Reflective Tag- Menstruation does not freak me out, or have anything to surprise me. With Jewish relatives, and quite a few women in close proximity to me, I have come to accept how a period works, and how to adjust to the environment. Buying tampons and pads is standard procedure at my house.
Menstruation. In the past, this word, or its colloquialism the period, would cause men to run for the hills. To flee like refugees from an invading army, which is what they perceived women on this natural process to be. However, as our society is enlightened, society has accepted and relaxed about this natural bodily function, while maybe not embracing it.
American women frown upon their period because we grow up with our elder’s expectations, and prejudices. So when we see the old view to a period as scary, freaky, and an abomination, we tend to accept this fact. It is a beautiful process in its own way, however. It allows us to procreate, shapes our culture, and has defined our sexual identities for millennia. While people continue to see the period as unnatural, women will be shackled. Look at the new. “Would a female in the Presidency be able to make rational decisions during menstruation?” This shows a patriarchal view towards our society. If President Obama has a bad gold game, or feels angry, does he nuke our enemies? Of course not. These questions merely show the underlying biases of the American public, of every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the streets.
While America is not ideal yet by a long shot, other countries and cultures are far behind. Take Nepal, for instance. Women during their cycle are confined to horrid conditions, isolation and deprivation, because they are “unclean”. In Africa, girls are taught how to handle and confine themselves, and then not even allowed to work, or clean, or even touch foodstuffs, for fear of making them unclean. All of these views come from ancient principles of cleanliness, to protect these early communities from contamination, and from the danger of blood and bodily fluids being exposed to the people. Modern society, with the dawn of pads, tampons, and menstruation cups, the chance of contamination, and of the community being endangered, is at an all-time historical low