Are Women Embarrassed By Their Menstrual Cycle?

I wanted to take a look at a variety of opinions on this topic, so I interviewed people from various age groups, both male and female, to see how the generations feel about menstruation. I interviewed two middle schoolers, two high schoolers, and four teachers.

Khy Pullins, 7th Grade, Female

Do you think women are embarrassed by their menstrual cycle? If so, why? Yes, because it’s just weird. It’s not normal for a human to be waking up one day like, “Oh! I’m bleeding and that’s okay.” Like, that’s weird.

Are you or were you ever embarrassed by your menstrual cycle? No. I knew it it was going to happen. I’m a girl so it’s normal.

Do you recall a time when you either caused, witnessed, or heard about someone being shamed because of their period? I was shamed once because I forgot a pad and bled through and I had to catch the bus . It was cold that day so I had to use my jacket, and I was cold while waiting for the bus. I was embarrassed, and I felt like everyone could see everything, but no one could see it.

Have you ever witnessed anyone being bullied because of it? No because the girls at my old school and at this school don’t really talk about it. So, no one can really say anything about something you never talk about.

How do you think guys react to this topic? They act like you’re dying; I don’t know why. They act like you’re a soldier, and you got shot or something. It’s bad.

Elijah Brown, 8th Grade

Do you think women are embarrassed by their menstrual cycle? If so, why Probably, yes.

Have you ever felt uncomfortable by the topic? If so, why? Yes, because it’s describing what’s happening “down below."

Do you recall a time when you either caused, witnessed, or heard about someone being shamed because of their period? No, not recently.

Cyan Fireall, 12th Grader

In your opinion, do you think women are embarrassed by their menstrual cycle? If so, why? I feel like they are, generally, yes. But I’m personally not. I’m on my period right now. Why? Because it’s kind of shamed in society. It’s looked on as nasty because it's blood and bodily fluid but, you know, it happens every month. They’re raised to not talk about it, I feel like.

Are you or were you ever embarrassed by your menstrual cycle? In middle school, when I got my period for the first time. I was twelve. I got older and realized it was so normal. Why do I care if people know I’m on my period or not? “Yeah I’m bleeding and I’m not in a good mood and I have cramps so… you should be aware of this.”

Why do you think men sometimes feel uncomfortable by the topic? Because it’s a bodily fluid that they don’t personally experience, because they don’t see it as normal, because it’s not a normal part of their lives.

Do you recall a time when you either caused, witnessed, or heard about someone being shamed because of their period? In middle school, this girl bled through her pants, and she got made fun of for the day. I witnessed it, I wasn’t a part of it. And I have personally bled through my pants before, but no one ever noticed because I’m very discreet, except for when I ask for a tampon. I’ll be very open about that: “Who has a tampon?”

Do you have any other comments? Just that it’s a bodily function that people shouldn’t be ashamed of because it happens naturally. Or for some people, not every month, as it doesn’t for me. But it happens and people should be used to that and be open about speaking about it and it shouldn’t be a shameful thing.

Essence Gains, 12 Grader

In your opinion, do you think women are embarrassed by their menstrual cycle? If so, why? I believe that society is embarrassed by women’s menstrual cycle, specifically because they believe it is gross. And yes it's very toxic, you know, blood and stuff, but it cleans itself, that’s what the vagina does, it cleans itself. So it really shouldn’t be looked as disgusting as it brings life, and a period is a part of life. Because if you don’t have a period that means you don’t produce eggs, which means you cannot give birth.

Are you or were you ever embarrassed by your menstrual cycle? Yes. You know, a pad could probably fall out and then I would be scrambling to get it. Others, it would be like a person would ask me for one, and I would start getting comfortable with it, and I would be like, “Okay, you want it?” And I would, you know, just throw it and they would come to me and discreetly get it. Like it’s something taboo when it shouldn’t be.

Why do you think some men feel uncomfortable by the topic? I believe some men feel uncomfortable by it because they would look at it a different way; they look at it from a male perspective. So all they see is blood. They see the negative parts, and of course there are going to be negative parts, but they look at it from a different perspective. Whereas, I believe, if not all women, most women look at it like, “Okay, it’s coming on.” But at the same time, it’s something natural, it’s not unnatural. It shouldn’t be something deemed as taboo. It’s healthy and if you have it that means everything is working properly, because some women don’t have it.

Do you recall a time when you either caused, witnessed, or heard about someone being shamed because of their period? I don’t think so but I have been in situations where there’s a girl, and I would be like, “ Oh, why are you wearing this hoodie around your pants?” and she was like, “Oh, because, you know, my period. It leaked through.” But I don’t think anyone noticed or anything.

Do you have any other comments? I believe that it should be looked at as something as healthy and natural. We should get away from the stereotypes that it is disgusting. Because even though it deals with toxic blood, it’s a natural part of a woman’s body.

A. Townsend, English Teacher

In your opinion, do you think women are embarrassed by their menstrual cycle? If so, why? I don’t think women are embarrassed, I think it’s the cultural mores. Just with anything, just like with female pleasure, just like with breast feeding. It’s kind of cloaked and shamed.

Are you or were you ever embarrassed by your menstrual cycle? Of course. It’s just a secret thing. Even how, I remember buying tampons, and they had to be in a brown bag and then put in a plastic bag because nobody should be able to see the items. It’s something that’s like a taboo, but it’s natural.

