Why are periods taboo?

“Red alert, ragnagnas, ketchup week, tagadas”… Lots of cute and delicate nicknames to illustrate the natural menstrual cycle of women.

"I'm feeling unwell, it's not the right week, I'm in my red week" an abundance of pretty little phrases to brighten up this sweet period that many dread.

Is this a way of avoiding saying the word “period” in order to better stigmatize them?

Let us go back to the time of Socrates in the 5th century BC to understand.

According to the Greek philosopher, women do not participate in procreation, they are only the receivers of the homunculus (the miniature man) deposited in them by man. And are therefore inferior beings.

As soon as patriarchy began to interfere in societies, blood was split into two. The noble blood of men, the strong blood of the stronger sex (war or hunting wounds) and on the other the blood of women, the dirty blood of the weaker sex.

So why did it become a taboo? The birth of a taboo generally results from a deep fear of a power that we fear, that we dread. The centuries, the decades punctuated by patriarchy have wanted to muzzle the power of women's bodies by exerting control, pressure.

This phenomenon has developed and become part of our culture. As children, we all saw an advertisement on television where a woman smiles while pouring a blue liquid onto a sanitary napkin. As pre-teens, teenagers, we all had this thought when our first periods arrived: "You're a woman now!"

All this mystery persists in some families because many still associate periods with sexuality and/or first intercourse. Without simply associating it with human nature and biology.

In France, people have been speaking out for several years.

Many women have used their influence to lift the veil on periods and the illness that for some results from them: endometriosis.

Products are diversifying on the French market: period panties, menstrual cups, hormonal gels, boxes for first periods, etc.

The word is being liberated, women have taken to the streets to demonstrate for obtaining the "Pink Tax" for sanitary products. On social networks, some influencers have taken the side of assuming and normalizing panties that are sometimes stained during their periods. Associations and collections have been created to allow all women in precarious situations to benefit from it.

In some countries, the mystery remains complete for young girls:

Iran: 48% of girls think periods are an illness.

Bolivia: Ban on throwing towels in the trash. Girls think that periods cause serious diseases like cancer

Malawi: Periods must be kept secret. They are forbidden to talk to boys during this time

Afghanistan: Ban on showering during menstruation under penalty of becoming sterile

Things are changing, the cards are being redistributed and the rules are changing, but there is still a long way to go.

Find Inher , our 360° solution for periods.