Unpacking a Century of Menstrual Stigma: Why Does Biology Wind So Many People Up?
As I sat quietly in class, staring at my paper stained with chemical symbols and functions that seemed to have come out of a completely different planet, I anxiously prayed for someone to break the deafening silence that weakened my concentration. Finally, a girl’s voice pierced the quiet, whispering urgently to her friend for a pad. The hushed tone struck me as odd— why the secrecy over something so simple and ordinary? Even more puzzling was how she hid her pad in her back pocket as if it were some illicit object or contraband.
The topic seemed inescapable;
later that day, I watched an episode of Anne With an E where the protagonist experienced her first period. Her friends warned her to keep it a secret, painting menstruation as a shameful, repulsive thing that was meant to be locked in a cage, far from male knowledge.
This kind of thinking has been occurring for centuries. Women have been told to keep quiet about their “disease” to prevent scaring men off or seeming less feminine.
Albertus Magnus
Historically, menstruation has been shrouded in myth and misinformation. In ancient Rome, Pliny the Elder wrote in his Natural History that “a woman’s menstrual blood could turn new wine sour, render crops barren, kill bees, rust iron, and dull the edge of a knife.” These beliefs reinforced the idea of menstruation as something harmful and polluting, further embedding the notion of menstrual secrecy and shame in society. In medieval Europe, the attitudes towards menstruation were no less severe. The 13th-century theologian and philosopher Albertus Magnus claimed that menstruating women could “cause mirrors to lose their luster and cause storms and lightning.” This era also saw the church's influence casting menstruation in a sinful light, associating it with Eve's original sin and the fall of man.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, medical theories often depicted menstrual blood as toxic and harmful. Menstruating women were advised to stay away from certain activities and foods, believed to exacerbate the supposed dangers of their condition. The French physician Jacques Ferrand, in his work on lovesickness, suggested that menstrual blood could cause melancholia and other mental disturbances if not properly expelled. Dr. Charles Manfield Clarke, in the late 18th century, noted that "the peculiar states of the uterus have frequently a share in producing madness, appears from the fact that between the years 1784 and 1794, eighty patients were admitted to Bethlam hospital, whose disorders followed shortly after the menstrual state.” This exaggerated reaction to a natural process is bizarre, especially since we now know that menstruation gives women the ability to reproduce and create life—one of the most sacred gifts one can have.
Period hygiene products in the 19th century
Victorian-era attitudes were particularly harsh, with menstruation often viewed as a debilitating condition. In 1873, Dr. Edward Clarke published Sex in Education, arguing that women’s health, particularly their reproductive health, was compromised by pursuing higher education. He claimed that intellectual pursuits during menstruation could lead to hysteria and infertility, perpetuating the notion that women were fragile and in need of protection during their cycles.
University Children's Hospital, Vienna: children learning geography in the hospital school. Photograph, 1921.
Although the outlook on periods isn’t as dramatic nowadays, there’s still a largely negative stigma present that causes young girls like my classmate to hide their cycle. It affected me too. Since it’s so common to hide a pad or tampon or whisper when having a conversation about menstruation, it becomes a standard that is difficult not to adhere to. Most people don’t want to be seen as weird or odd or attention seekers for not being embarrassed about visibly holding a pad in public, so they, instead, decide to hide it like everybody else.
Periods are normal. They’re not a “disease” as Victorian doctor Frederick Hollick so oddly named them in his book on women’s health in 1847. We’ve come a long way since then. Today, more than ever, women are deconstructing the myth that periods are a malicious and infectious illness.
In the 1990s, menstrual product advertising introduced the use of blue liquid to represent period blood. This blue dye has remained a staple in period product marketing for decades, often used to demonstrate the absorbency of various products.
In 2020, Kotex broke tradition by using a blood-like liquid in their pad ad campaign, departing from the traditional blue dye. This bold move was a significant step in challenging taboos around menstruation. The campaign gained attention on social media, receiving mixed reviews, though most were positive.
“Blood is blood. This is something that every woman has experienced, and there is nothing to hide.”
Instead of following the herd and keeping our periods a secret, let’s educate the world on the virtues of our cycles and the sacred gift of reproduction they give to us. Let’s show everyone that our periods don’t make us weaker; in fact, they make us stronger.
At MYSA, there's no room for shame. This is a space where we proudly celebrate periods and support one another wholeheartedly.
Next time you’re on your period, don’t quickly hide it in your back pocket, carry it proudly, and become an example for other women who remain scared of breaking the age-old, outdated rule. Remember that our periods are not something to be ashamed of, they’re something to celebrate.
References:
https://inews.co.uk/opinion/columnists/victorian-period-menstruation-nineteenth-century-130987
https://www.kristinholt.com/archives/5029
https://susannaives.com/wordpress/2015/09/tidbits-on-mid-victorian-era-menstrual-hygiene/
https://dl.tufts.edu/pdfviewer/pz50h768t/h702qk13g
https://wellcomecollection.org/works/xux86s26/items?canvas=9
