From the Interns: The Past, Present, and Future of Period Shame: A Casual Essay

Period shame has had a place in every menstruator’s life, from the locker room to the words on your grandma’s tongue. And yet this stigma serves no useful purpose at all. You may at this point be asking yourself: what even is period shame? Menstrual shame is the stigma and negative emotions associated with menstruation, a natural physiological function of the female human body. As Maureen C. McHugh states in her book The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies, “our (negative) attitudes toward menstruation are neither natural, nor inherent.” The stigma surrounding menstruation deems the female body as disgusting and inferior to the male body as a means of upholding the patriarchy which informs the dominant discourse. In simple terms, misogyny has formed our negative attitudes surrounding menstruation to keep the intended inferior class (people with uteruses) submissive to the intended dominant class (people without uteruses) by making them believe that their bodies are dysfunctional and gross. To understand how menstrual shame became so pervasive, we have to understand where it came from. The dark history of period shame has not died, but rather been molded into something equally as dangerous.

Some attribute the genesis of period shame to religion. Many cite the Bible as an early example of menstrual stigma. The Bible’s Leviticus chapter 15, 19-33 asserts that women, along with anything they come in contact with, are “unclean” for the duration of their cycle. It states that they must be isolated during menstruation: “And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even” (Leviticus 15:19). This, of course, exemplifies the opinions of menstruation by 1400s Israelites, but the Bible informs today's morals and priorities. Religion has an incredible influence on all aspects of life. Ariane Resnick, author of Why Period Stigma Exists and How to Normalize Menstruation, points out that “in some Jewish religions, men are forbidden from having sexual relations with their wife” when she is menstruating and in a state of Niddah: when she hasn’t yet completed her mikveh (a bath for purification). This further points to the association of dirtiness or impurity with menstruation. Kayla Davidge specifies in her article Why and When Did Menstruation Become Taboo? that “Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism have all negatively portrayed menstruation and its effects on women, describing both periods and menstruators as unclean and impure.” The issue of period stigma doesn’t derive from a single religion or writer, nor are all their depictions negative, instead it originates from a culture of purity that intends to control.

Eclectic early opinions and beliefs also stigmatized menstruation. There are many examples, spanning throughout time and place, that believed menstruation was something negative or even diabolical. The Mae Enga tribe in Papua New Guinea, which spans back more than 2,000 years, “believed that if men touched period blood they would get sick, stupid, darker skinned, and worst case, even die” (Davidge, Why and When). Rae Gillibrand points to Rome in her article Dirty red: how periods have been stigmatised through history to the modern day stating that “writing around AD70, Pliny the Elder says menstruation ‘is productive of the most monstrous effects.’ He writes that crops ‘will wither and die’, and bees ‘will forsake their hives if touched by a menstruous woman.’” Davidge says, “During medieval times, people believed that if a penis touched period blood it would burst into flames, and a child conceived while menstruating would either be possessed by the devil, deformed...or a redhead.” In all of these cultures men are the dominant and "superior" sex. And despite the seemingly silly or overdramatic nature of some of these beliefs, they mirror many modern day sentiments. Menstrual shame reflects the patriarchy much more than any truth. Despite platforming the negative examples in this essay, not all opinions were negative. Davidge states that “some cultures considered period blood to be sacred, a fertilizer for crops, and even a cure for illness,” but negative opinions on menstruation aligned with the goals of dominant culture. This, in combination with globalization, allowed menstrual shame to become the standard almost internationally.

