Period.
I found myself sleeping off all through the day. It was on this day I learned about period fatigue. You might be surprised that this is my first time learning about it, there are just so many things I didn’t learn about period or menstrual cycle while growing up. My biology class in middle school didn’t even help matters. The irony of it all is that I grew up around doctors and nurses, but somehow I just can't remember this information being shared with me. I was meant to figure it all out on my own — as expected. One vivid advice I remember in all of it was: don’t have sex, don’t go near boys, don’t allow them to touch you, if they do you will get pregnant. That’s the entire summary of the sex education I got. Funny isn't it?!
Now, I am an adult and I reflect on my experiences growing up as a girl child. While I do not have tales of the extreme experiences people go through, I can say I had my own fair share of weird stories, which I thought then were normal. There was usually this culture of silence around the topic of menstruation, and we never truly discussed how we felt or how it affected our daily lives. I mean, a girl on her period would feel embarrassed about others discovering this. Every girl at school usually had this sweater in their bag just in case her period came. If it showed up when she wasn't prepared, she would feel so ashamed. Asking to borrow pad felt like such a sinful request.
I remember my trips to the supermarket and personally, I never felt comfortable buying pads in stores, especially when guys were present in the store. This also played back to my experience in the school setting. I never enjoyed studying biology in school or sex education with the boys in the class, I just couldn’t fathom why they needed to be knowledgeable about what goes on in a girl’s body. This is a common perception for most people, menstruation is seen as “a girl’s thing”. This didn’t exclude my dad, I always felt so squeamish on the inside every time my mum would narrate my period woes to him of cramps and heavy flow (in my mind I was always like mum, do you really have to share all those details?!!)
Now when I think of all these experiences and how much it affects our lives, it makes me appreciate the strength of a woman. The way menstruation is perceived and handled infringes on a girl’s right to education, dignity, freedom, sanitation, and health. I am glad that today I know better, that I am confident about my sexuality, and I am more accepting of the changes that go on in my body. Some days, during my period, I am cranky, moody, tired, sick, nauseous, but it's all okay and it’s nothing to be ashamed or judgmental about. I am a woman and possess way more inner strength than I realize I am capable of, and I am proud of that!
Right now, I am more interested in seeing how these ‘silent’ conversations around menstruation can be brought to light and how we can overcome the cultural and social stereotypes around the issue of menstruation.
