When author and poet Rupi Kaur posted an image of a fully clothed woman lying in bed with a period stain on her pants and sheets, Instagram deleted the image not once, but twice, stating that it went against community guidelines (Sanghani, 2015). However, nowhere in these guidelines does it mention anything about periods being inappropriate content, so why was it deleted? The social stigma circulating around women’s menstrual cycles is an all too real issue that women are faced with from an early age.
As cited in Johnston-Robledo & Chrisler (2013), Goffman (1963) categorizes stigma into three categories:
- Abominations of the body
- Blemishes of individual character
- Tribal identities or social markers associated with marginalized groups
Given the amount of advertisements and push for feminine hygiene products and menstrual rituals, menstrual blood can be considered an abomination, and as stated by Johnston-Robledo & Chrisler (2013), some have perceived menstrual blood as “more disgusting or aversive than other bodily fluids” (Johnston-Robledo & Chrisler, 2013). Historically, women were sought more to take to bed during menstruating, but it wasn’t until the “late nineteenth century that physicians began to define and treat menstruations, thus sharing with mothers the role of socializing adolescent girls about their bodies” (Simalchik, 2017). Due to the increase in push for the use of feminine hygiene products, it’s curious why the cost of the products is so high if society wants women to hide their menstrual cycles so badly. Or is it curious, seeing as in 2013, sales for feminine hygiene products wringed in $3.4 billion in North America (Progressive Grocer, 2014), and the sales have most likely gone up since.
In differing cultures, the treatment of menstruation also changes. For instance, in Bolivia, school girls are taught that menstrual blood can cause diseases like cancer if a used menstrual pad comes into contact with trash. In Barbados, women who use tampons are seen as “not virgins, and slutty” (n.d.). Yet, for Cree women, menstruation is a ceremonial, sacred time and is celebrated by all (n.d.).
Due to this surge of menstrual stigma, young women attach themselves to the negative viewpoints advertised by the media and social platforms where women need to be emotionally stable and sexually available (Johnston-Robledo & Stubbs, 2013). According to a study by Peranovic & Bentley (2016), men think of menstruation as negative, debilitating, and should be kept secret. In contrast to historical findings, modern young men considered sexual intercourse during menstruation to be “nasty, too much of a clean-up, and smelly” (pp. 114). This could stem from the participants of the study disclosing that their knowledge and education about menstruation was little to none at all. Women are taught from a young age that menstruation is a topic that should be discussed with women only, and should be kept secretive. Though menstruation is seen as the passageway into womanhood, women are surrounded by media and influences telling them to hide it, conceal it (Kowalski & Chapple, 2000), and go about their day as if nothing is different, even though with menstruation comes symptoms such as abdominal and back cramps, a change in hormones which results in a change in moods, acne breakouts, and more.
So, why as a society do we insist upon covering up one of the most natural bodily functions that a woman’s body undergoes? Is it simply because of being uneducated on the topic, or because women are taught to be ashamed of their bodies’ natural process? Or maybe by pushing for the secrecy and use of feminine hygiene products, it’s a way that we will always contribute to our capitalist society.
References
15 Painfully Hilarious Comics About Periods That Only Women Will Understand. (n.d.). Retrieved February 06, 2018, from https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-period-comics/
Around the World in 28 Periods. (n.d.). Retrieved February 06, 2018, from https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/periods-around-the-world
Johnston-Robledo, I., & Stubbs, M. L. (2013). Positioning periods: Menstruation in social context: An introduction to a special issue. Sex Roles, 68(1), 1-8. 10.1007/s11199-012-0206-7
Johnston-Robledo, I., & Chrisler, J. C. (2013). The menstrual mark: Menstruation as social stigma. Sex Roles, 68(1), 9-18. 10.1007/s11199-011-0052-z
Kowalski, R. M., & Chapple, T. (2000). The social stigma of menstruation: Fact or fiction? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 24(1), 74-80. 10.1111/j.1471-6402.2000.tb01023.x
Peranovic, T., & Bentley, B. (2016). Men and menstruation: A qualitative exploration of beliefs, attitudes and experiences. Sex Roles, 77(1-2), 113. 10.1007/s11199-016-0701-3
Progressive Grocer. (2014). Feminine hygiene and incontinence products. Progressive Grocer, 93(7), 18.
Sanghani, R. (2015, November 13). Instagram deletes woman’s period photos – but her response is amazing. Retrieved February 06, 2018, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/instagram-deletes-womans-period-photos-but-her-response-is-amazing/
Simalchik, J. (2017). Womens realities, womens choices: an introduction to womens and gender studies. Don Mills, Ontario, Canada: Oxford University Press.
