Let's talk about... Menstruation [Let's break taboos!]

Shall we break taboos? Let's break taboos! I would like to write about something that is otherwise so often kept quiet, that people are regularly ashamed of. What do I mean? I'm talking about menstruation, period, red days or strawberry week. You see, there are so many terms for it. Just as there are for genitals, by the way. The topic is then either embarrassing, disgusting or made fun of.

Why is there so little talk about it? Why should it be disgusting or a reason to be ashamed when I have my period? I think our society has become very "clean" in general and almost doesn't talk about excretions at all. Statements like, "Oh, someone farted? That must have been the baby." or "That doesn't stink." lead to unhealthy behavior and taboo.

Even children are increasingly suffering from constipation, and young girls are disgusted with themselves when they get their period for the first time. Why? Why is that? Our excretions, no matter which ones, are good and important after all. If we didn't pee or poop, we definitely wouldn't be doing well. We always talk about how important it is to drink regularly, eat healthy, go outside, etc., but no one says how important our excretions are. But no one says how important our excretions are. They also show us so much. By our excretions we can recognize diseases, we notice, our reactions to certain foods and much more.

But I want to stay here and now with menstruation. Menstruation is something wonderful. It makes the female cycle visible. And why do I think that's great? The female cycle is the epitome of life. Without it, we simply could not have children. It shows us the miracle of life and it clearly shows us that we are not men without a penis.

No, I don't like it when I have my period either. Then I am often snivelling and tearful, yes, altogether quite emotional. I would like to crawl away, I am in pain. But I allow myself that. I allow myself these quiet times. I listen to my body or should I rather write - my body?! No, it is not nice to bleed and yet I can celebrate myself for it. I don't have to hide with my menstrual cramps either.

Bleeding shows me my fertility. In ancient mythologies, there were goddesses of fertility. For example, Aphrodite in Greek mythology and Freya in Norse mythology. They were worshipped because fertility is wonderful. Fertility is important.

In our society, it has crept in that monthly bleeding is no longer talked about. Hygiene products are hidden somewhere invisible in the bathroom and in pockets, so that no one notices anything and no one talks about it. Statements like "She's being moody again, she's bound to have her period" don't make it any better.

Shame has brought us a long way. Not even we ourselves want to see our blood. Preferably, it should disappear directly and also just not be visible. That's why we use all these disposable items. No wonder that tampons are the most popular. The bleeding stays inside me and I can then dispose of it directly, thus getting rid of all "worry".

Reusable products such as menstrual cups, menstrual sponges or cloth pads have only become more popular in recent years. I have already presented these in my article Alternative Monatshygiene. As a result, the topic of menstruation is becoming more present in society again. The Oscar for the film about menstruation "Period. End of Sentence" also shows that it is no longer possible to keep quiet about it.

Fittingly, I also saw a video of poetry slammer Lara Ermer, who also talks about menstruation with her text "Strawberry Week". Let's continue to break this taboo and break about it!

I also find that women lack a lot of awareness and knowledge about the menstrual cycle, as well as the female gender. Few women know exactly where the cervix is and can feel it. Few women enjoy themselves. Few women notice how the discharge changes over the course of a cycle.

However, with this knowledge and awareness comes a lot of wisdom. Women who know about their blood volume, the consistency and color of their secretions, and their reproductive organs notice changes much more quickly. They notice much sooner when something is different than it should be. And I dare say that women who stand by themselves and their femininity with the entire cycle exude much more self-confidence.

Pregnancy can be noticed by some women even before menstruation stops. The knowledge of your own body and your own changes create a different self-confidence.

Menstruation is not a reason to be ashamed. On the contrary, it is a reason to celebrate ourselves. Let's celebrate ourselves for our femininity, for our fertility. I don't mean that we should now write a Facebook status or tweet on Twitter every time we have a period à la "Yay, I'm bleeding again." It would be enough, after all, if we didn't embarrassingly gloss over our abdominal pain. If we stood by the fact that we are women.

Let's celebrate our daughters when they get their first period. Let's show them that it's not a reason to be ashamed or hide. It's monthly blood. It's as much a part of life as urine and stool. And we also need this excretion, it keeps us healthy.

The cover image comes from unsplash.com.

The image in the article (red melting strawberry ice cream on a stick) comes from unsplash.com.