Tabooing menstruation
Menstruation is unfortunately still a taboo subject in today's society, even though a lot of effort has been made to educate people about it in recent decades. The understanding that menstruation is a completely natural bodily function is often lacking. Many people still feel ashamed or uncomfortable talking about it, or even see menstruation as something unsightly or repulsive. This can still often be observed in the behavior of menstruating women today.
Menstruation is just around the corner, unannounced. You haven't prepared for tampons, sanitary pads, etc. And your supplies at home are out of stock. What should you do?
The “tampon exchangers”
Maybe this sounds familiar to some of you…
They are on the lookout for a possible “tampon deal”. As unnoticed as possible, they whisper to the next female person “ Do you have a tampon for me? ” and the deal begins. Often it is difficult to use the words “period” and “menstruation”. Instead, code descriptions such as “ I have the strawberry week " or " Greetings from the red days ”.
Men are treated like the police, who are the last to hear about the incident. The “tampon exchangers” are then searched for possible “goods”. The menstrual products are then handed over as inconspicuously as possible behind the back or under the table and in close hand-to-hand contact until the “deal” is finally concluded.
But why is that? Why do menstruating women act like dealers when it comes to the menstrual products they need?
Taboos can start in the nursery…
As with many habits, the first experiences that are later carried into life are in childhood. Many menstruating women have their first discussions about menstruation from their mothers, sisters, friends or gynecologists. This is where the taboo can begin. If menstruating women are taught at an early age that menstruation should not be discussed in public, a basic belief of shame and taboo can become ingrained in behavior during childhood. It is often signaled that so-called women's issues should not be discussed in public and certainly not with men. That is what menstruating women are there for.
Many men are excluded as a result and feel visibly uncomfortable when talking about menstruation, which encourages them to behave in a taboo manner. An endless cycle begins.
Open communication without shame is the key to breaking the cycle of taboo, counteracting it and creating a normalization for the topic.
How tampon and sanitary pad advertising makes things taboo
The taboo surrounding menstruation is also reflected in the tampon and sanitary pad industry. For many decades, advertising has distorted the truth by using blue or pale pink fluids as a symbol for menstruation. The truth is thus obscured and periods are not shown as they really are - blood red.This not only makes menstruating women uncertain about their perception of their menstruation, but also leads to a distorted perception in men.
Destigmatizing periods
The movement for the education and normalization of menstruation is constantly growing.
For example, until the end of 2019, menstrual products such as tampons and sanitary pads were still taxed at 19%. There was a large movement to tax menstrual products as basic necessities at 7%. And they were heard. The new decision was that the tampon tax would be a thing of the past as of January 1, 2020, and the products in question would only be taxed at 7% from now on.
Furthermore, many users clarify under hashtags such as #LiveTweetYourPeriod , #endperiodshame , #periodpositive , #periodproud , #iloveperiods or the Indian #happytobleed publicly speak out about menstruation and call for normalization and a relaxed approach to menstruation.
Why menstruation is so important
Periods are a completely natural bodily function that is neither sick, unhygienic nor unsightly. If the egg is not fertilized during the menstruating woman's cycle, this egg is expelled through menstruation. The uterine lining that is built up during the cycle and into which the egg can nest if fertilized is also expelled if fertilization does not occur. This allows a new egg and new uterine lining to be formed in the next cycle.
If fertilization occurs during the cycle, menstruation does not occur.
Period underwear supports the naturalness of the period
Period underwear helps to remove the taboo surrounding periods. Periods do not have to and should not be hidden. On the contrary, they should be encouraged in their naturalness. Period underwear supports the body in its natural period flow without irritating or drying out the sensitive mucous membranes and organs with foreign bodies.
Would you like to find out more about our period underwear? Then visit us at www.taynie.de .
Find the right Taynie for you
Discover our diversity
Sources:
