Image Source
I watched 'Pad Man' last weekend and I thought that it was a good movie. For me, the movie was all about the love that a man had for his wife and wanting to ensure her well-being. The promotions around the movie was done well too. I know a lot of people came forward and complained that why are they showing the use of sanitary pads when it is not good for the environment and how pads were getting wasted while celebrities were posing with it. The intention of the movie was to get men and women to talk about menstruation and show that it is not something to be ashamed of, and it did it well to a certain extent. At the movie, in the theater, there were an equal number of men and women and I was honestly surprised. I actually thought that men probably would shy away from watching this movie. My husband was keen on watching it as was I and the reaction from the crowd was quite something. Once the movie ended and they showed the real life pad man, there was a standing ovation as well. I was surprised and well, proud.
I got my first period when I was a few months short of thirteen. One morning I woke up and it was there. I told my mother about it and she gave me a pad. She did not have to explain all the details to me as I was aware of what was happening to my body. No, in spite of having two daughters, my mother never felt the need to talk to us about menstruation. Nor did our aunts or elder cousins. I was lucky to have an elder sister whose experience taught me about menstruation. When I got my first period, I was neither shy nor embarrassed. I took a shower, ate breakfast and went out to play on the street. Yeah, that's me. My mother did not stop me and she let me be. I thought that periods were normal and since I did not have any discomfort, I thought periods would be a breeze every month. When my grandmother saw me playing on the street and called me and as I came up close to her and she yelled "No, no, don't touch me", I realized how wrong I was.
I continued to be the person I was. I was always an active person, and I continued to play, dance and jump around. I decided to choose to ignore my grandmother and since my parents too did not make a big deal about it, I remained the same. After the first month, no one knew if I had my period or not. Why should anyone anyway? It was happening inside my body and I was very careful to stay safe and hygienic. Studying in a convent helped too, where menstruation, sex and pregnancy were taught to be normal experiences. I'm one of those lucky ones, who does not face any pain during menstruation. I occasionally get cramps, but nothing intolerable. I workout, go to work, visit temples (If the situation arises that is. I'm not a religious person but if I have to go to a temple, being on my period or not doesn't matter to me), eat what I want and do anything that I want while I'm on my period.
Then, I got married. Having grown up in a house were periods were considered normal, suddenly having to tell someone about it every month was torturous. I could have just kept quiet and not mentioned it at all, but then people started asking me if I was pregnant. You see, I have no issues talking about menstruation, but the way I got treated after that is what troubled me the most. I was treated like an untouchable and not allowed to walk around the house or enter the kitchen (the Gods were kept there (Yeah, so much for the God is everywhere logic)). This scarred me terribly. It affected me so much that because of the stress of the ill-treatment, I completely stopped getting my period until the doctor gave me pills to induce it. For months, I wouldn't get it and God only knows the number of pregnancy tests that I had to take every month just to be sure that I was not pregnant. This was another added stress. In short, my life was screwed. But once we moved to a place of our own and my mind knew that I was free from the unnecessary stigma, my menstrual cycle performed like a well oiled machine. No external pills nothing. It was like perfect clockwork. And I went back to being and feeling free, doing what I wanted when I wanted to.
Why do women treat other women badly when they have their periods? Now, thanks to the movie, many men are aware that there is nothing to be ashamed of periods and are willing to openly talk about menstruation. But, what about the women? When will they stop feeling ashamed and impure about having their periods? Why don't mothers educate their sons and daughters about it? Why don't mothers/grandmothers/mothers-in-laws/sisters treat other women normally while they are on their period? Why are they considered impure and treated like lepers? Why are they expected to hide away from others like they have committed a crime? Why don't women make it easier for other women? Especially when they have gone through such harassment themselves? Shouldn't they try to free the other women from stigma and taboo? I know I am asking a lot of questions, but sometimes I cannot help but think that sometimes women do this to have a sense of control on the other women.
More than men realizing that periods are normal, women need to realize it first. They need to know that it is a normal body function and is nothing to be ashamed of. I have seen women sit separately on the floor, act weird even when no one tells them to do it or when no one knows that they are on their period. Why not treat it like a normal body function? Is there a certain level of attention seeking attached to it? When asked about it, they brush it off! But their body language is screaming out the obvious.
You can do all that you do on a regular day even on a day when you are on your period. Don't let a wad of cotton between your legs define what you can or cannot do. Women who treat other women badly during their periods have a special place reserved in hell for them. Some women go through extreme pain and discomfort during their period and the last thing that they need is to be treated badly during that time. If you can't be of help, then you have no right to cause them more pain. As a woman, if you don't understand the other, what's the point of all this feminism that we talk about? Nobody cares if you visit a temple when you are on your period. But when the woman herself feels that she's dirty and should not do it, then no one can help them. Will they ever learn?
Today, I cook, eat, work-out, play, pray, travel, run, dance and do everything that I want to do as and when I want to do. If I'm on my period or not, doesn't even matter.
P.S: This post is delayed by a week (just like a period at times) as I was caught up with regular life last Monday.
This post is a part of the powerful series #FeministMondays on Naba's blog and you can be a part of it too. On the second Monday of every month, write an impactful post with the hashtag #FeministMondays and link it back to Naba's blog.
