Bleed With Dignity: Millennial Busts Menstruation Myths

Our country’s problem with menstruating women is a long-standing fight against women’s right to even exist peacefully in their own homes. A while back, I was discussing the myths surrounding menstruation with some friends. It was shocking to learn that superstitious practices are still widely practised in today's society. What startled me the most was that even educated families follow a bunch of superstitions in the name of tradition and religion. How can the home turn into a place of harassment? Isn’t it unfair to rob young girls and women of their basic rights and comfort just because they are menstruating?

Here's an imaginary conversation between an average Indian aunty and a millennial woman. Go ahead and read Ms Millennial's sassy replies to menstruation myths.

Conversation about menstruation myths

Aunty Ji: You should be confined to a separate room or section of a room and should not touch anyone or anything. Also, use separate utensils.

Ms Millennial: Why? Do I turn into a Corona patient every month?

Aunty Ji: Don’t enter the kitchen. If you touch the food, it’ll get rotten.

Ms Millennial: Do I look like a nagin?

Aunty Ji: It’s a sin to enter the puja room and temple or touch anything religious.

Ms Millennial: So, if menstruation, a biological process that helps in reproduction, is a sin, are we all walking-talking sins?

Aunty Ji: Unmarried girls shouldn’t use tampons and menstrual cups because they’ll lose their virginity and never get married.

Ms Millennial: Hymen will tear even if we engage in strenuous activities. Hymen tearing does not imply the loss of virginity. And virginity itself is a social construct!

Aunty Ji: Now that you have your periods, you are a woman!

Ms Millennial: Do you even realise that you are talking to an 11-year-old (or even younger) child who is still watching animated films?

Aunty Ji: Stay away from your partner not only sexually but physically too.

Ms Millennial: Why? Will he also get periods if I touch him?

Aunty Ji: Don’t touch your own baby, or else they’ll fall sick.

Ms Millennial: And deny the baby its mother’s touch? How cruel!

Aunty Ji: Hide your pads in a secret corner of the wardrobe. Men shouldn’t see it.

Ms Millennial: Oh! I wasn’t aware that they'd go blind if they saw pads. Wait! The male shopkeepers who sell pads have a boon that protects them from losing their sight, is that it?

Aunty Ji: If you touch or water plants, they’ll die.

Ms Millennial: If I don’t water the plants, they’ll die!

Aunty Ji: Don’t eat sour foods like curd, pickles, or tamarind.

Ms Millennial: Women get cravings during their periods and can eat anything to satisfy them. Moreover, curd is a cooling agent!

Aunty Ji: Women shouldn't work out during periods.

Ms Millennial: These are exercises to relieve period cramps!

Aunty Ji: Don’t discuss periods in public. Talk in a hushed tone.

Ms Millennial: Now that you’ve told me, I’ll put up a story on Instagram next week when I get my period.

Aunty Ji: PMS is unreal. Don’t use it as an excuse for mood swings.

Ms Millennial: Oh really? What’s the excuse for being brainless?

Aunty Ji: Menstrual pain is normal. Don’t overreact.

Ms Millennial: In 2018, research by the University of London proved that "period pain can be as bad as having a heart attack."

Aunty Ji: Don’t swim during your periods.

Ms Millennial: Don’t worry, I won’t turn into "Carrie" and bleed all over the pool! The menstrual cup comes in handy at such times.

Aunty Ji: Don’t talk about periods with young children and scare them off.

Ms Millennial: Then who will educate them on periods? Will they get a sudden "gyaan" just before coming of age? Both young girls and boys need age-appropriate awareness about menstruation.

Anyone with an iota of common sense would know that these superstitious beliefs are nothing but delusions. It’s rather unfortunate and saddening that we still live in a society that follows these practices. Real people who should have spoken out against these insensible beliefs are now ingraining them into the minds of future generations. Let this stop with us. Let us be the difference!

Suggested Reading: Periods Are Culturally Stigmatised, Yet Why Do Women Follow Period Tradition