Today, euphemisms reinforce the shame of menstruation. Euphemisms are used to obscure discussions of menstruation, which reflects the intended shame of periods. Clue discovered, through a (not exhaustive) survey, that there are over five thousand euphemisms across many languages for the word “period.” Shame engenders silence, which in turn creates more shame. McHugh says, “Shame is maintained because it is very difficult for women to access its antidote, connection and empathy.” It is extremely hard for women to access connections through something they feel ashamed about, as shame most often implies concealment. The system is set up to maintain itself, but in doing so, we remain and accept being second-class citizens. It becomes an active choice to not be ashamed. If you are told from a young age not to talk about something, of course you will feel embarrassed or shamefaced. Lying and hiding are the antithesis of pride. Silence, shame, and euphemisms sustain the systems contributing to menstrual shame. Period shame has many real life dangers. Menstrual shame can have negative consequences on mental health, physical health, sexuality, and general well-being. Shame causes isolation and unfair feelings of inadequacy which strips menstruators of their power. Shame of one’s own body can become an issue in sexual decision making. A scientific study proves that “menstrual shame may inhibit sexual agency, and the ability of women to acknowledge and advocate for pleasure” (McHugh, The Palgrave Handbook). It concluded that those who feel more menstrual shame take more sexual risk, feel more body shame, and have lower levels of sexual activity (Deborah Schooler, Cycles of shame: menstrual shame, body shame, and sexual decision-making). This is dangerous and leaves people with uteruses vulnerable. Period shame can also cause or exhaust health issues. Endometriosis UK states, “62% of women (aged 16-54) would put off going to a Doctor with symptoms of endometriosis because they don’t think it’s serious enough to bother a Doctor with, they’d be embarrassed, don’t think they’d be taken seriously, or think symptoms including painful periods are normal. This statistic rises to 80% of 16-24-year-olds.” Shame of one’s own body puts many people in physical danger and prolonged pain. In fact, it can even take lives: “In 2017, a 12-year old Indian girl committed suicide after her teacher allegedly shamed her for a period stain on her school uniform in front of the entire class” (Davidge, Why and When). No one should be shamed for a basic bodily function and then feel that hopeless. We, as a society, have failed if this is the product of our social systems. We, as teens, are at higher risk of these fears and of putting ourselves in danger. Perhaps it is because we haven’t gained the confidence in self advocacy that time provides, or that we are more susceptible to feelings of shame as people new to our bodies, or even simply that our brains aren’t fully developed, but any which way, the only way to stop this cycle of shame is to talk about it. Period shame is the product of oppression. Shame can be defeated with natural and neutral conversation. If the only time we talk about menstruation is to complain, we are supporting the false narrative that our bodies are inferior. Simply because negative opinions are prevalent doesn’t make them true. May the future see the end of menstrual shame. This system isn’t working for us, so let’s talk about it. Join Cycle Alliance at a Brooklyn Public Library branch near you to meet with others who want to talk about and hopefully destigmatize menstruation!

Note: Gendered language is used as the sources use it. Uses of female and male are biological descriptors not gendered ones. Menstruation isn’t necessarily indicative of gender.
 

Works Cited
Davidge, Kayla. “Why and When Did Menstruation Become Taboo? – Your Period Called.” Yourperiodcalled.com, 13 Jan. 2021, yourperiodcalled.com/2021/01/13/how-did-menstruation-become-a-taboo/.
Gillibrand, Rachael. ““Dirty Red”: How Periods Have Been Stigmatised through History to the Modern Day.” The Conversation, 22 Aug. 2023, theconversation.com/dirty-red-how-periods-have-been-stigmatised-through-history-to-the-modern-day-206967.
McHugh, Maureen C. “Menstrual Shame: Exploring the Role of ‘Menstrual Moaning.’” PubMed, Palgrave Macmillan, 25 July 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK565666/.
“Press Release: Time to End the Stigma | Endometriosis UK.” Endometriosis-Uk.org, www.endometriosis-uk.org/press-release-time-end-stigma.
Resnick, Ariane. “What Is Period Stigma?” Verywell Mind, 30 June 2021, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-period-stigma-5116231.
Schooler, Deborah et al. “Cycles of shame: menstrual shame, body shame, and sexual decision-making.” Journal of sex research vol. 42,4 (2005): 324-34. doi:10.1080/00224490509552288