What is this stigma that has been created around menstrual cycles? Why does it exist? It seems as though women are constantly ashamed of their periods and society continuously tells us to be embarrassed by them. I can't count the number of times I've tried to "hide" the fact that I'm going to the bathroom to change my tampon, or secretly handed a friend a tampon underneath a table, or slipped it in her bag, or whispered in her ear asking if she has a tampon. And I can't count the number of times that my friends have done the same to me. With something as natural as a period, why is everyone so embarrassed by it?
In the United States, women make up 50.8% of the population. That means that more than half of the population in the United States has (or will have, or used to have) a period. A period is one of the most common and normal things that a woman's body does. I just don't understand why we're constantly being told to hide it and to be embarrassed by it.
I'm not embarrassed anymore. Who cares? Yea, I have a period. Once a month. Every month. So do most of the women you know. Shocker. Don't act so surprised when you see me (or any other woman) carrying around a tampon...or two or three. I'm not trying to hide it anymore. Even if the cashier at my university's bookstore asks me if I want "a little bag for that" every time I buy a box of tampons. The answer is "no, thanks" I'm not trying to hide anything and I don't care for the judgmental looks.
