Finding a Voice in the Midst of Intersectionality and Period Taboos

The media does not help. Television, the Internet, print ads.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

A NOTE: I talk in gory/real-life detail about periods, mine included. If this bothers you, you can always hit the back button. And if not, then welcome. Liberation time.

I realize that some of the pain I carry as an adult person, an adult girl, a woman, is through starting my period. The reasons for this are very personal, and only something I would share with someone I feel understands the nuances of my story. Not everyone. So not you, I guess, is what I’m trying to say.

Still, today I would like to reclaim not only what my personal experience has wrought but also what I realize that society does as well. Which, I realize now, must have influenced my experiences to an extent — the difficulty of having this extra thing that boys don’t experience. And perhaps one of the privileges of being a boy/man.

I don’t know how to find privilege in the midst of the disadvantage within the experience of my look, but there has to be something to my kind of feminine.

Anyway, for males, at least their defenses aren’t down for me, maybe 3 days out of the month, 3 to 4. And learning a lot along the way, I see now how society is “hush-hush” about this aspect of “girling”, while aspects of being a boy like, yes, pornography and yes, “jerking off” are treated like rites of passage.

I see now how society is “hush-hush” about this aspect of “girling”, while aspects of being a boy like, yes, pornography and yes, “jerking off” are treated like rites of passage.

As if girls and women don’t unmask their bayshuns either. Do you like that term? I made it up. It’s pretty right? Spirit-filled even.

Anyway, you could ask me how I know this for sure, but when I get the courage, that will be another article in itself. Wahoo!

Now, where was I?

Today will be an article sharing two period advertisements (at the end), hacks (“tips” is a little more “sexual” than I’m going for today, my mind is really sensitive to words and connotations sometimes, I just think the, the tip of a penis, a PEN15, you know, and then sex, and I don’t need that connotation honestly right now).

Anyway, hacks for doing a period ad yourself, and a general overview of how taboo periods really are, which I’m reminded of now that I have my period again. Now I can name the oppression where before I could only feel, like, an ominous cloud.

This societal inheritance — period shame?

Let’s do a quick rundown of proof of this societal inheritance. This is going to be mainly from the perspective of the United States, but I will also carry things from Nigerian culture and African American culture, both as they relate to girls and women.

More specifically, I will focus on the mainstream United States, which I observe focuses on mainly white girls. Even with this reality, I rewrite my story with an article like this.

Here is some information about how the media in the United States has treated periods, gleaned from this article, “From ‘gory’ to glory”.

• The word “period” was first uttered on television in 1985. Seriously?
• Commercials about periods weren’t allowed until 1972. That is 70 years after televisions first appeared, three generations of women, also to mention the extreme intersectional oppression of a black woman in America who also faced the very impossible reality of race, too.
• Most commercials don’t show red to mimic period blood, only blue.
• Just last year in 2020, Facebook banned a commercial that depicted period blood — this ad violated Facebook guidelines for being ”shocking, sensational, disrespectful or excessively violent content.” They eventually backtracked. Because women don’t work in tech apparently. I guess?

This same “From ‘gory’ to glory” article also shares examples of advertisements for periods that focus on topics like odor (!), comfort, and convenience. I guess all three are important, hygiene for any body part (ask me how I know🤦🏿‍♀️), and an ability to live life freely.

I’ve become more observant of these things since removing an IUD last year, almost a year now.

But first.

I wanted to add the element of humanness that some of the abovementioned ads with blue liquids lack.

This is what a commercial should more honestly mimic, trigger warning for some, a depiction of period blood, the contents of a bleeding vagina. You’ve been warned. Gag now:

This is what the commercials should really do I think. Some element of this.

Now, I know that it is not the prettiest concept, gross even, being a boy or man and realizing that the girl or woman you know — sister, girlfriend, crush, wife, unrequited love— bleeds regularly out of a random orifice. And the queasiness that a girl or woman may feel in seeing this since it is so taboo.

Then when you add race, there is an added shame, and I will assume part of the cause of misogynoir. A dark-skinned girl that bleeds. Oh no, I’m bleeding, and I have dark skin. And the world thinks more toward me, I hate you bitch. You’re better off with less clothes on since your femininity is worthless anyway. Bleeding bitch! Hit, hit, smack, smack. You fucking cum-bucket! (higher rates of sexual abuse, STDs, intimate partner violence, missing persons…THIS IS US, a black girl I mean).

Well, in addition to these depressing truths, I bleed, and more or less because of my mom’s ability to also have a period, I am here. (And my father’s spermatozoa as well I know). We are really magnificent beings.

Would you ever want to make a period ad yourself? If yes, turn to page 72.

What would your period ad look like? What is your period story? What has your experience been? I realize that it’s easy and it’s quite healing, really.

So to make a period ad, if interested, here are the steps.

A Period Ad In 4 Steps. 🩰 + ✋🏿 (Skin Tone 6)

1. Envision a scenario, any scenario, when your period has started or when you are on your period. That’s pretty easy. In my opinion. Then dress up “in character” aka as yourself in a particular scenario, and photograph or record.
2. Take a picture of a box of tampons or pads at home. And rename it generically to avoid copyright issues.
3. Write “copy” that fits the experience.
4. Use a site like befunky.com to upload the photo. Here you can add the text/copy and design your ad.

Easy peasy.

And for me, it helps me figure things out still even at 35. An exercise like this helps take away some of the stigmas I feel in the air surrounding my period. What I feel about myself sometimes too. What I guess is what is called internalized misogyny.

Okay, here is the photoshoot. I’m a little weird, I know. Don’t judge me, thank you.

So I would like to share with you this idea, two ads that I made to be more empowered in my period. My gross talk, my bloody vagina. Basically. Ew but true. And empowering. My bloody vagina. Yes, I bleed. No, I’m not a vampire, no crosses, thanks. Just a bleeding vagina, here, thanks. Both nothing and something to see…blood slugs, my weird fascination.

Humanized Period Ad #1

Yes, I guess real books are so 20th century/early 2000s? Well, oh well. Real books are nice, too. And e-books. Both are good. Generationally I will be at the cusp of both I guess.

Humanized Period Ad #2

This one, her date just is about to pick her up. I don’t know. I think that I will talk comfortably about my period with the right boy/man, I suppose…

I will have to do something with natural hair too dressed up. I don’t want to associate “dressing up” with straight hair I feel. Small but big. Anyway, still, this hairstyle is cute (a “photoshoot” wig).

Now, what would your period add look like? Remember: 1) Image, 2) tampons or pad, and 3) copy.

Yes, it is red. It/I went there.

Thanks for reading.

Onward. Gaa n’ihu.

Obinna

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