In September 2019, a Kenyan schoolgirl took her life after her teacher called her “dirty” for getting her period during class. This incident is an example of period shaming. Period shaming is when females are made to feel ashamed about their periods.
The tragedy in Kenya displays the grave psychological harm that period shaming can inflict. Most of the time, this shame is internalized and undiscussed. Girl Now Woman Later is committed to ending the stigma around periods.
Actually, period shaming is a global issue. In the US, half of the women have reported experiencing period shaming. One in ten women has experienced period shaming from a classmate. It’s internalized that periods are something to be hidden. For instance, 73% of US women have hidden their tampons on their way to the bathroom. Also, 51% of US men even believe that women should not openly discuss their menstruation.
The stigma around periods can also become apparent in small details. In an interview at Guangxi University in China, a female student pointed out that every time she purchases sanitary products, the owner hands them to her in a black plastic bag. The owner is separating the sanitary products from other products, which makes her feel embarrassed.
In India, periods have been used as justification for excluding women from certain spaces. In 2020, an Indian college forced female students to strip down to their underwear to show that they are not menstruating. If they were menstruating, they would not be allowed into temples and kitchens. In 2017, an Indian schoolgirl committed suicide from period shaming. She had asked for her teacher’s help when she got her period. The teacher forced her to show her period stain to the class, which completely humiliated her.
The psychological damage of period shaming has been studied and proven. Research compiled by PLoS Medicine showed that nine studies across Bolivia, Kenya, Nepal, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Nigeria linked period shaming with broader mental disorders like anxiety and depression. The studies also confirmed that period shaming can lead to decreased self-esteem and decreased social interaction.
“During my first menstruation, I was shocked and embarrassed. Generally, whenever I have it, I think that I am below humans, depressed, eh…I hate being female; I assumed it as a disease…” An Ethiopian girl told the researchers in a research paper published by BMC Public Health.
In a research paper published in The Journal of Sex Research, researchers postulated that shame around periods can be tied to shame about one’s body. The researchers write that feeling shame around periods can lead menstruators to believe that “it is not just the act of menstruating that is dirty and shameful, the young woman who menstruates becomes dirty and shameful.”
In a study with 199 undergraduate women, the researchers discovered that period shaming can be tied to women’s sexual decision-making. For example, women who experience more period shaming are more likely to have more difficulty asserting and protecting themselves during sexual encounters.
Menstruators should not have to bear the consequences of period shaming quietly. The researchers from PoLs argue that addressing just the physical aspects of menstruation, such as sanitary products or menstrual hygiene, is not enough to comprehensively improve the menstrual experience. Researchers called for practitioners to also consider “social support, the physical environment, cultural restrictions, and the perception of menses as dirty and needing to be concealed” as other factors relevant to menstruation.
Similarly, researchers from Global Health Promotion call for a “super-setting approach.” This approach means that all stakeholders, including parents, teachers, children, governments, and communities participate in improving the menstrual experience. School settings could be a place where menstruators learn more about menstrual hygiene. settings outside of school should also provide menstruators with adequate support. This support can include access to period products and combat the existing stigma around menstruation. Fighting period shame is not only an issue for those who menstruate. It’s something that whole communities must unite together to address.
Phoebe, Lu
