Period Me.

When you’re a girl, the conversations about the body parts you’ll shed, the blood you’ll lose, are whispered. Quietly, amongst the ears of women, the story implicitly become a secret. A secret that women hold onto, not with power but with shame. We are taught to hide, to be embarrassed, to stuff that tampon up our sleeve.

And that’s not all we should hide. We must hide the blood, the pain, the cramps that cripple us, the brain fog. We must not excuse or explain the struggle. We must hide it, mask it, put on our big girl pants…our big girl period pants that we must also hide and never wear if we think we may be hit by a bus, or end up fucking someone.

But that’s silly because you can’t fuck someone while you’re on your period. That’s dirty! That’s gross! Ugh. Periods aren’t sexy. Periods must stay behind the scenes, the support staff, the stage whispers, the nuts and bolts grinding silently, but often painfully, in the background. Instead, we must focus on the main show: the groomed vagina, the made up face, the glow. That’s what people want to see. No one really wants to see behind the curtain…especially not the beef curtain.

But what if this wasn’t true? What if we brandished our tampons with pride as we strode through the office, the restaurant, our Aunty’s house? What if we rested our moon-cups on our desks, ready and waiting for the time to come. What if we fucked when we were horny - regardless of our cycle - and just confidently laid a towel down (to save the sheets, you understand) and spread our legs with no shame.

What if we started saying ‘No, I don’t want to. I am resting while my body prepares itself for the ongoing possibility, potential of human life”? What if we said those words without fear of being labelled weak but instead used them as a badge of strength? Because that’s what your period is - a badge of strength, a badge of potential, a badge of life. Yes it’s shit and it hurts and it’s uncomfortable and it makes us sad and angry and tearful and shouty all at the same time, but of course, no? Of course…because that’s what happens when life-giving magic courses through your mortal soul each month.