Not that we women need any reminder about our monthly biological cycle, but it seems like our world is losing grip on reality. Now, we know, AGAIN, as cumbersome as it may seem, we are retracing our path to the infamous weekend fiasco that occurred in the name of Animal. Yes, the Kabir Singh ultra pro max times hundred.
By now, even if you haven’t watched the film, you must know that Kapoor’s character, Ranvijay Singh, thinks women wear only four pads a month. He irks so in frustration at his wife because he’d been changing fifty pads a day because of his own vices, but let’s not get there.
Singh’s outrageous understanding of periods, coupled with the fact that misinformation about women’s bodies is already available in abundance in our world and that men are largely clueless about the same, some beings on the Internet have quite literally bought four pads a month theory. Oh yes, art and cinema exist in standalone spaces with no social implications at all!
Because of this, we thought we’d share 8 very basic facts about periods just to clear the air.
1. Menstrual blood flows out from vagina
Menstrual blood primarily constitutes endometrial cells, vaginal secretions, and blood. The blood discharge happens from the uterus’ inner lining via vagina. No, not urethra or whatever shiz people think.
2. A biological woman menstruates for around seven years in their lifetime
According to a UNICEF report, women bleed an average of about seven years in their lifetime. Yes, SEVEN YEARS.
3. No, menstrual blood is not dirty, impure, or whatever other adjective you may have heard
Periods are natural. Period blood is not dirty. This myth has harboured an attitude of disgust towards women’s biological functions for centuries and has pushed sexism to another level. There still are places where women are made to sit in a secluded environment away from their families for days because people think period blood is impure.
some “influencer” has posted a reel of her family in a posh looking house sitting on the dining table & eating then the video cuts to her sitting on the floor a little away from them & eating her food. in the caption she mentions, it’s bcs she’s on her period. great culture.
— k (@krownnist) December 3, 2023
4. Period cramps can be as painful as a heart attack
Every woman’s experience with menstruation is different. Some experience exceedingly painful muscle contractions during their monthly cycle. A 2016 piece on Quartz quoted John Guillebaud, a reproductive health professor at University College London, who said menstrual cramps can be “almost as bad as having a heart attack.” The pain can be so extreme you’d find it hard to concentrate or carry on your basic daily activities.
5. Tampons don’t get lost in vagina
Yes, they can get stuck if the string breaks or you put a new tampon without removing the older one. But they don’t get LOST inside our bodies. There’s no such secret mystery tunnel. Women can seek a doctor’s help, if need be, to pull the supposedly missing tampon out, but they don’t get lost.
6. Also, tampons DO NOT provide pleasure
Whoever is propagating this needs some serious counselling.
7. Not every woman who is pissed is PMSing, some are just irked at your audacity
The world needs to halt equating women’s frustration with PMSing. It is sexist. It is problematic. And happens way too often than not. It is basically like you’re invalidating their individual experiences and dismissing their feelings as something irrational and unworthy. Also, PMSing is a real thing, and it’s not pleasant. Premenstrual Syndrome symptoms include mood swings, irritability, bloating, headache, and more. It’s not exactly like a walk in the park.
8. And of course, women on periods definitely need much more than four pads in a month
Maybe four pads a day, but most definitely not in a month. It is recommended women change pads every 4-8 hours. So, math ain’t mathing with four pads in a month theory…
my bank account if i only needed four pads a month https://t.co/6KUNUtzGUG pic.twitter.com/IdAxRJlCm2
— Ish (@stresedsyllable) December 3, 2023
But again, what can we expect from Vanga’s universe where women are just punching bags to put up with men’s frustration.
