Adult talk time! Today, we're going to talk about Periods! That's right! Periods!
Now, if you already know me personally, you already know I do not shy away from talking about Periods. I talk about my own in casual conversation and pay very little mind to whoever's ear I may be disturbing.
Speaking of people being disturbed and otherwise horrified by menstruation, it would appear that the Internet is just now learning about free bleeding. Free bleeding is the abstinence of using any sort of commercial blood- collecting product aimed for women (eg: pads, tampons, sea sponges, diva cups, etc.), and instead just bleeding freely into the underpants or whatever the menstruating person decides to wear. I have been free bleeding for years and only learned there was an actual word for it like, three years ago.
The Internet is going completely bat shit with this. The Internet is calling free bleeding a "new disturbing Feminist trend." There are people online who either truly believe or are just making rumors- to cause stir for shock value- that free bleeding is denouncing any blood- collecting products as well as any products used for sanitary purposes, because the Internet believes that Feminists seriously think that those things mentioned are "evil, man- made products to rape women." These people promoting this malarkey are mostly Reddit users, 4chan users, or facetious Facebook pages.
I wanted to write this today to, firstly, address the issue of free bleeding, but also explain what's the matter with how people are not just reacting to free bleeding, but menstruation as a whole. And you may be totally fine with free bleeding; I do hope this is the case for most. But I want everyone to see this- whether you're open to free bleeding or not. The issue at hand is much, much deeper than it seems.
I see a lot of people pinning anything they find obscene onto the ideas of Feminism, from misandry to bra abstinence, you name it. Somebody said that free bleeding is a Feminist thing. I am not offended by that. Am I a Feminist? Fuck, yeah. Am I a free bleeder? You bet, I am. But free bleeding and Feminism have, literally, nothing to do with each other. But what has happened is someone read or heard in some form about free bleeding, and they didn't understand it, so they just said, "Egh, some Feminist shit, I guess."
There is nothing radical about menstruating. Menstruating is as natural as childbirth and fucking and sneezing. It's involuntary. Every mammal on our planet menstruates. What is so nasty to you about my choice to not bleed onto a strip on cotton and throw it away when it's drenched in my blood?
In fact, what is so gross about menstruating? Is it because it's a lot of blood? Is it because it came from a uterus? Is it because women are supposed to be attractive at all times and not be bloody and dirty or smelly?
There is nothing gross about Periods. The way people talk about Periods is gross.
You know what is gross? Bleeding on cotton that was picked by hands of poor, under- nourished Brown families or cotton that came from a field, where the crops have been pumped full of chemicals and then thrown away when it's considered "unclean" and dumped into our landfills to stagnate and take up space forever or thrown into our oceans or rivers and polluting our land and sea.
Most women prefer to use disposable products like pads and tampons, and that's fine. If you want to use disposables, I'm not going to tell you how to live your Life, but you do definitely need to know how this affects our ecosystem. There is so much garbage out there now, and it's just growing all the time. The less we can throw out there, the better.
Some women opt for a more environmentally- friendly option, such as reusable pads, diva cups, and sea sponges. I actually own a reusable pad and use it on days where I'm going to be away from home for more than a day and a shower will not be readily available to me but have since then discontinued my use, as I've stopped touring with bands for quite some time.
The previously mentioned options are ideal, if you do not mind washing them. They are all incredibly easy to keep and maintain and use and are all relatively cheap (especially if you consider that you're spending roughly $120.54 every year on pads and tampons). I bought my reusable from Gladrags.com, which is a small business composed of only, like, twelve people actually making the products and distributing them, and they are so wonderful.
I suppose a lot of people would think, "But you're bleeding into your underwear! People will smell that and it will show when you sit down on furniture!" To them, I say that I'll only be smelled if I haven't showered. I am probably cleaner on my period than I am any other time of the month. And as far as bleeding through goes, that has not happened to me ever, because I am really good about wearing panties that are thick, absorbent cotton. And even then, even if I didn't want to talk about it, it would seriously be none of your business what I do when my uterus sheds my lining, just like it's not your business about anything I do.
There are too many people who care way too much about what other people are doing. Is my Period causing you any physical pain? Is this your body? No, it's not at all, and it never will be, so stay the fuck out my uterus, Homes.
This goes for anything. This should go without saying. Let people do what they want. Unless somebody is hurting someone else, leave them alone.
Again, Periods aren't dirty. They're not shameful. They are not a reason to hide yourself or be kept away in a hut away from your family or even your husband. Our patriarchal society has made menstruation something gross and embarrassing. Menstruation has become another thing women are taught to feel ashamed of because of religion or standards of attractiveness. If women and girls are taught to embrace their bodies and to not feel ashamed anymore, we will see a lot of happier and healthier communities.
"There is no such organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ, they would brag about it. So should we." -Ina May Gaskin
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