Social Cognition 2018 
Hey Kenzie,
Although I don’t know if you will have too many men responding to this blog, I sure did find it intriguing. Its actually crazy to think that something that is so innate be deleted twice off of Instagram when there are women and young girls who post far worse images on the app and those images still remain. I like what She was trying to accomplish by not only posting this image once but twice, by trying to normalize the female menstruation once again. Honestly, even in my workplace there are 20 year old girls who are afraid to pull a tampon out of their bags and go use the washroom, but why? I would assume most 20 year old women have their period, why are some women so freaked out by letting others know what their body naturally does once a month? There is most certainly a stigma around female menstruation. Your topic reminded me of something I had heard in the news over a year ago where a British business chose to implement an official “period policy.” This policy entitled women to take time off work each month when they are menstruating without taking a sick day. How do you feel about this policy? Is it a step forward, or a step back from the stigmatization of women’s period?
https://globalnews.ca/news/2553178/should-women-be-entitled-to-time-off-work-during-their-periods/
Sanghani, R. (2015, November 13). Instagram deletes woman’s period photos – but her response is amazing. Retrieved February 06, 2018, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/instagram-deletes-womans-period-photos-but-her-response-is-amazing/
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Hi Courtney,
If no men comment on this post it sort-of backs up the point of it, don’t you think? 😉 Menstruation is a natural biological process in which any one should be able to discuss openly and without shame. In regards to the “period policy”, I think it could be seen as a step forward but could also be a step back depending on the reasons why it was implemented and why women choose to take the time. Menstrual symptoms can be excruciatingly painful for some women, and I think having access to time off during this time could be beneficial, but Emily Martin said it best in that “a menstrual leave policy…brands every woman who menstruates as ill …. It would be better to develop an overall leave policy for men and women to take time off…including chronic medical conditions” (Pattani, 2017), which would promote more equality amongst men and women I think.
Reference
Pattani, A. (2017, July 24). In Some Countries, Women Get Days Off for Period Pain. Retrieved February 08, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/health/period-pain-paid-time-off-policy.html
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What a great post this is! You have brought up some really important incongruities. Another one I’d like to add is the “pink tax” or gender-based pricing. On average, women will pay 7% more for a similar product then men will have to pay. The average goes up to 13% for personal care items (NYC Consumer Affairs, 2015). For example, a package of 5 disposable Schick female (pink) razors cost an average of $18.49. The very same product, but blue for men, costs an average of $14.99! Over the course of a woman’s life, she will pay thousands of dollars more for similar items than men will. How fair is that?
Getting back to menstruation. In my blog about “She Sheds” I mentioned that women had used caves about 4,000 years ago in the Eastern United States for birthing, healing, and during menstruation. Cheryl Claassen (2011) writes that Ancient Mexicans believed the human body grew hotter with age, and temporarily for women during pregnancy and menstruation. This buildup of heat escaped through her eyes and was so powerful that she had to retreat to a cave to protect the animals, plants, and others in the tribe. And, Cherokee Indians believed a menstruating woman had power so great she could slay a cannibalistic monster! Wow!
Claassen, C. (2011). Rock shelters as women’s retreats: Understanding Newt Kash. American Antiquity, 76(4), 628-641. doi:10.7183/0002-7316.76.4.628
From Cradle to Cane: The Cost of Being a Female Consumer A Study of Gender Pricing in New York City Bill de Blasio Mayor, Julie Menin Commissioner. December 2015. New York City Department of Consumer Affairs. http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/partners/Study-of-Gender-Pricing-in-NYC.pdf
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Hey Kenzie,
I have to say, I disagree with your argument here, but I appreciate the cross-cultural information. It really showcases that perceptions of menstruation, like other aspects of health, are vulnerable to societal values about sex, misinformation about our bodies, and cultural traditions. However, I would argue that in our Western society menstruation is no more stigmatized than other bodily fluids which are excreted as waste, and that this stigmatization or expectation of discreetness is socialized to reinforce standards of hygiene. As you mentioned, there is a thriving industry that sells feminine hygiene products to meet consumer demands. Just as there is a competitive and lucrative toilet paper industry, which rakes in 8 billion annually in North America. The point of comparison being that just because feminine hygiene is gendered, and menstruation is discreet in the sense that we don’t physically reveal it to others doesn’t mean that it’s particularly stigmatized − just as peeing is not particularly stigmatized. It could just be a private topic given the societal attitude that we don’t want to see excreted bodily fluids publicly, and its impolite and kind of gross to talk about our bodily wastes. I think it’s fair to say that we don’t want to be exposed to people relieving their bowels publicly for a multitude of reasons, one of which is that feces is stigmatized, but perhaps a more relevant reason being that society (rightfully) considers feces to be gross because it’s unsanitary (I’m comparing the two because they’re both expelled bodily fluids that can be public health concerns). This comment has taken a very gross turn and I apologize, but I’m just trying to make the point that just because period products exist to make menstruation private doesn’t mean that menstruation is stigmatized. Furthermore, the societal expectation of modesty of menstruation in public certainly shouldn’t be vilified as a social construct which forces women to “contribute to our capitalist society” (I failed to see how this comment was relevant to the discussion).
