Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Running a marathon without a tampon. Does it 'break the stigma of periods'?

328 replies

ArmySal · 09/08/2015 10:25

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/kiran-gandhi-ran-the-london-marathon-without-a-tampon-in-a-bid-to-break-the-stigma-surrounding-womens-periods/story-fni0cx12-1227475480183?

When I first read the story I was open mouthed through revulsion, to be honest, but after reading the story I understand (to a degree) the point she was making.

AIBU to think 'fair play' to her? As said in the article, it highlights the fact some women don't have access to sanitary products, something I hadn't really thought about before.

OP posts:
fourtothedozen · 12/08/2015 18:35

Nope- I can't see any religion prohibiting the use of tampons.

Mehitabel6 · 12/08/2015 19:42

In the days they might have had rules about tampons women didn't use them!

Mehitabel6 · 12/08/2015 19:45

It seems the first commercial tampons were produced in late 1920's in USA.
Far too late for religions to have been against them.

BlackSwan · 12/08/2015 20:00

So my mother banned me from using tampons because of religion, she said it wasn't what that part of the body was for (wow, so it's only for my future husband's penis? Yes, let's keep it special and stick with sanitary pads mum). I tried a tampon anyway - and the darned thing got stuck the first time I used it. I told her, in a cold sweat, she told me off and then dragged me to the medical centre. The Dr explained calmly that it was impossible that it was stuck, but when I insisted (very embarrassed) that she take a look if she didn't believe me...she saw I was right. Jammed up against my hymen. She declared to my mother that my hymen was still intact and asked my mother for permission to cut through it. Permission granted... Dr kindly told me not to give up on tampons. Ordeal over.

MrsItsNoworNotatAll · 12/08/2015 20:32

She was just attention seeking. She could've worn black leggings and no one would've known she was on her period but no, She chose to wear light coloured ones instead. Why any woman would want everyone to know they're on their period is beyond. She knew she was due on close to the Marathon ffs! there is a pill you can take to delay a period!

I hope she waited till she got in her home before she sat down.

Mehitabel6 · 12/08/2015 22:13

It is a pity that she did get any attention. The best thing would have to have been totally ignored.

MistressDeeCee · 12/08/2015 23:06

I don't get the point she was trying to make at all. Periods are a natural bodily function of women...and...? Is there something I've missed re. all having to embrace periods? Women who don't have access to tampons or towels normally use cloths - they wash the cloths as necessary, simple as that. They don't just bleed all over the place - surely there aren't people out there who believe they do?!

Pretentious attention seeking nonsense some people want their 15 minutes of fame by any means necessary

bogspavin · 12/08/2015 23:16

I think it is great that she brought attention to this issue. Periods are a very painful reality for many of us. The more women hide our periods and think of them as somehow shameful and disgusting, the more men can ignore them as an issue too.

We don't want to be held back by our biology, and in order to achieve that, sometimes, provisions have to be made on the sports field or in the work place.

And surely most educated male nowadays wouldn't be in the least bit horrified at the thought of picking up a packet of tampax for a family member?

Crikey, sorry for tmi, but after my c-section abroad, my other half was asked by the nurses to help measure the volume of urine I was producing blood clots and all. I felt so incapacitated there was no place for shame or embarrassment. We were both fairly strait laced before about that sort of thing, but dp coped with it in a totally matter of fact way and the whole experience brought us much closer together.

fourtothedozen · 13/08/2015 07:01
  • The more women hide our periods and think of them as somehow shameful and disgusting, the more men can ignore them as an issue too.

Do we though? Most menstruating women have partners.

Bambambini · 13/08/2015 07:14

Talking about this, my husband said he has several friends who have little to do with their wives when they have their periods. Not exactly sure what he meant - but sounded like they don't talk to them much or touch them.

fourtothedozen · 13/08/2015 07:16

Your husband has dubious choice in friends.

Bambambini · 13/08/2015 08:24

No, not really. These are people he has met through work, not his close friends.

fourtothedozen · 13/08/2015 08:32

It was you who called them friends.

Bambambini · 13/08/2015 08:47

Well we have all kinds of friends in life. Some are our close friends who we choose to spend a lot of time with and some are people we know through lots of things like work, sports, travel etc. I would still call them friends, especially in passing converations. I'm sure it's not that unusual.

VerityWaves · 13/08/2015 09:08

That sounds cultural
Awful though :(
Imagine your husband not having much to do with you because you're on your period Ffs

bogspavin · 13/08/2015 10:16

I think this thread has demonstrated how some women still find periods shameful and disgusting (and they presumably also hide it from their other halves) even in these supposedly enlightened days. People see a bit of menstrual blood on show and almost have hysterics!

