period

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: period 🩸 

after boarding my flight and being seated for a few minutes, the worst cramps i’ve ever experienced rocked my body.

“aw hell nah, i can’t do this for 8 more hours.”

every month, i curse my inevitable period. i’m pretty vocal about it too — i have no problem telling others when i’m experiencing this recurring earth-shattering crisis. i also had 0 hesitation walking up to a flight attendant and asking if she had ibuprofen for my menstrual cramps.

there shouldn’t be any shame around menstruation. why be ashamed of something completely natural? that’s like shaming someone for breathing. turning away and covering your mouth to inhale. shushing someone for breathing. making up weird euphemisms for breathing like “oxygen fix” or “O2.”

seems bizzarre, right? 🤨 

well, that’s the current state of menstruation and the taboo surrounding it.

i’ve been handed pads so discreetly you’d think illegal drugs were being smuggled. so many people around me suddenly walk on eggshells when talking about their periods. they’ll mouth “pad” or “period” without vocalizing it in fear of someone “catching” them. we avoid saying period or menstruation as if they’re curses, and we give them nicknames which only serves to deepen this taboo.

this taboo has sprouted from a lot of different seeds. some are religious and cultural claiming women are sinful or impure while menstruating. others are about evil spirits. some are even about period blood being poisonous for agriculture. nobody is dumping blood over crops bro, how did that even come to be? 😭

how can a reproductive system that creates something as beautiful as life be condemned as evil just because of the other side of the cycle? it’s hypocrisy rooted in misogyny. there is no need to hide your cramp complaints, need for a pad or your reality while riddled with shame.

we need to have these conversations, and they start at home. speak up!

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