"We must remember the chemical connections between ourselves and the stars, between the beginning and now. We must remember and reactivate the primal consciousness of oneness between all living things."
Barbara Mor
Women are not supposed to talk about periods. We are hushed up or scolded when we struggle to voice our feelings, we are discreetly passed tampons and pads when the dreaded blood begins to flow. Commercials proclaim full secrecy with their new and improved feminine products-- a woman accidentally drops a Pearl tampon, and her male friend attempts to write with it.
Men shake their heads, frequently dismissing angry attitudes up to PMS. And women have become shameful of a part of their lives that should be celebrated. Historically, perspectives seemed to always be negative regarding menstruation. The Bible, specifically in Leviticus, appears to abhor women’s menstrual blood. Leviticus 15 goes into much detail about menstruation.
“She shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean / until the even…And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two / young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest…and the priest shall make an / atonement for her before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness.”
With such language as “unclean” and “atonement” being used in sacred text, it is understandable why menstruation has become a cultural topic of shame and disgust.
Shawn Dell Joyce, a visual artist from New York, took Anna Diamant’s popular book “The Red Tent” to heart by creating several displays of what the red tent might look like in modern times. “In Biblical times, the red tent was a place that tribal women gathered to celebrate births, and to menstruate monthly. At what point did this sacred space become a punishment rather than an honor? When did our “moon blood” become “Eve’s Curse”? What would happen if we started to celebrate this rite of passage in America?”
Diamant carefully depicts the red tent as a celebratory place for menstruating women, not as a place where women were cast off for a seven days. As Rachel “bled her first blood,” the other women crowded around her, decorating her in henna and jewelry. They sang songs to her and rubbed her body down with aromatic oils.
As Chicklit.com contributor Deborah (no last name provided) explains, “… we are deeply influenced by the language we choose….I think that if we refer to our periods as a “pain,” there's a greater chance that they will be exactly that. If we use language that conveys the idea that menstruation is shameful or dirty, is it any surprise that women have trouble accepting their bodies?”
Many women are familiar with the code words and phrases associated with menstruation—all meant to cover up or disguise a part of female physiology that should be lauded and rewarded.
I wish for a time when our periods are not something disgusting. I want menstrual art and paintings to be celebrated. Menstruation should bring us a renewed sense of womanhood and femininity.
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