And yes, although most menstruating women have partners, I'm not sure that that 'information' has transferred itself to public life and policy. Periods aren't discussed in the work place and are only just starting to be discussed in the sports field (both arenas being still fairly male dominated) and yet they can cause real problems for some women.

Do we want our teenage daughters to feel absolutely mortified if (as happened when I was at school once or twice) they happen by accident to have menstrual blood seep through on to their school uniform skirt?

Do we want them to feel embarrassed and ashamed or do we want them to feel 'oh never mind, this is part of life' and be proud of their bodies and not have to hide it away particularly from their school peers or feel embarrassed like they have some shameful secret? The only way the latter situation is going to come about is if people like the brave women in this article put menstruation in the spotlight.

It's for that reason I don't think she is attention seeking at all. I think she is actually doing our daughters a lot of favours!

It's like she said in the article, if men had periods, I reckon our attitudes would already be totally different and there would be no stigma whatsover surrounding the issue.

Weebirdie · 13/08/2015 10:47

The more women hide our periods and think of them as somehow shameful and disgusting, the more men can ignore them as an issue too.

Thankfully most women are too intelligent to pay much attention to Kiran Ghandi and have given her antics no more than a fleeting glance. Thankfully most woman recognise the supposed shame aspect of it as bollocks.

bogspavin · 13/08/2015 10:50

Some people are obviously outraged and disgusted at her actions (as demonstrated by this thread).

I don't understand why are you somehow intelligent if you ignore her? I think she is highlighting a serious issue.

fourtothedozen · 13/08/2015 11:06

I would still call them friends, especially in passing converations. I'm sure it's not that unusual.

I would think it highly unusual for two men who are simply acquaintances or happen to work together to be dicsussing their wives' periods.

MrsMook · 13/08/2015 11:10

A lot of people felt that tampons were unsuitable for virgins. The sex-ed I received 20-25 years ago emphasised that teenagers could use tampons because this attitude was still common.

I went on a school camp within the first year of starting mine. My periods were very erratic as in I couldn't predict what month they'd turn up in. I hadn't had one for some time and ended up buying tampons in secret because my mum wouldn't let me have any, and I was concerned about having to miss out on activities unnecessarily if my period turned up.

As it turns out, I find tampons uncomfortable and use them only when pads aren't suitable. Running long distances in pads can cause sore chaffing that will make sitting rather unpleasant for the next week.

Prior to using washable pads, I'd often free bleed the light days at the end of a period when it's unlikely to pass through clothing because disposable san pro is uncomfortable and makes me prone to thrush.

I've frequently given pads out to teenagers that were caught out. They've been mortified and surprised at my lack of embarrassment. (Thinks of the great scandal of me intervening and delivering a pad to a girl in another class recently as I could do it with much less fuss than the friends involved as I had no embarrassment)

MotherOfBleach · 13/08/2015 11:51

There's no stigma? Are the people who are writing that joking or do they actually believe it?

In many third world countries women must hide away if they have their period. Girls miss out on education. I call that stigma.

In the UK, in 2015, a lot of young teens are embarrassed to buy their own san pro, my own young teen won't even stay in a shop while I buy it. Why? Because a boy from her school might see her/me buying it and tell his classmates and they'd all laugh at her and make chants up about her. I call that stigma too.

Adult women in developed countries can ignore the stigma and put it down to immaturity, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 13/08/2015 14:00

bambambini - "I imagine a tampon wouldn't be enough for some women ( not me with my last period). Plus, not all women use them for confort, health, religious or cultural reasons."

True. But I was just saying what I would have done, so none of those things apply to me.

MrsItsNoworNotatAll · 13/08/2015 16:51

Most women I think hate being caught out when they come on unexpectedly. It's uncomfortable and stains your clothes something awful.

If she wants to free bleed well that's upto her but given that she's got access to sanitary products but choses not to use them for whatever reason well I think she's a bit of div. Would you really want to sit wherever she's been sitting while she's freebleeding? I think not.

MrsItsNoworNotatAll · 13/08/2015 17:02

Thankfully most women are too intelligent to pay much attention to Kiran Ghandi and have given her antics no more than a fleeting glance. Thankfully most woman recognise the supposed shame aspect of it as bollocks.

This ^^

Couldn't agree more

Bambambini · 13/08/2015 17:31

"I would think it highly unusual for two men who are simply acquaintances or happen to work together to be dicsussing their wives' periods."

It might be unusual - perhaps, i don't know. But as you are so narrow minded, insisting that there is still no stigma, no embarrassment, no hiding of periods in modern day living because that is what you experience then i can't really take your opinion and experiences that seriously. It's not your world or experience - so it doesn't exist - ok.