#periods – Red Badge Of Courage

Meghna Mathew

Not many people are able to say the word “vagina” without a shred of underconfidence, shame or humour. Better yet, there are people who like to ignore the idea of what comes through the vagina entirely, because vaginas seem to be meant for a singular different reason altogether.

While it is a well-established scientific fact that menstruation is a completely normal and necessary biological process in women, people still can’t wrap their head around the existence of menstrual blood and that it is a sign of good health. In such cases, as in others where people are afraid of facing something that poses no threat, some take to art to express it in a manner that conveys its normalcy and beauty. Menstrual art is just that.

In 1971, the world saw what was closest to menstrual art- Judy Chicago’s Red Flag. It is a visual of a woman pulling a bloody tampon out. It worked as something to demystify what people saw as humiliating and traumatising. Vanessa Tiegs in 2000 popularised the term Menstrala through her art and aimed for it to be “universal, just like our cycles.” Today, we see different interpretations of period art. Some choose to use their own menstrual blood to create paintings while others convey the menstrual cycles through creative illustrations. Both are equally important in today’s narrative, but the one with the blood makes the statement. It asserts that menstrual blood is normal. Blood of a man is seen as brave, maybe even a thing of honour but if it’s a woman who suffered in pain while her insides tore apart, it’s a taboo.

There seem to be only two extremes when it comes to this; menstrual art is probably radical at best and disgusting at worse. What some fail to understand here is that it is a form of protest. Protest against misogyny, patriarchy, stereotypes and hate. Does the blood from only violent protests take priority? Women aren’t going anywhere so what’s the point in ignoring something that women can’t live without? The whole point of menstrual blood is to beautify something that’s looked down upon. While there should be no need for it in the first place, women have taken it upon themselves to rightfully sensitise the world to it. Blood on paper, on cloth, on glass and on many more surfaces spread in a manner nothing short of graceful.

Menstrual art is all things some men perceive women as- attention-seeking, in need of the limelight and out there, and that’s okay. Art as a form of expression is appreciated in all shapes and forms until it comes to the point where women want to make a point. It is beautiful, strong, brave and encouraging- much like things some men would never perceive women as.

Sheetal Patro

You wake up one morning, in the midst of a jungle, in the U.S.A. The pants are spotted with a huge red blotch. I suggest you women to run to save your soul. Apparently, the Americans believe that bears have a thing towards period blood; I don’t blame their taste buds. You ran hard enough to catch the next flight to end up in Israel. The best thing to do is to protect your cheeks in order to not get slapped. The Israelis believe you will get blessed with beautiful red cheeks throughout your life. A long run done, an urge for a hot shower might arise, please don’t tell your Israeli roommate about it, he/she will warn you that a hot shower will give you a heavy flow. It’s dinnertime, your Argentinean friends have come over, so don’t reveal to them about your chums, for they will restrict you from touching the whipped cream in the fear that it will get curdled, phew! Yes, whip that cream anyway! Don’t tell that one Japanese friend in the group you have rolled that sushi being on your period, he/she might just complain about the taste imbalance in it. It’s morning, it’s a new day, well the second day of your period.

You are in Malaysia the next morning to attend an office meeting. You decided to change your pad at the airport. It’s midnight, there is a strange sound in the hall, your eyes are witnessing paranormal activities, the ghosts in Malaysia don’t approve of unwashed pads. You cannot fall asleep alone so you decide to call your polish colleague. Coitus might seem tempting at the hour, avoid it if possible. It’s a warning! According to Polish belief, you are deadly to your partner on your period. It’s the third day of your chums now. An old lady from Romania sells flowers near the hotel, the sweet orchid smell is something you want to treat yourself with, the orchid dies upon your touch. Listen to the rant of the old lady patiently; women on periods should avoid touching flowers, it was her mother, her mother who prepared her for that speech.

You are back in the U.S.; your granny is restless in the kitchen. She has cleaned the cucumbers; they are getting prepared for a cucumber pickle. The ideal thing to do would be stay out of her business to avoid blames on you if her pickles go bad from your touch!