The Battle Between Periods And Society

Periods. Periods. Periods. Uncomfortable? Periods. Periods. Periods. Better? No? Well… tough.

A period is a biological process that occurs among (mostly) all women, for a majority of their lifetime. A bleeding process which is accompanied by mood swings and pain. Its intensity varies from one person to another. And we didn’t really ask for it.

God gifted it to us and there’s no return policy on this one. So we don’t really have a choice but to keep on bleeding. And that too, without dying, might I add.

Periods are a part of who we are. We can not change it. We can not suppress it. And we certainly can not hide it.

Sadly, in our culture, talking about periods is considered ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’.

Young menstruating girls are told not to step outside, to maintain their distance from plants because ‘they’ll sense your period, whither and die.’ They’re ‘not allowed’ to step into the kitchen, in case they make the food ‘impure’. They’re ‘not allowed’ to show their pain. They’re ‘not allowed’ to be comfortable in their own skin.

These restrictions have trapped us and boxed us inside the insidious claws of society.

Not only do the men behind the counter hand out sanitary pads in brown paper bags but they also snicker like nonsensical teenagers, wiggle their eyebrows and pass utterly creepy-knowing smiles, while teachers always seem to be in a hurry during lectures on the reproductive system.

Whether it was due to the pressure of such people or the madness within their own brains, after the ‘90s, the Supreme Court wiped out a whole section of the reproductive system in government schools.

It was this growing lack of basic human education that led Lala Rukh and Sadaf Naz to start an online campaign with the aim to do just that: educate and spread awareness among people regarding our health.

True to its name, “My 1^st Period” documents, shares and enlightens the world with women’s first period experiences. Women who have, like many others, been subject to the unwavering grips of societal taboos. It was the undying urge to give voice to other women that pushed Sadaf and Lala to start with their own story:

Hundreds and hundreds of women in rural and urban areas adopt unhealthy methods of dealing with periods. Working day and night, within the chaos of their homes, among the ever-green fields, vulnerable to countless diseases and infections.

To avoid such situations from turning into something severe and to save women from the traumatizing experience of buying sanitary products, Sadaf took it in her hands to bring them to their doorstep, through her sanitary products’ online delivery service, “Her Ground”. A convenient, time-efficient and healthy solution. She also took it upon herself to educate women regarding the problems that they might be facing during their periods, through blog posts on the “Her Ground” website.

Another empowered woman, Wasma Imran, is working towards more eco-friendly and healthy periods. As the co-founder of “Recircle”, she provides sanitary cups to women all over Pakistan.

“Every woman uses 11,000 pads in her lifetime, on average. Pads that are not bio-degradable. That keep piling up as waste. It’s unhealthy, not just for the women, but also the environment and the people in it.” With a strong will and the determination to erase this problem, she, along with her partner Mahin Khan came up with the idea of Recircle cups. A sustainable, cost-friendly and more hygienic alternative for everyone.

Sadaf, Lala, and Wasma, initially had to hide their profession.

Society and its closing walls have disillusioned us into thinking that we can not be true to our work, the people in our lives and of course, ourselves. It has forced us to pretend to fast, pretend to pray, with painful cramps, no wudhu and all. It has forced us to lie to ourselves and to others in our vicinity. How can this be? When God Himself has relieved us of such duties during our periods. When we have explicitly and strictly been told to eat and take care of ourselves and to be taken care of, by the men in our lives, during this sensitive time. Society has, very intelligently, told us to not take a bath during our periods because ‘it’s not good for you’, ‘my mother never showered during her periods and neither did I’ or simply because ‘I said so and tradition said so’.

Society has prohibited us from working out or doing anything remotely active during our periods because… honestly? I have no clue. Society has constantly judged us for being happy one second and then rolling up in a ball of tears the next. When PMS has scientifically proven to be a biological and emotional condition.

But it ends today. Let’s free ourselves from this world of illogical, unnecessary and extremist limitations, restrictions, taboos, and myths.

Let’s educate ourselves and the people around us. Let the men in our families be more sensitive and empathetic towards women during their periods. Let us have the right to understand our bodies. Ourselves. Let us be healthy. Let us be strong.

cover image via npr.org

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