Why do you think men sometimes feel uncomfortable by the topic? Why would men feel uncomfortable about a cycle? Ignorance? It’s how we all got here. Ignorance. They’re not really taught to understand it because if they did they would embrace it and it would be something that wouldn’t have to be shamed surrounding it if they were taught to just be open about it. Women shouldn’t have to hide items. Even in school, you know, if a student comes to me and asks for a napkin, it’s always something that’s secret. So why is it not like, “Oh, Ms. Townsend, can I have a…”, you know.

Do you recall a time when you either caused, witnessed, or heard about someone being shamed because of their period? I had a friend one time, I think she had an accident during the day and we were like, “Yo, you have blood on the back of your pants.” You know, she ties the jacket around. But we were okay with it, I guess because it was all females.

S. Hogan, Math Teacher

In your opinion, do you think women are embarrassed by their menstrual cycle? If so, why? I think a significant amount of women are embarrassed by their menstrual cycle because I think that there’s a societal stigma that it’s something to be hidden or something that we shouldn’t discuss or something that we should pretend doesn’t exist. But it’s a thing that happens half the population for like three to five days a month every month of their lives. So, it’s weird.

Why do you think men sometimes feel uncomfortable by the topic? Probably for the same reason that I don’t really like to talk about me getting prostate exams, or I don’t really want to hear about somebody’s appendectomy, or when someone describes a really gross injury that they got. I don’t want to hear it. Like, I think there’s certainly an element of not wanting to talk about gross medical stuff. Like, I don’t need to know what color somebody’s snot is when they’re sick. You know, I don’t want to know. And I think maybe that’s part of it.

Do you recall a time when you either caused, witnessed, or heard about someone being shamed because of their period? I definitely had girls come to me in a panic when they realized they weren’t prepared and something had happened. So I don’t know if that’s so much shame as it is terror that they’re afraid that they’re going to have blood on their pants or whatever else. But I do think that that some level of panic, there wouldn’t be understanding if something like that happened, people would think it was gross. And I’ve certainly heard a lot of stories about people that were angry to see that someone had left female hygiene supplies in a bathroom for free or something at a wedding, because the guys didn’t want to think about it, but it’s in a bathroom being shared by both genders. Because guys didn’t want to think about the fact that women have those needs but… women have those needs.

Do you have any other comments? Just that I think it’s really important that we provide female hygiene products for people all over the world if they need them, because there are countries where people can’t go to school because they have no way to deal with the fact that they’ll be bleeding on their clothes for five days. And so five days out of an entire month, girls don’t go to school, because they can’t, because they have no hygiene products to take care of it. So I think it’s a really important thing that we, as a country that has more resources and also the more developed countries in the world should consider that it’s a way to give back to communities around the world, because half of the population are women and they’re just as functional during those five days of the month as they are any other time. That’s about it.

G. Winikur, English Teacher

In your opinion, do you think women are embarrassed by their menstrual cycle? If so, why? I have not seen that. In my opinion, I have not noticed that or detected that. I think women try to be discreet about it. Like if they have to leave class, they’ll try to be discreet about it, but I don’t know if that equates embarrassment.

Are you or have you ever felt uncomfortable by the topic? No.

Do you think other men are? I think probably some men are, maybe if they have daughters, where they might feel uncomfortable if they go do the shopping and the wife asks them to buy feminine hygiene products, they might feel uncomfortable about that. But I doubt men really think about it that often.

What about young boys in school? I mean, they’re probably just inquisitive about it. Whether or not the feel uncomfortable about it, I wouldn’t really know.

Do you have any other comments? Not really, I just find it amusing, all the euphemisms that are used to describe it. Like, there’s always code words. Like “my friend”, “my period”, “my visitor I think that’s kind of strange. I would just call it your menstrual cycle, like give it the scientific name.

D. Aglira, English Teacher

In your opinion, do you think women are embarrassed by their menstrual cycle? I believe women used to be, several years ago, but I think that the young women today are not embarrassed by their menstrual cycle.

Why do you think it was different back then from how it is now? I think people are just more open. I think women are more independent now, they’re freer, they’re smarter about worldly things. And I’ve hear them discuss these things in front of the young men at school. I don’t think they hide it the way they did many years ago.

Are you or were you ever embarrassed by your menstrual cycle? Embarrassed? I was never embarrassed by it, but I never publicly discussed it the way I hear it discussed now.

Why do you think men would sometimes feel uncomfortable by the topic? I think men are squeamish about the topic. I think the idea of for several days in a month that there is blood coming out of a woman constantly, I don’t think they can handle it. Just like how some men can’t handle the birth of a child, or viewing the birth of child. They’ve passed out in delivery rooms. I don’t know, I just don’t think they can handle it.

Do you recall a time when you either caused, witnessed, or heard about someone being embarrassed by their menstrual cycle? I do remember a time when I was in college, when a woman got her menstrual cycle unexpectedly and when she stood up it was on her clothes and someone calmly pointed it out to her and she ran out of the classroom crying and never returned. I mean, she didn’t handle it like, “Oh, really?” I don’t think many women would be calm about that in public place where everybody… I mean it’s natural but I don’t know that they’d be unembarrassed by that, to have it on their clothing unexpectedly and have it pointed out to them and people are looking at blood on the back or your skirt. It’s kind of like, “Oh no!”

Do you have any other comments you’d like to make? I just want to say that I think this is a very interesting topic. As I said, women are freer now. I’ve never seen this in a journalism situation. So what, you’re going to put this in the school newspaper?

Yes Really? Okay. Interesting.