The tomato soup is overcooked. The cranberry woman is coming. Jenny has a red dress on. Every country is equipped with a set of euphemisms to avoid talking about menstruation directly. When mentioned in the media, it’s usually the butt of a joke or the source of sales pitch. And you’ll be hard pressed to find a drop of actual blood on screen, even in Tampax commercials. With all the once-taboo topics we can now freely discuss at the dinner table, why is menstruation still rarely taken seriously?

Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation is a thoroughly researched confrontation on social discomfort with menstrual blood. Authors Elissa Stein and Susan Kim present information in a casual, familiar style, as if your older sisters have come to tell you about the facts of life. “The stages of our lives are in a sense defined by where we are on the menstrual time line,” they explain. (p.15) Puberty, PMS, contraception, child birth, and menopause all revolve around ovulation and monthly bleeding.

Among other things, this book studies the impact of language on our perceptions of menstruation. The term “feminine hygiene,” for instance, teaches us the process is inherently unsanitary. Tampon ads frequently use the words “protection” and “embarrassment,” implying our periods will harm and humiliate us if we aren’t careful.

Greek and Roman philosophers ignited some of these cultural stigmas centuries ago. Hippocrates and Plato believed a woman’s uterus could actually drive her insane, throwing tantrums in its desperation for children. Aristotle described women as passive receptacles for sperm, monthly menstruation being the burden of procreative failure. Pliny the Elder thought menstrual blood was toxic, saying it “could make seeds infertile, kill insects, kill flowers, kill grass, cause fruit to fall off trees, dull razors and drive dogs mad. The glance of a menstruating woman could kill bees, her touch could make a horse miscarry, and contact with her blood would cause another woman to lose her child, as well.” (p.36-37)

Most religions also treat menstruation with disgust and disdain. In Islam, menstruating women are not permitted to touch anyone, as echoed in the Koran 2:222, “Keep away from women in their courses, and do not approach them until they are clean.” Orthodox Judaism forbids men to touch their wives for two weeks per month – before, during, and after menstruation. In the Bible, Leviticus 15:19-23 says “If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.” (p. 80-82)

Beyond simply exploring stigmas, the authors reveal all the ways menstruation has shaped cultural practices. Bloodletting, for instance, began as a way to mimic periods, purging the body of supposedly bad blood. Vibrators were initially used by doctors to treat hysteria, a mental disease thought to be caused by a woman’s uterus. Even the word “taboo” is linked to the concept of menstruation.

While the authors’ colloquial delivery may not appeal to everyone, they’ve nevertheless built a comprehensive overview of social, political, and economic issues connected to menstruation. It’s a fascinating read, and a potential springboard for further conversation. Over 3 billion people have a monthly cycle, so there’s no reason to feel uncomfortable addressing it honestly and openly.

Source:

Stein, Elissa, and Kim Susan. Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2009.

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