Women shouldn't be ashamed of periods

A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform - Diane Mariechild

Being a woman comes with its challenges. How many times, as a woman, do you go to the mall and feel weird choosing the right sanitary towels for yourself? How many times do you walk into the washrooms hiding your sanitary pad in your bag or pocket because of shame? Or even unwrap your pad in the washrooms gently because it is ‘too loud?’

I remember vividly, when I was in primary school, I had carried a pad to school. My friend got her period and needed it urgently but I didn’t know how to pass it to her, owing to the fact that I was in a mixed primary school and the boys would make fun of girls who carried their pads around without hiding them.

I had to hide it in my sweater and immediately the eagerly awaited bell rang, I ran to the washrooms and gave my friend the pad. Back then, it was very peculiar for a girl to walk around showing people that she was carrying a pad or even a tampon.

The teachers would give you an intimidating look, signalling you to hide the pad. I now look back at that and it makes me think. Why are we ashamed at this normal thing? Part of being a woman means getting your menstrual flow on a monthly basis and it is nothing to be ashamed of.

Society has made menstruation seem like something that should not be spoken of. Women have been silenced and forced to keep the ‘period talk’ on the low. Well, because of this, young girls who cannot afford sanitary pads are forced to have sex with men for money to buy sanitary towels.

Just two weeks ago, I read in a newspaper that a girl had dropped out of school because she got her period in class and the teacher together with other pupils, laughed at her. Disbelief was written all over my face as I continued to check the statistics of girls who dropped out of school due to their menstruation.

In Kenya, one million teenagers lose up to six weeks of school per year because of menstruation. Gloria Steinem, an American feminist, journalist and social political activist once wrote an article in which she asked: What would happen, if magically, all men could menstruate and women could not?

She answered this in an amenable manner, ‘menstruation would become an enviable, boast-worthy, masculine event. Men would brag about how long and how much’. I firmly agree with this.

You see, in today’s society, a red stain on a woman’s dress or trouser makes people around her abashed. They wouldn’t even want to be associated with her. On the other hand, a man in dusty or grubby clothes drenched in sweat is viewed as a hardworking man. A strong man who can conquer all things.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a good example of how patriarchal society is. We need to change this. We as society need to change this. Both men and women need to unite to keep afloat this sinking ship that is full of women. Women who are powerful, who can fight.

Women who not only are mothers, but also engineers, neurosurgeons, pilots, professors, leaders, businesswomen, mercenaries and other careers. To do this, we need to advocate for the reduction of taxes and prices for sanitary towels. Doing so will not only be a benefit for women in Kenya, but also other parts in Africa.

We need to educate our people. Education is the most powerful weapon that can be used to change the world as affirmed by Nelson Mandela. We need everyone’s help — from the village elders to the chief justice — to spread the positive message of unashaming menstruation and the struggles that come with it.

It is very demoralising to see intelligent girls dropping out of school because of their period. Even worse, becoming sex workers just to buy sanitary towels. Many of these girls are needy to the extent that they use part of their mattresses just to avoid the ‘red stain’ on their clothes.

This is what I believe. Being a woman should be considered a supreme achievement and not a deep fear. Let us celebrate womanhood and this includes celebrating menstruation.

We get excited when a married woman says that she is getting a baby. We celebrate and rejoice but when a woman is on her period, she is viewed as an unholy being. She is looked down upon and discriminated. In some communities, they believe that when a woman is on her period, she should be isolated and majority of the times stigmatised. Ladies and gentlemen, let us celebrate womanhood and the beauty that comes with it.

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