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.