menstruation taboo... strong as ever?

[harpsichordcarrier]

Just wondering what you thought about this one, as I have been mulling over it (I have two dds).
In the last few weeks I have had a couple of conversations that made me think that the taboo about menstruation - that it mustn't be mentioned, that it is dirty and shameful - is still as strong as ever.

1. I have a lillet in my car, just in case, and my friend got into the car and said 'oh, good job J (her 10 year old son) isn't here!'

1. second friend expressed surprise that I leave my mooncup box (either empty, or the mooncup is in a little cloth bag) on a shelf in the bathroom. 'What if your father in law came round?' We then went on to discuss what we had told our children. Both my friends (one with 5 and 7 yo dss, one with 4 yo dd and 7 yo ds) said they would not let their children know that they were menstruating, they have always locked them out of the bathroom so they don't see. My friend with two ds's said one of her sons noticed some blood in the toilet once, and she did not tell him what it was. They both felt that telling their children about menstruation would be 'too disturbing' and 'upsetting' and 'scary'.

I was really surprised by this - I thought perhaps attitudes had changed but, judging by more small circle of friends, maybe not. Every few weeks we have a 'YUK! Mooncups! How revolting!' thread on here.

Why in the 21st Century is menstruation STILL such a dirty guilty secret among women?

I don't think there's much of a taboo, not like there used to be, but I do think that the female body could be celebrated more.

I always remember being so excited with my friends when we had our first period. There was a real sense of 'joining the club'. I also found it fascinating how women's periods synchronize when they live together.

I would like to save up to do or buy something special for DD when she starts her period.

Also, in Japan the entire family celebrates a girl starting her period and the mother cooks a special celebratory red rice (red signifying blood perhaps?!) . Some women would be horrified at the thought of their brothers and father celebrating their coming of age, so that means there is still a certain taboo around.

I think my mother's mother had issues with periods, and my mother had some as well. I do remember her main emotion being surprise when I first came on and showed her the blood on the bed. She wasn't happy for me, just surprised. SHe also gave me NO information on how to manage my periods properly (keeping a diary or what have you).

I'd like to be happy for my daughter, to show her that being a woman is something to be proud of.

Then again, in Japan if you buy sanitary products they put it in a BLACK non-see through carrier bag, almost like a Bag of Shame, so that you can't upset any unsuspecting passer by with what you've just bought... (or because you might not want people to know you've just bought tampons)

wherethewildthingswere I love the 'nest made of blood'

"
'they are sort of like a nappy, so your clothes don't get messy, they are there to catch a nest made of blood, that mummies body would have needed if she was having a baby, but she isn't so the nest has to come out and is caught by the pretty nappies"

Oh, I'm going to use that one for my kids

I love the 'nest made of blood'. Will definitely use that too - great way of putting it.

PMSL at the Bag of Shame. (Although it isn't funny really).

I also agree that we should be celebrating our femaleness more too. I don't mean in a tree huggy way but in a down to earth 'wow, women and their bodies are AMAZING' way.

I think that [[http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=113560015348457#!/group.php?gid=113560015348457
this]] is a really powerful way of challenging the tabboo, but it resonates with my spiritual path so may not have meaning for those who don't feel the same way. (I guess I'm saying I know some people will find it totally OTT!)

This looks interesting for parents of girls.

that was interesting earthymama. How amazing is it that menses means moon and our periods synchronise with the moon, which makes months.
Women are so connected to the universe

Just remembered that my children always asked and I said,
'oh that's something that happens to mummies so that if they don't see a little bit of blood they know they are having a baby and can start knittingtheir clothes!!'

My mum luckily did the knitting and I bought their clothes or they would have been naturalists from a very early age

now there's a cute image in my mind of a knitting expectant mother

Come on now, women's periods don't generally synchronize with the moon. If they did, all women would have their periods at the same time. But maybe if we all lived outdoors and our activities varied according to how much light was available, that would nudge the hormones enough that women would ovulate/menstruate according to the state of the moon.

What would work best, ovulation at full moon so that people could find each other, or ovulation at new moon so that couples could sneak away from the campfire without the whole tribe seeing them?

Women's periods synchronize with other women they are frequently in the company of ...now thats interesting

'Interesting' is one way of putting the experience of an all-girls boarding school and 3/4 of the senior school having PMT and periods at the same time (and then staff assuming half of us were making it up).

The effect was somewhat diluted in sixth form once you could escape more.

Men I've known have always been politely concerned and quite fascinated. All the OMG how could you let anyone know!!! has been from women.

TeiTua no, I didn'T say women's periods synchronized with the moon. I said that they are timed by the moon (i.e they come every month- the month is defined by the moon, hence the name ' mon th' (the chinese character for month is moon) and the name "monthlies" given to periods. Different women come on at different times of the month, but the majority come on at the same time every month.

I also mentioned that wOmen who live together find that their periods synchronize. Again, a group of girl-students in one halls of residence might come on at a completely different time to three sisters down the road, but those women living together generally become synchronized. Nuns too

I went to boarding school and there was definitely one week in the month when the "blue bins" were fuller than usual!