Original link
I watched 'Pad Man' last weekend and I thought that it was a good movie. For me, the movie was all about the love that a man had for his wife and wanting to ensure her well-being. The promotions around the movie was done well too. I know a lot of people came forward and complained that why are they showing the use of sanitary pads when it is not good for the environment and how pads were getting wasted while celebrities were posing with it. The intention of the movie was to get men and women to talk about menstruation and show that it is not something to be ashamed of, and it did it well to a certain extent. At the movie, in the theater, there were an equal number of men and women and I was honestly surprised. I actually thought that men probably would shy away from watching this movie. My husband was keen on watching it as was I and the reaction from the crowd was quite something. Once the movie ended and they showed the real life pad man, there was a standing ovation as well. I was surprised and well, proud.
I got my first period when I was a few months short of thirteen. One morning I woke up and it was there. I told my mother about it and she gave me a pad. She did not have to explain all the details to me as I was aware of what was happening to my body. No, in spite of having two daughters, my mother never felt the need to talk to us about menstruation. Nor did our aunts or elder cousins. I was lucky to have an elder sister whose experience taught me about menstruation. When I got my first period, I was neither shy nor embarrassed. I took a shower, ate breakfast and went out to play on the street. Yeah, that's me. My mother did not stop me and she let me be. I thought that periods were normal and since I did not have any discomfort, I thought periods would be a breeze every month. When my grandmother saw me playing on the street and called me and as I came up close to her and she yelled "No, no, don't touch me", I realized how wrong I was.
I continued to be the person I was. I was always an active person, and I continued to play, dance and jump around. I decided to choose to ignore my grandmother and since my parents too did not make a big deal about it, I remained the same. After the first month, no one knew if I had my period or not. Why should anyone anyway? It was happening inside my body and I was very careful to stay safe and hygienic. Studying in a convent helped too, where menstruation, sex and pregnancy were taught to be normal experiences. I'm one of those lucky ones, who does not face any pain during menstruation. I occasionally get cramps, but nothing intolerable. I workout, go to work, visit temples (If the situation arises that is. I'm not a religious person but if I have to go to a temple, being on my period or not doesn't matter to me), eat what I want and do anything that I want while I'm on my period.
Then, I got married. Having grown up in a house were periods were considered normal, suddenly having to tell someone about it every month was torturous. I could have just kept quiet and not mentioned it at all, but then people started asking me if I was pregnant. You see, I have no issues talking about menstruation, but the way I got treated after that is what troubled me the most. I was treated like an untouchable and not allowed to walk around the house or enter the kitchen (the Gods were kept there (Yeah, so much for the God is everywhere logic)). This scarred me terribly. It affected me so much that because of the stress of the ill-treatment, I completely stopped getting my period until the doctor gave me pills to induce it. For months, I wouldn't get it and God only knows the number of pregnancy tests that I had to take every month just to be sure that I was not pregnant. This was another added stress. In short, my life was screwed. But once we moved to a place of our own and my mind knew that I was free from the unnecessary stigma, my menstrual cycle performed like a well oiled machine. No external pills nothing. It was like perfect clockwork. And I went back to being and feeling free, doing what I wanted when I wanted to.
Why do women treat other women badly when they have their periods? Now, thanks to the movie, many men are aware that there is nothing to be ashamed of periods and are willing to openly talk about menstruation. But, what about the women? When will they stop feeling ashamed and impure about having their periods? Why don't mothers educate their sons and daughters about it? Why don't mothers/grandmothers/mothers-in-laws/sisters treat other women normally while they are on their period? Why are they considered impure and treated like lepers? Why are they expected to hide away from others like they have committed a crime? Why don't women make it easier for other women? Especially when they have gone through such harassment themselves? Shouldn't they try to free the other women from stigma and taboo? I know I am asking a lot of questions, but sometimes I cannot help but think that sometimes women do this to have a sense of control on the other women.
More than men realizing that periods are normal, women need to realize it first. They need to know that it is a normal body function and is nothing to be ashamed of. I have seen women sit separately on the floor, act weird even when no one tells them to do it or when no one knows that they are on their period. Why not treat it like a normal body function? Is there a certain level of attention seeking attached to it? When asked about it, they brush it off! But their body language is screaming out the obvious.
You can do all that you do on a regular day even on a day when you are on your period. Don't let a wad of cotton between your legs define what you can or cannot do. Women who treat other women badly during their periods have a special place reserved in hell for them. Some women go through extreme pain and discomfort during their period and the last thing that they need is to be treated badly during that time. If you can't be of help, then you have no right to cause them more pain. As a woman, if you don't understand the other, what's the point of all this feminism that we talk about? Nobody cares if you visit a temple when you are on your period. But when the woman herself feels that she's dirty and should not do it, then no one can help them. Will they ever learn?
Today, I cook, eat, work-out, play, pray, travel, run, dance and do everything that I want to do as and when I want to do. If I'm on my period or not, doesn't even matter.
P.S: This post is delayed by a week (just like a period at times) as I was caught up with regular life last Monday.
This post is a part of the powerful series #FeministMondays on Naba's blog and you can be a part of it too. On the second Monday of every month, write an impactful post with the hashtag #FeministMondays and link it back to Naba's blog.
Original link
Sign in to leave a comment.