Remember when you got your “talk” from your parents or maybe even the school counsellor about your periods? The blood, the stain, and why it is nothing to be scared. Were you given guidelines for eating, sleeping, walking, and living life in a certain way during your period?
Well, turns out, as convincing as they sound- they are just some wrongly spread myths.
We get it… It may be difficult and make some people uncomfortable, talking about periods and the menstrual cycle. Especially when you have been made to believe it’s taboo. But in fact, it isn’t taboo. It is something we should be talking about more. Because not everything you hear is the truth, and not every story is a fact.
Here we are, myth-busting some of the worst myths. They have been the reason why girls and women hold back from talking about their issues. It is time to end these myths for good.
The one where they say that girls are impure when they are on their period
Periods are nature’s way of letting menstruators know that their body is growing up. Getting your periods is your body telling you that you are not pregnant (if you indulged in intercourse); the flag tells you that your body is still functioning.
There is absolutely nothing impure about periods. Every menstruator gets them once a month. Calling periods impure is equivalent to calling menstruators impure. Which you wouldn’t do, because isn’t the human body a holy shrine?
The one where they say that girls having their periods should not go near plants. Otherwise, the plant will die
Plants do not discriminate between menstruators, non-menstruators, and menstruators on their periods. They thrive on good care. In fact, period blood has several nutrients needed for the plant’s growth. They can be used as fertilizer!
The one where they say that sour foods like curd, tamarind, and pickles disturb the menstrual flow
The food you eat does not decide the flow of your periods. Doses of iron are essential because it helps with the haemoglobin content in the blood. Whether you eat sweet or sour doesn’t matter! Just have loads of water and stay hydrated and healthy!
The one where they say that girls having their periods should sleep in the shed
Menstruation is not contagious and causes absolutely no harm to anyone else in the same room. The only care you can take is not to stain your sheets because they are a pain to take out in the wash. But, if you are using Lemme Be’s products. You can forget about staining your sheets too. ;)
There is no reason for pushing a menstruator out and into another room against their will and well-being.
The one where they say that girls any form of physical activity can disturb the menstrual flow
Exercise and playing sports can help relieve pain. Many menstruators go through painful abdomen cramps during their period. Exercise will only help the flow of the blood and ease your pain, rather than disturb it.
The one where they say that a girl should not talk about her periods in public
Do you get publicly shamed for talking about your hair, that perfect highlight blend, and the perfect shade of your nail paint? Do you think twice before doing so? No, right? Well then, why treat period blood so differently? It is just as natural.
Period is natural, just like the length of your hair and the colour of your skin. It’s just as natural as bleeding out of an injury. And whenever it comes to the body, never believe what the world has to say - especially if it sounds fishy- only ever believe after fact-checking it. Science is the way of the body, not myths.
