Menstrual Shaming; Why is that Still a Thing?

Menstruation is one of the most natural things in the world. In fact, none of us would be here if women wouldn’t menstruate. Yet, for some reason, women are frequently made to feel ashamed for it. That is called menstrual shaming and according to a poll among 1,500 women and 500 men across, found out that 58 percent of women have felt a sense of embarrassment about it at least once and forty-two percent of women have experienced period-shaming because of comments made by a male friend.

In Mexico and other Latin countries, when you buy pads or tampons they put it inside black bags so no one can see them as if you were smuggling coke or something else illegal. And tampons are a big no-no because they are thought they could take your virginity away. I’m not a big fan of tampons, I don’t love the idea of inserting bleached cotton in my vagina, but girls should have the option and the whole disclaimer so they can decide if they want to use it or not.

We are in the 21st century, we’ve come a long way from the times were women were thought to be “impure” when they were menstruating. But really have we? Then why tampon or pad commercials use a clean bright blue instead of a thick, sticky bloody red when demonstrating their ultra absorption’s capacities? Or everytime I would need to ask for a pad to my office co-workers, I would whisper it and hid the tampon in my pocket when going to the restroom? The answer is simple, we are still suffering menstrual shaming.

The main reason of the menstrual shaming is that people (especially men) can’t deal with blood. Blood is perceived as a sign of disease or dirt while it is the exact opposite. Not having your period during your fertile period is an indication of a serious health issue, so welcome that blood! Our girls Stephanie Elyse, Britni Camacho and Aliyah Orozco had a very interesting conversation about it. Check it out on the LATV + App.