As I grew up, I learned that talking freely about periods, as well as pads or tampons, is seen as taboo or not the norm. Sometimes people act as if it does not exist.

       Too often, I see girls saying how they have “women problems” or  that it is “the time of the month” when explaining their period symptoms—moodiness, cramps, or an increased appetite.

        Why is it so uncommon to simply say, “I’m on my period”?

       I see girls hiding their pads or tampons as they make a trip to the bathroom, or feeling embarrassed to admit they are on their period. What is so embarrassing about our bodies removing excess blood and staying healthy?

         I do not think this would be a problem if it was reversed, and males had periods every month.

        Women’s bodies are often seen as something to be hidden or ashamed of, such as what they wear, say, or how much skin they show.

        This problem transcends into how periods are seen and portrayed. We are constantly being taught to be ashamed for what our bodies naturally are or what they produce, and it has it’s lasting negative effects.

        Having pre-teens grow up in this type of environment, where being open and discussing their menstrual cycles includes a bondage of shame or guilt attached to it, is detrimental to the confidence and openness women may have had later on in life.

        The repetition of constantly putting women down continues today, and this is a prime example of it.

        There should be nothing taboo or weird about talking about periods. It happens, it exists, and it is natural. It is time to put away the immaturity and start acting rationally.