I wish that your post would’ve focused more on how menstruation is stigmatized in North America because I don’t think that this perception is as implicit as you may perceive it to be. I commonly have experienced females openly talking about their period regardless of if a male was present, which tells me that menstruation is not a deeply stigmatized aspect of women’s health. Because personal experience dictates if menstruation is stigmatized or not, I think establishing facts about public perceptions is key to grounding your argument.
References:
Anonymous (2010, March). Tissue products endure a turbulent time in North America. Retrieved from http://www.perinijournal.it/CmsData/PeriniJournal/PJL%2034/PDF/34_07_en_TISSUE.pdf
UC San Diego (2015, September 25th). Biohazardous and Medical Waste Overview. Retrieved from https://blink.ucsd.edu/safety/research-lab/hazardous-waste/medical/index.html
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Hi Shantel,
I actually disagree with your argument against Kenzie’s post here.
In my own experience, I am pretty comfortable talking about my period around anyone, but that is only because my period causes me a lot of pain and discomfort, so much that I will miss class. In these cases I will likely tell the professor I was sick, unless my professor was a woman. This is because I have no idea what to expect from any professor when I bring this up, especially male professors perhaps because of this stigmatization, but also because they may feel, as Kenzie stated, that my period “should be kept secret,” and telling them about my pain was unnecessary (Peranovic & Bentley, 2016, pp. 114). I have had professors and employers in the past tell me that period pain is not a good enough reason to miss class or call into work, even when they were women. I do not think that the stigma for menstruation is centralized around the fluids being excreted during that time of the month, because that would be only part of the package.
For instance, women who are afflicted with dysmenorrhea (like myself) understand the taboo nature of periods because when we are unable to deal with the pain we are feeling and attempt to explain that pain to others, we can be faced with scepticism or even disgust at even approaching the subject (Burbeck & Willig, 2013). Even when considering the whole idea of menstruation or bleeding from your body for a whole week, it is still stigmatized because women are supposed to be in control of their bodies, so our emotions and bodily functions on our periods contradict this and cause us to hide our periods to seem in control (Schnyer, 2014). Furthermore, many people will make jokes about women being on their periods because they are particularly emotional, and that is seen negatively – like being on your period is something that makes you become this emotional monster. Granted, depending on who you are, your period can make you into that kind of monster, but that does not mean that being on your period is this horrible thing that you should be ashamed of.
For myself, I do believe that periods are stigmatized because when trying to discuss period experiences either painful or bloody, people will recoil or try to quiet women, because this is something best left to talking to girlfriends with. This rejection of menstruation as a topic of conversation can then lead to discomfort when talking about periods later on, further stigmatizing periods and distancing them from acceptable public discussion. Sure, you can discretely ask your friend for a tampon, but can you comfortably tell an employer that you are unable to go into work because you cannot leave your bed on account of the period pain you are experiencing?
References
Burbeck, R., & Willig, C. (2013). The personal experience of dysmenorrhoea: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Health Psychology,19(10), 1334-1344. doi:10.1177/1359105313490313
Peranovic, T., & Bentley, B. (2016). Men and Menstruation: A Qualitative Exploration of Beliefs, Attitudes and Experiences. Sex Roles,77(1-2), 113-124. doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0701-3
Schnyer, A. (2014, September-October). Riding the crimson wave. Women’s Health Activist, 39(5), 8+. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A383574838/HRCA?u=leth89164&sid=HRCA&xid=6bb457b5
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Nice blog! I really appreciate your topic.This is a globally stigmatized issue. It is a topic that people are constantly embarrassed to talk about, a topic that is only whispered about behind closed doors. Cultures all over the world have developed harmful, even destructive, ideas and beliefs about menstruation. I feel like different countries relate to it differently, In countries where strong taboos surround menstruation, women and girls who are menstruating are separated from their communities. They can be restricted from cooking, praying or touching men or livestock. Some are even sent away to isolated dwellings for as much as one week because menstruating women are considered toxic. I will like to say menstruation is an essential part of a woman’s life and we should learn to embrace it one way or the other no matter what.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2000.tb01023.x
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Awesome post Kenzie! This topic definitely inspired me to do more research into the cognitive changes that happen in women’s brains during their menstrual cycles. I know you touched more on the social aspects of the menstrual cycle which is why I decided to take a different spin on things and share what I found with you. I think you’ll find this to be very interesting as well. Sacher, Okon-Singer, & Villringer (2013) found that there are many neuroplasticity changes going on within the brains of women during their menstrual cycles. These changes are occurring in brain regions such as the striatum, thalamus, hippocampus, insula, hypothalamus, amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, frontal cortex, and parietal areas. Lots of areas of the brain! I found this to be so fascinating. To be expected or maybe not so expected to some, most of the brain areas affected have functions in the perception, processing, or regulation of responses to emotional information. In sum, this function of women’s bodies is natural and biological, human beings need to start understanding it on a cognitive level as well as a societal level to help in erasing this ugly stigmatization that we have seen for so many years.
Reference:
Sacher, J., Okon-Singer, H., & Villringer, A. (2013). Evidence from neuroimaging for the role of the menstrual cycle in the interplay of emotion and cognition. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 1-7.
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