Life Experiences: Our Biology, Our Choices - Essay Sample

Introduction

Our daily experiences impact on our outlook of life. While some of these encounters embed sweet memories, others are bittersweet. The difference between one individual and the next is the manner that each handles these situations. Remarkably, the thing with biology is that it brings with it experiences that are forever part and parcel of our lives. For women, our bodies were made to bear children. As such, a menstrual cycle is an unavoidable event; but for an illness or a unique condition. As a young girl, no one adequately prepared me psychologically for menarche. I had always been very close to my mother. Never had I imagined hiding anything from her; but this particular incident left me confused, afraid, and ashamed. I eventually came to learn the reasons why menstruation was a hushed up topic as will be discussed herein. This is my personal experience as a woman who received her periods for the first time.

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A typical ten-year-old girl, at least during my time, had little to worry about. All I was interested in was my studies and maintaining friendships with my closest friends. My mother was my go-to-person when I wanted to talk about my frustrations none of which included that my body was changing. Our intimate discussions included the clothes I wanted to wear or hairstyles that I wanted her to try on me. On that fateful day, there was blood. I was in no pain neither had I suffered any injury. I had a vague idea of what I was experiencing since, once or twice, I had overheard some of the older girls in our school passively mention menstruation. However, I was sure that none of the girls in my circle had received their first period, therefore, I could not confide in them. Never had I ever panicked in my life as I did on that day. At first, I was reluctant to share the news with my mother but my need for sanitary towels compelled me to open up to her.

Societal discourses of menstruation are degrading to women, deterrent to feminism, and oppressive to sexuality. It is saddening that even in modern America, menstruation is regarded as dirty and contaminating (Dunnavant & Roberts, 2013). In some societies, this mysterious phenomenon is a taboo topic and it is a subject of pollution theory. It is thought that at this time, women emit poisonous menotoxins which can affect those around them (Jackson & Falmagne, 2013). Inherently, women have learned to seclude themselves from others during this time when their bodies are undergoing such a natural process. Such was my experience. Although no one out rightly indicated to me that I was contaminated and should, therefore, resort to solitude, I preferred to become a loner during those days. I would feign sickness every other time during my monthlies to avoid going to school. Additionally, any evidence of menstruation is kept hidden from third parties, and especially from men. Women must indeed observe hygiene practices during this time. Menstruation has health impacts such as the increased risk of contracting urinary tract infections (UTI) (Shanbhag et al., 2012). However, the entire process must not be demonized as this kills the desire to be knowledgeable about menstruation before one attains menarche. Resultantly, young women become oblivious to safe practices that could mitigate their suffering.

In modern America, menstruation is accorded high levels of secrecy and talking about it is abominable. Therefore, such conversations must be held in secrecy. In some communities social and cultural rules to govern the manner that menstruation should be spoken (Jackson & Falmagne, 2013). Since menstruation is a reserve for the female gender, the menarche conversation is a reserve for mothers. Today, some mothers still promote the tradition of silence and secrecy on matters menstruation. Resultantly, restrictions such as those on a woman's sexuality continue to be imposed on female bodies. According to Rempel and Baumgartner (2003), menstruation is part of sexual development and maturation. It marks the beginning of sexual maturity as well as signifying a woman's reproductive potential. As menstruation is related to the genitals, so is sexuality. It means that any negative perception of menstruation represses a woman's sexuality. Rempel and Baumgartner (2003) further indicate that women who have learned to associate menstruation with filth are likely to cast a similar shadow on sexuality. Similarly, treating menstruation with high levels of secrecy and shame may lead to the same view on sexuality. I am reminded that when I gathered the courage to inform my mother of my bodily changes, I was always embarrassed when she bought sanitary towels. I was ashamed of letting my closest friends in on my big secret. Today, I am still unwilling to openly discuss my sexuality with anyone. It is a detail that is as intimate as my menses.

As more women are becoming more courageous and comfortable discussing menarche with their daughters, uncertainty on the safety of the products to use during this time still looms. Various companies manufacture sanitary towels, menstrual cups, and tampons. The common brand names include Always, Diva Cup, and Kotex. Kotex, for example, endeavored to develop a brand that women and girls could trust. The brand's advertisements from the 1940s and 50s were educational. The product came with pamphlets on menstruation and mental health. However, some of the products for feminine care are controversial. Some companies are more interested in making profits from the sale of these products as opposed to promoting women's health. It is for this reason that women's movements such as the one castigating Tampax have become commonplace (Bobel, 2010). Feminism advocates for close attention to menstruation as a way of revealing and promoting women's cultural and values and identities (Bobel, 2010). It advocates for the use of products that promote menstrual hygiene. It is unfortunate for companies to produce unsafe products for feminine care. Also regrettable is that some of these companies purport to teach women on the use of tampons and sanitary towels when, in fact, these products have questionable safety features.

Conclusion

Conclusively, menarche should be awaited and received with joy. It is not the case due to the degrading discourses that have been passed on from one generation to the other. Women have been made to believe that it is wrong to openly discuss their contamination. Seclusion has been embedded to the point that mother-daughter conversations on menstruation and sexuality are akin to taboos. These narratives must be changed by encouraging women to embrace their gender and sexuality. This is achievable to encouraging candid talk among women. Companies, on the other hand, exploit as well as endanger the health of women by manufacturing unsafe products for feminine care. Feminist movements must, among other efforts, oppose the release of untested sanitary care products into the market.

References

Bobel, C. (2010). New blood: Third-wave feminism and the politics of menstruation. Rutgers University Press.

Dunnavant, N. C., & Roberts, T. A. (2013). Restriction and renewal, pollution and power, constraint and community: The paradoxes of religious women's experiences of menstruation. Sex roles, 68(1-2), 121-131.

Jackson, T. E., & Falmagne, R. J. (2013). Women wearing white: Discourses of menstruation and the experience of menarche. Feminism & Psychology, 23(3), 379-398.

Rempel, J. K., & Baumgartner, B. (2003). The relationship between attitudes towards menstruation and sexual attitudes, desires, and behavior in women. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32(2), 155-163.

Shanbhag, D., Shilpa, R., D'Souza, N., Josephine, P., Singh, J., & Goud, B. R. (2012). Perceptions regarding menstruation and practices during menstrual cycles among high school going adolescent girls in resource limited settings around Bangalore city, Karnataka, India. International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health, 4(7), 1353.