AND THAT'S ON PERIOD!

We've gone from whispering about “that time of the month” to speaking more openly about our periods. Let's explore the luteal phase, how to work with our bodies during this time, period stigma and period poverty.

- BY KHADEEJA ALLIE

SACRED TO... DIRTY SECRET?

Pre-colonialism, menstruation was celebrated on the African continent as a sign of the transition from childhood to adulthood. Having a period every month was also welcomed as a marker of fertility. During the colonial era, the introduction of organised religion brought about a shift in the understanding of menstruation, giving rise to the stigma that menstruation is dirty and shameful. It also gave men an “opportunity to control our bodies on what we must and mustn't do”, says Candice Chirwa, an advocate for gender equality and South Africa’s (unofficial) ‘Minister of Menstruation’. Women were expected to hide their periods and disregard their pain, while simultaneously being excluded from day-to-day activities for being ‘impure’.

Over the past few decades, grassroots initiatives, mainstream advertising and social media have shown us a gradual shift in culture, with medical science and activism working together to reclaim women's agency regarding their periods - and to eradicate shame.

DECODE YOUR CYCLE