, as social norms dictate that periods must be concealed and discreet at all times, as seen in the research of Barrington and colleagues. When periods are not managed “successfully,” it can lead to shame and humiliation.
“‘Period Poverty’ is defined as the lack of access to menstrual products, education, hygiene facilities, waste management, or a combination of these.”
Period poverty is one of the many reasons why a menstrual cycle could be difficult to endure and manage, and it’s a major issue in both developing and developed countries. The definition of period poverty, according to Medical News Today, is the lack of access to menstrual products, education, hygiene facilities, waste management, or a combination of these. In the United Kingdom, one in ten adolescent women are unable to afford period products according to The British Journal of Midwifery. When you’re forced to choose between hygiene products or food, you’re choosing between going hungry for an entire week or getting sick from an unhygienic period. A lot of times, menstruators experiencing period poverty will opt out of work, school, or other activities rather than face the consequences of bleeding all over themselves, or not having a private place to change a tampon, according to research by Blackmore and Lusson. In fact, 63% of women and girls in Canada had to miss an activity regularly or occasionally because of period poverty. When someone opts out of school or work for a week every month, that takes a huge toll on their education or their work performance, contributing to the gender gaps in education and the workforce.
Photo by Cliff Booth from Pexels
Legislation is crucial to solving the issue of period poverty. Research by Dr. Coryton in the Education Journal has shown that period poverty is only a symptom of period stigma. We live in a world where period products are considered luxury goods instead of a basic necessity to prevent illness and death. Removing the “pink tax” is simply not enough to eradicate period poverty, as seen in Canada. The Scottish government introduced revolutionary legislation combating period poverty in 2017, where the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, pledged to provide free menstrual products to girls in schools, colleges, and universities, according to Primary Health Care. The program was expanded in the years shortly thereafter to include any menstruator in need, as period poverty puts health, education, and so much more at risk. After seeing Scotland’s success with the Period Products (Free Provision)(Scotland) Act 2021, other countries like Great Britain and Canada began to consider adopting similar measures to tackle this issue, but there’s still a long way to go.
One of the best ways we can fight period poverty and the greater period stigma while waiting for legislative change is by trying to normalize menstruation. Period: End of a Sentence was a ground-breaking, Oscar-winning documentary exploring the causes of and solutions to period poverty in India. I’ve seen it, and it’s fantastic. However, not everyone actively seeks out information on periods in documentary form like I do, which is why menstruation needs to be a regular subject in mainstream media. TV series like Friends, Carrie, and The Queen’s Gambit mention periods, but those shows are for more mature audiences. Ten to twelve-year-olds on the brink of puberty need to be introduced to menstruation in a healthy and fun way that doesn’t stigmatize periods or alienate the menstruator. Turning Red, a film by Pixar, is a great example of popular media that is trying to break the stigma surrounding menstruation. The tweenage protagonist, Mei, turns into a giant red panda whenever she experiences strong emotions. There’s plenty of references to periods and puberty throughout the movie, and it’s done in a way that’s relatable to menstruators while acknowledging the awkward and uncomfortable feelings from those that don’t menstruate. All I can say is that I wish that movie had been around for my menarche. I think it would’ve helped me feel less alone.
When we talk about periods more, we start to break the stigma surrounding menstruation. Periods are not children from the Victorian era, unseen and unheard. Opening a dialogue, whether in day-to-day conversation, politics, or the media, about our own or others’ experiences with periods is essential to ensuring that period poverty will become a thing of the past. Periods need to end sentences, not qualities of living.
