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

[ArmySal]

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.

Gandhi told Cosmopolitan that she'd decided to run without a tampon because she was afraid of what it could do to her body.
"I didn't really have good information about what happens when you run on your period," she said.
"For example, they tell you that for men, their nipples will bleed because of the chafing between their shirts and their skin. I worried that a tampon might have the same effect."

This also puts a different slant on it. Maybe she doesn't use tampons and didn't think her first Marathon was a good place to start. Maybe she didn't think she would bleed much (my first day was always light when i was younger) but on the day, the physical exertion proved otherwise.

I refuse to believe that Gandhi had never run during a period before, surely lots of chance to find out how comfortable a tampon would be.

Surely running a marathon takes a lot of training.

So bambanini- you have overheard many men discussing their wives and girlfriends menstrual functions?
As you say I must be so narrow minded not to expect that men would do this.

I have worked in male only environments for over 15 years. Not once have I heard men discuss their wives periods.

But you seem to know a lot more about this than I do- clearly.

She must have had many training runs with her period. That was the time to find out- not on the actual day.

Four -

no i haven't - unsure what your point is other than i'm lying. I discussed this thread with my husband and he told me he was surprised at some of the comments some work collegues (friends) had made - backing up that some people/ countries/ cultures/ religions still have weird/ old fashioned views and ideas on wonen and their periods. Did you really not know this?

"She must have had many training runs with her period. That was the time to find out- not on the actual day."

Mayb we should ask her to come and discuss it. I didn't think training runs usually involved someone running a whole marathon, plus maybe she ran less during her period - i am no expert. It's definitely got folk talking about it.

babmini I am well aware that some men have "old fashioned" ideas about periods.
This usually includes never discussing their wives menstrual functions in the workplace.
Did you really not know this?

Religion & culture--surely women who are subject to heavy restrictions on those grounds aren't exactly going to be dedicated runners.

And the 'solidarity for wimmin in the 3rd world who don't have san pro/ for whom periods are a serious stigma'. Well. Obviously I can't talk for those women, but...shouldn't solidarity take a form that doesn't make you look like an alien to them or the societies they're in? While I generally don't believe in giving any quarter to misogynistic cultures, there's a danger that it could just sway beliefs towards "If we let our wives have more freedom while on their periods, they'll end up like this decadent Westerner."

I don't believe any religion prohibits tampons.

I hope my Dh has much more interesting things to talk about with his colleagues than my periods.

I'm trying to think how a conversation about them would go but I can't.

I hope my Dh has much more interesting things to talk about with his colleagues than my periods.

My periods are a lot more interesting than some of the crap my male colleagues talk about!

The only way I can imagine a conversation going is along the lines of, "Look, can I ask you a really weird question? I'm worried about my wife and I think she needs to see the doctor about her periods, but I have nothing to compare it to, and she says she's too busy, but I wondered whether this is like your wife or not..." Or alternatively, on a night out down the pub (this happens once or twice a year,) a few pints in, I can imagine them having a discussion about whether they'd do it "when she's on the rag." Most of the time, they're talking about motorbikes or formula 1 or cricket, though.

"Look, can I ask you a really weird question? I'm worried about my wife and I think she needs to see the doctor about her periods, but I have nothing to compare it to, and she says she's too busy, but I wondered whether this is like your wife or not..."

A conversation like that is so unlikely it is humorous. men are notorious GP avoiders anyway, would be unlikely to discuss their own health issues never mind their wives.

I have heard/overhead men discussing periods in a very jocular fashion, ie teasing about getting his "red wings" last week.
I can't imagine any man so hung up about periods that he is avoiding his wife to have a convo with a colleague about menstruation. A man like that would be the least likely to talk about periods to a workmate.

I;ve niot rtft but honestly, this is bollocks! I thankfully don't have periods anymore due to my mirena coil but no way would i do any run with no sanitary protection and i think id choose tampons over my usual towel.

For one reason only CHAFING!!!

Four -

i get it - you find it hard to imagine and understand lots of things outside your own domain. Ok.

"Look, can I ask you a really weird question? I'm worried about my wife and I think she needs to see the doctor about her periods, but I have nothing to compare it to, and she says she's too busy, but I wondered whether this is like your wife or not..."

Knowing my Dh as I do if he thought I needed to see a Doctor he'd tell me as much not his colleagues.

babmini- I don't believe what you are telling me, that's all. Some invented story about a "conversation" your OH had with friends/non friends. Simply to support your view. I don't buy it.

Gandhi is just a bored rich kid with a trust fund. She comes from a very privileged background- her father - Vikram Gandhi is Managing Director and Global Head of the Financial Institutions Group, the family owns an apartment in New York ( formerly owned by Eleanor Roosevelt).

Her family are extremely rich and powerful.

inside this $20 million town house, her mother Meera Gandhi spent two years renovating the town house and enlisted the help of Harvard architect Pedro Castillo and interior decorator Kenneth Alpert.

Kiran not unsurprisingly still lives with her parents in New York.

I would have though with all this wealth and clout she could have thought of a project that actually helps women she claims to care about, rather than this cheap publicity stunt.

Gandhi told Cosmopolitan that she'd decided to run without a tampon because she was afraid of what it could do to her body.
"I didn't really have good information about what happens when you run on your period," she said.

I don't believe her. She has to be making that up. Running with a tampon is standard for just about every female runner I know. She only had to ask anyone else she ran with, if it had really never occurred to her in her entire period of training for the marathon to try running with a tampon. And since theres loads of advice everywhere for anyone running a marathon along the lines of trying stuff out before the race, such as new trainers, it would hardly be difficult to find out.

I suspect fourtothedozen is more on the accurate lines when she says she is just a spoilt rich kid with too much time on her hands. To make up nonsense like this.

I think four has hit the nail on the head.

Just looking for attention in a really skanky and unhygienic way.

If you are training for a marathon somewhere in that you need to actually run one. When I was training for my half marathon I built up to it- you don't do it near the race day. There is lots of information- books, magazines devoted to how to train plus running clubs ( she probably had a personal trainer being rich) Elke is right.
Utter tosh.

"babmini- I don't believe what you are telling me, that's all. Some invented story about a "conversation" your OH had with friends/non friends. Simply to support your view. I don't buy it."

Well, like i said you have your little world and anything thst falls outside it doesn't exist - like the fact for many people there is still stigma, shame and ignorance round periods. You say this is rubbish because you don't experience it youself or think that others do. Ok.

I don't suppose that any religion does actually, specifically ban tampons, but I have a vague recollection that some think introducing anything into the vagina compromises virginity, and that can be an issue in some religions.

I'm not entirely sure how possible it is to even get a tampon in with an intact hymen, as I lost my hymen due to horseriding before starting my periods and it's not really a question I've ever thought to ask anyone before! Does anyone know?

No, OP, I don't think it does.

Some interesting comments from journalist Chandrima Pal:

*You don't need to run with blood stains between your legs to tell the world that women do not have access to hygiene products. You 'chose' to run without a tampon Ms Gandhi, because you have the privilege to do so and not be chastised for the dare. Your act made for startling photo ops and some internet debate, but that's where it ends. If you had really thought this through, you would realise that running without a tampon seems to say that it is okay to do so. We are damn sure that's not what we would want women to do. It is unsafe, unhygienic and extremely ill-advised especially in cultures and societies where women do not even have access to clean running water to cleanse themselves. In other words, Your ‘target audience'.

So do us a favour, remember to wear your tampon the next time. Trust me, there is no shame in doing so.
*