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“EWW!” says Rajat, squinting his eyes with a horrified glare, as he realizes for the first time what periods are in the sex education classes at his school. Fully comprehending what those paper-wrapped bags are that get delivered home.
Although Rajat, who has some disdain for a natural bodily function like menstruation, comes from a good school in a metropolitan city which prides itself to be more socially progressive. Turns out, he is not the only one.
To be honest, the bros who do not believe in condoms should welcome every 28 days the menstrual cycle (The average cycle is 28 days long). Not everyone will have birth control pills for the bros. If the bros don’t believe in condoms because of their hormone levels, it also exists in women. But, do the bros actually know enough about menstruation? Or are they just words in the brain and men form theories around them, words like, “premenstrual syndrome” or “vaginal bleeding” or “lining of the uterus” or “menstrual cup”. Do you put a cup in your vagina?! “Isn’t that painful?”- says the guy who wants to try anal. Do men actually know what the lady in the ads on tv is talking about when she mentions a pad or tampon? Why is she running around making a big deal out of it? Girls in my school ran every day. Except for that one time when they said when they had stomach pains… but that was just to get out of the sports period.
(how menstrual cups is not the same as anal)
The Indian bros and broskis from Colaba to Wadala pride themselves to be modern. The old, “she must be on her chums yaaa” is as common as its other variations, “the Soviets have invaded” or my favourite, “riding the crimson tide” (I found that one in Australia). Unfortunately, it turns out that this is a small sect and in a country of 1.5 billion people, men are so deprived of basic biological knowledge that it is laughable.
Research and number provide a different story to us, one that even surprised me. A study published in the international Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health which researched 758 youths found out that 50% of students had adequate knowledge. Only 29% of those who had adequate knowledge were men.
Thus, I set out on the journey… What are the misconceptions that men? And how do men view menstruation?
Well, some people think it spreads malaria and dirt - A few boys in the 8th standard interviewed for a study believed that it spreads menstruation and spreads dirt. Some of them believed it was unclean. They also believed it would spread like malaria, saying “As malaria spreads, so there is a chance it may also spread like it’’. When asked if they should stay out of the house during this time, some of them also agreed thinking this could be a good idea. However, other kids disagreed with this view, saying that this would be a tough time and that they should be with their family for support.
To my surprise, in my research, this“stay out of the house view” is quite prevalent in village India. Some tribes have special huts, designed to isolate women during their periods. Women are given special utensils and cannot interact with others. I can only wonder, the childishness of Indian customs from thousands of years being fortified today and seeping in the minds of young children.
This is in part spread due to Le Indian Uncles- Indian uncles, the ones who harbour sensitive data and have been educated through WhatsApp believe that periods end the cycle of depression, and help women relax. Some men, although married and have children are not aware of what periods are.
To be honest, a lot of men from the older generation do not want to talk about periods as well. A sure way, to make a man leave the room is to talk about periods. I suspect these are the same uncles, who with their made-up WhatsApp knowledge would spread unreal data among kids. Kids who end up believing that periods spread like malaria. Kids, who grow up to become WhatsApp uncles themselves.
In some parts of India, women are not allowed to touch preserved food. Some people believe that during menstruation the body emits some specific smell or ray, which turns preserved food bad. And, therefore, they are not allowed to touch sour foods like pickles.
Some parts have to follow dietary restrictions, women cannot eat tamarind, or curd because this food would restrict blood flow. To be honest, this sounds like those people who “believe in vibes”.
And it is not only in India, this problem is international - While we might think this is restricted to India, but it also seems worldwide there are some issues. For example, in In Surinam, menstrual blood is believed to be dangerous and a girl can be harmed using black magic. Or, that women on periods can attract sharks. Or, in Bolivia, they believe that the disposal of their women’s menstrual pads with other garbage could lead to sickness or cancer.
The problem doesn’t seem inherent to men, but more rooted in customs. But, is it all bad though? Not really, a survey conducted on 200 men said they want the secrecy to end, and hope women can talk about it more openly and freely. Almost all of them wanted the embarrassment and privateness to halt.
Some places in India have a Period Party. India is a land of paradox. The southern side of India, some places, celebrate a girl’s first period with a half saree party. A function to celebrate the girls first period. The first of the function, the girl is gifted by friends and relatives. Men play an important role in this, especially her maternal uncle, who gifts the girl her first sari, which she has to wear during the second half of the function. This marks her womanhood.
There is also Men 4 menstruation. “Menstruation is not just a woman’s thing but a man’s responsibility, too. That is our motto, and we aim to bust myths associated with menstruation and create awareness amongst the urban and rural masses,” explains Mr Satwik Mishra. His friends and he have launched a digital campaign to break long-established social norms around silence surrounding periods. This initiative further evolves into on-ground activities by creating awareness through Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Chachi, which are boxes containing information through promotional material and comics. These boxes also contain biodegradable menstrual products.
One man who had been interviewed also said it should not be viewed as a curse. He said, “periods are nothing to be ashamed of”. He went on to say, “it is not blood… It is attaining Moksha” (Moksh being released from the cycle of life). And that, “it’s something to be proud of, rather than ashamed”. He is not the only one, the survey conducted on 200 men also showed that 82% felt menstruation should not be viewed as a curse.
While there is a glimmer of hope, it turns out that years of hush-hush has taken its toll. A staggering 71% of girls do not know about periods until their first one.
Women views of menstruation in India:
A study by the sanitary napkin maker Whisper & market researcher IPSOS shows that in urban areas regressive customs & superstitions are still prevalent regarding menstruation. But, what is more, shocking is that these figures exist in men & women. The study that was conducted in urban cities, such as Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore & Hyderabad, showed some women believe they should not touch a pickle jar. They believe they should not touch anything. They also don’t water plants, enter temples, or sleep in the same room as their husbands. This comes from the belief that women while menstruating are impure.
These customs are more damaging the deeper you go into Indian villages. a combination of factors ranging from the unwillingness to speak about this freely, lack of sex education and deep-rooted customs has put Indian men into the position that it is in.
In Fact, the conditions are so bad that women still wear cloth instead of sanitary napkins during their periods. The problem in India thus has a lot to do with women's health. Maybe now, you, the reader, understand why there are so many groups in India, related to health and human services or departments of health, that are dedicated to the education about the fallopian tube and its functions.
Finally, to sum it up, there is only one thing that can help both men and women: open dialogue.
At the end of the day, we are not educated enough about periods. Social taboos, age-old customs, uncomfortable conversation, etc. Maybe our parents are too embarrassed to speak about it with us. Maybe they view it like sex education, and they hope kids will just “figure it out”. (something I haven’t figured out myself). Thus, only a conversation can solve a lot of the issues stated here. Unless you have proof that menstruation actually spreads bad vibes and attracts sharks, please be open to share knowledge and stop the shame regarding this.
As I finish this article, I realize the only thing left for the bros who got this far is to describe what menstrual periods are, it is normal vaginal bleeding that occurs as part of a woman's monthly cycle. A woman’s body prepares for pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, the uterus, or womb, sheds its lining. The menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from inside the uterus.
Thus, for kids like Rajat, it depends on what type of narrative he is fed of menstruation, either he can look at it positively or negatively. Now when Rajat was educated with these facts, he too has opened his horizons and stopped saying, “Ewww”.
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