Saturday, August 15, 2015

Are you "period shamed?"

Yesterday I wrote about a woman who ran the London Marathon without a tampon, with her period blood running down her legs.

Leslie Loftis writes at PJ Media,
As any woman who has done her own laundry can attest, blood stains. Tampons might be more expensive than some think they should be, but they are certainly cheaper than rapidly replacing clothes that are stained or worn from scrubbing. Furthermore, which creates more environmental waste, trashing some compressed cotton bullets or a monthly assortment of spent clothing? Furniture presents a problem, too. Under the free bleeding plan, women will need to spend at least five days a month avoiding sitting on un-wipeable surfaces (or they’ll have to add scrubbing upholstery and linens to their already overbooked days).

Then, we have the sanitary concerns, which should be evident in the name of the products. Blood carries all sorts of biological hazards. If women bleed freely, then what are the health implications of public seating in classrooms, offices, airports, movie theaters, and public transport? Officials post public service signs about hygiene to stop transmission of germs and viruses. Next to the the “wash your hands” and “cover your cough” signs commonly found in public spaces, will officials need to post requests that menstruating women not sit down anywhere?

Then, we have the sanitary concerns, which should be evident in the name of the products. Blood carries all sorts of biological hazards. If women bleed freely, then what are the health implications of public seating in classrooms, offices, airports, movie theaters, and public transport? Officials post public service signs about hygiene to stop transmission of germs and viruses. Next to the the “wash your hands” and “cover your cough” signs commonly found in public spaces, will officials need to post requests that menstruating women not sit down anywhere?

...It seems many have forgotten the thanks we owe to the inventors of the tampon. And it seems many cannot see the absurdity of demonstrating against sanitary products while girls in the developing world need those same products so that they can stay in school and begin to achieve the equality that we take for granted.
Read more here.

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