To say we're "canceling" period euphemisms is a maybe a little strong because we get why it's tempting to call your period something cutesy. It helps us put some distance between ourselves and pain, bloating, or just feeling crappy. And humor is sometimes a great ameliorator when we're experiencing something we don't want to.
But the problem with period euphemisms specifically is that they help us perpetuate the stigma around periods that they are shameful, dirty, and/or embarrassing.
We definitely used to use euphemisms too!
"Oh, you know, I'm feeling crappy because it's 'that time of the month'" or "yeah I have a headache because I'm {whispers} on my period."
We didn't realize that socially we've been taught from a young age to think of periods as something that's embarrassing even though more than half of the world's population bleeds monthly at some point in their lives.
And stigmatization is not just harmful to the way we think about our bodies, but damaging and damning to anyone with a menstrual cycle.
Period stigma has lead to less research around women's health. Period pain and fluctuations in our hormones have been dismissed as normal and too complex. And if we accept those things to be true about our bodies (that pain is normal and our bodies are too complicated for doctors and researchers), there's no progress.
So next time you are on your period, say it loud and proud. Talk about your periods with your friends and even mention it in mixed company. The more we get comfortable with what our bodies do naturally, the more we realize we are 1) amazing and 2) deserving of more options and care for what we experience.
Illustrator Samantha Rothenberg of @VioletClair
We were so excited to work with Samantha! We'd been long time followers of her instagram. We love her comics and that she shares her endometriosis journey with all of us. If you aren't yet one of her 250,000+ followers, hop on over to instagram and check her out!