Euphemism

Period Stigma

There are over 5,000 euphemisms used to describe menstruation, many of which enforce harmful rhetorics, such as Eve’s curse that reinforces menstruation as being a curse and hindrance to women. Globally, there are strong taboos in society forcing menstruators to feel embarrassed about speaking openly about their periods and the challenges they face because of it, despite it being a completely natural process. In India, if a woman experiencing menstruation touches a pickle then the pickle is deemed rotten. In the Bible, periods are referenced as unclean and this thought of uncleanliness and impurity extends to the people having them. These cultural taboos extend deeply into society, affecting women’s entire lives.

For young menstruators, hearing only euphemisms and shame used when discussing menstruation often leads to them believing that it is necessary to hide your period entirely. There is no discussion of symptoms, sharing of information, obtaining menstruation products, or even visiting the doctor in case of problems. This “shame cycle” forces menstruators to hide any issues and suffer extensively from possible disorders such as dysmenorrhea, infections, or even tumors. Periods are considered to be so shameful that not only do women miss red flags indicating menstruation disorders, but also are forced to miss school days throughout their period. In some cultures such as Nepal, women can’t even touch books while menstruating, damaging their access to education. Losing 7 days every month is extremely harmful to their education, and affects their future positions in society. This reinforces the oppression and harmful stereotypes against women, who supposedly lack knowledge and are unable to provide for themselves.

However, the majority of these euphemisms aren’t the source of the harmful rhetoric. Many are just silly terms, but the idea of not being able to talk directly about periods is the source. It is better to use euphemisms to talk about periods instead of not talking about them at all, possibly putting menstruators' lives at risk. Non bleeders should understand that periods should not be stigmatized and bleeders must understand that they aren’t hiding a shameful secret. Not only are periods not being talked about but serious issues such as period poverty are not being properly addressed globally. It has taken until 2018 for the first nation, Scotland, to provide free menstrual pads in schools and colleges to ban period poverty, despite this being a predominant issue for decades. No woman should have to use newspapers and socks to replace these products, or choose between groceries and pads due to the idea that menstrual hygiene products are a “luxury.”