Menstrual Monday? Whaaaaaat???? Reminder to my gentlemen readers: you have sisters, wives, girlfriends, co-workers, friends, mothers, and daughters. You are surrounded. So before you click off with a fast exit from this post with a does-not-apply-to-you response, I invite you to read on.
I was kidding when I proposed Menstrual Monday to Margot Potter, but then I started thinking about how cultures behave towards periods. Unless we’ve been raised in a matriarchal, goddess-worshipping culture (not in abundance on the planet today), we are woefully unenlightened. This is not gender-based, either. Look at the language we use:
Feminine PROTECTION. Protection from what? It’s not an attack and it’s not a disease.
SANITARY napkins: implies something dirty. It’s not dirty, it’s nature. In some religious traditions, men are not allowed to touch a woman who’s menstruating. How’s that for affecting self-esteem?
Euphemisms like the CURSE. Think about it: women have the ability to create life. I think that’s more of a BLESSING.
Ignorance is a voluntary affliction. ~ Nicholas Ling
I am not surprised by the lack of understanding that men have about periods. Afterall, their relationship with bleeding is from an injury. I am, however, surprised at the lack of knowledge women have about their own bodies. Ladies, do you know where your ovaries are? Here’s the thing about ignorance: there’s a tendency to make what we don’t understand, wrong. Religions do this all the time. In addition, whenever you keep something shrouded in darkness and mystery, it’s a place for shame to hang out. How can we be living in the 21st century and still be in the dark ages when it comes to our biology?
I have an Indian-American friend who told me that when she was a girl, she happened to be visiting India when she got her period. All the women got together and performed a specific ritual for her. She said that she was so embarrassed that everyone knew about it. I said, “How wonderful that you could mark the occasion as a celebration into womanhood. You had the support of women from all generations.” We don’t have that in our society.
She went on to say that when she was growing up, her mother was not allowed to prepare the food for the family for the first 3 days of her period. Perhaps, initially, however many centuries ago, that rule was created to support the woman. The body is breaking down, cleansing, clearing out. It takes energy and sometimes don’t we just want to take a nap? How many women listen to their bodies and rest? This is our downtime, but most women pop a pill and push themselves to keep going.
There’s a wonderful book, The Red Tent. Set in Old Testament times, it tells the story of women who retreat to a tent for their 3 days out of the month. The men thought it was a place of isolation where the women went to suffer. Far from it. It was the place of communion and storytelling and rest. It’s a great read.
You may be wondering (if you’re still with me) what sparked this little essay. It was Margot’s post. There are girls who miss a whole week of school each month because they have no access to supplies. If you think it’s only in faraway countries, think again. It’s here in America.
So Sharon McCreary is heading up a Maxipad Drive and you can read more about it at Generosity Flows.
Or you can send donations to:
Sharon McCreary
EGOS/CRESL
1250 Welton St.
Denver, CO 80204
Happy Monday. :-) H.
I was kidding when I proposed Menstrual Monday to Margot Potter, but then I started thinking about how cultures behave towards periods. Unless we’ve been raised in a matriarchal, goddess-worshipping culture (not in abundance on the planet today), we are woefully unenlightened. This is not gender-based, either. Look at the language we use:
Feminine PROTECTION. Protection from what? It’s not an attack and it’s not a disease.
SANITARY napkins: implies something dirty. It’s not dirty, it’s nature. In some religious traditions, men are not allowed to touch a woman who’s menstruating. How’s that for affecting self-esteem?
Euphemisms like the CURSE. Think about it: women have the ability to create life. I think that’s more of a BLESSING.
Ignorance is a voluntary affliction. ~ Nicholas Ling
I am not surprised by the lack of understanding that men have about periods. Afterall, their relationship with bleeding is from an injury. I am, however, surprised at the lack of knowledge women have about their own bodies. Ladies, do you know where your ovaries are? Here’s the thing about ignorance: there’s a tendency to make what we don’t understand, wrong. Religions do this all the time. In addition, whenever you keep something shrouded in darkness and mystery, it’s a place for shame to hang out. How can we be living in the 21st century and still be in the dark ages when it comes to our biology?
I have an Indian-American friend who told me that when she was a girl, she happened to be visiting India when she got her period. All the women got together and performed a specific ritual for her. She said that she was so embarrassed that everyone knew about it. I said, “How wonderful that you could mark the occasion as a celebration into womanhood. You had the support of women from all generations.” We don’t have that in our society.
She went on to say that when she was growing up, her mother was not allowed to prepare the food for the family for the first 3 days of her period. Perhaps, initially, however many centuries ago, that rule was created to support the woman. The body is breaking down, cleansing, clearing out. It takes energy and sometimes don’t we just want to take a nap? How many women listen to their bodies and rest? This is our downtime, but most women pop a pill and push themselves to keep going.
There’s a wonderful book, The Red Tent. Set in Old Testament times, it tells the story of women who retreat to a tent for their 3 days out of the month. The men thought it was a place of isolation where the women went to suffer. Far from it. It was the place of communion and storytelling and rest. It’s a great read.
You may be wondering (if you’re still with me) what sparked this little essay. It was Margot’s post. There are girls who miss a whole week of school each month because they have no access to supplies. If you think it’s only in faraway countries, think again. It’s here in America.
So Sharon McCreary is heading up a Maxipad Drive and you can read more about it at Generosity Flows.
Or you can send donations to:
Sharon McCreary
EGOS/CRESL
1250 Welton St.
Denver, CO 80204
Happy Monday. :-) H.
2 comments:
Hali
Thank you so much for posting this and spreading the word. It's important!
xoxo
Margot
Margot~
It's SO important. THANK YOU for bringing it to my attention. You're the BEST! :-) LOVE, H.
Post a Comment