This past week something really great happened in India. The Supreme Court announced it will be reassessing the constitutionality of Sabarimala temple’s ban on women’s entry.
Let me back up and explain why this is such a big deal. Sabarimala, a Hindu temple, in South India restricts all women ages 10-50, the menstruation period in a woman’s life, from entering. This temple does not just have a partial ban on women (while they are menstruating), like all other Hindu temples do, but a law banning them completely. There is an old story/legend in Hinduism why women are not allowed to enter this particular temple for Ayappa. Ayappa was a prince in Kerala destined to kill a female demon. When he kills her Malikapurathamma, the woman freed from the demon spirit, emerges and asks to marry Ayappa. He refuses to marry her until he answers the prayers of all of his devotees (aka never). Therefore, women should refrain from entering Sabarimala out of respect for Malikapurathamma’s eternal waiting and Ayappa’s celibacy as to not be a distraction from his work for his devotees. This may all be a very new concept and idea to my friends and family in the US so let me back up again and explain even more. This whole post will kind of run backwards so just stick with me.
Indian society harbors endless menstrual taboos and is a place that’s struggling when it comes to rape, sexual abuse, and gender inequality (but for now this post will stick to menstruation and I will dedicate many posts in the future to the latter). Periods are basically the plague. When a girl gets her period she says that she is “down”. Sanitary napkins are the only available feminine hygiene product available. 70% of the menstruating female population in India doesn’t even have the luxury of sanitary napkins and instead uses various cloths that are reused again and again. No tampons (for fear of endangering a girl’s virginity), no menstrual cups, not even heavy flow pads. If you go to a shop to buy sanitary napkins the shopkeeper will wrap them in newspaper or put them inside of a black plastic bag so they remain unseen. Girls are embarrassed (or at least need to act embarrassed) about carrying these napkins to the washroom and asking for newspaper to wrap the used product in afterwards. These taboos can go as far as prohibiting a girl from entering a kitchen to not bathing for the first two days of her period. Dealing with periods is very difficult when you combine social stress and the process of maintaining personal hygiene. Here is an Indian source that provides a whole list of menstrual taboos in India and below are two articles about Indian women and their experiences with menstruation.
In Hinduism entry into temples is strictly forbidden for girls while they are menstruating. While girls are "down" they are considered to be "polluting" and "unclean", therefore their presence in a temple would “pollute” the sacred environment. This restricted entry into religious places and separation from society is in Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. There are menstrual taboos in many religious practices but they are not practiced by all who worship within Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, there are those who are exceptions to the rule (example: in my host family the only restriction placed on me and my sisters was no entry into the temple, something I’ve found to be followed by all Hindus).
Nikita Azad, a college student in India, started the hashtag, #HappyToBleed, when the priest at Sabarimala stated that he would only allow women to enter Sabarimala when technology that has the ability to detect if a woman is "unclean" or is able to enter the temple. Nikita a firm believer in removing all full and partial bans on women entering temples started a social media movement with her hashtag, gaining followers who posted pictures holding signs saying #HappyToBleed. Women who are #HappyToBleed are communicating they are not ashamed or embarrassed of their periods in order to counter menstrual taboos. Here is an article expanding on the #HappyToBleed movement.
Menstrupedia, an Indian website that provides a guide to periods and everything surrounding menstruation in comic book form, has also joined the fight against menstrual taboos. Below is an independent TED Talk from the founders.
Let me back up and explain why this is such a big deal. Sabarimala, a Hindu temple, in South India restricts all women ages 10-50, the menstruation period in a woman’s life, from entering. This temple does not just have a partial ban on women (while they are menstruating), like all other Hindu temples do, but a law banning them completely. There is an old story/legend in Hinduism why women are not allowed to enter this particular temple for Ayappa. Ayappa was a prince in Kerala destined to kill a female demon. When he kills her Malikapurathamma, the woman freed from the demon spirit, emerges and asks to marry Ayappa. He refuses to marry her until he answers the prayers of all of his devotees (aka never). Therefore, women should refrain from entering Sabarimala out of respect for Malikapurathamma’s eternal waiting and Ayappa’s celibacy as to not be a distraction from his work for his devotees. This may all be a very new concept and idea to my friends and family in the US so let me back up again and explain even more. This whole post will kind of run backwards so just stick with me.
Indian society harbors endless menstrual taboos and is a place that’s struggling when it comes to rape, sexual abuse, and gender inequality (but for now this post will stick to menstruation and I will dedicate many posts in the future to the latter). Periods are basically the plague. When a girl gets her period she says that she is “down”. Sanitary napkins are the only available feminine hygiene product available. 70% of the menstruating female population in India doesn’t even have the luxury of sanitary napkins and instead uses various cloths that are reused again and again. No tampons (for fear of endangering a girl’s virginity), no menstrual cups, not even heavy flow pads. If you go to a shop to buy sanitary napkins the shopkeeper will wrap them in newspaper or put them inside of a black plastic bag so they remain unseen. Girls are embarrassed (or at least need to act embarrassed) about carrying these napkins to the washroom and asking for newspaper to wrap the used product in afterwards. These taboos can go as far as prohibiting a girl from entering a kitchen to not bathing for the first two days of her period. Dealing with periods is very difficult when you combine social stress and the process of maintaining personal hygiene. Here is an Indian source that provides a whole list of menstrual taboos in India and below are two articles about Indian women and their experiences with menstruation.
- My Country's Problem With Menstruation
- A Crow Didn't Touch Me, I Got My Period
- Impoverished Girls Who Can't Afford Sanitary Protection Face Health, Education Risks: How You Can Help
In Hinduism entry into temples is strictly forbidden for girls while they are menstruating. While girls are "down" they are considered to be "polluting" and "unclean", therefore their presence in a temple would “pollute” the sacred environment. This restricted entry into religious places and separation from society is in Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. There are menstrual taboos in many religious practices but they are not practiced by all who worship within Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, there are those who are exceptions to the rule (example: in my host family the only restriction placed on me and my sisters was no entry into the temple, something I’ve found to be followed by all Hindus).
Nikita Azad, a college student in India, started the hashtag, #HappyToBleed, when the priest at Sabarimala stated that he would only allow women to enter Sabarimala when technology that has the ability to detect if a woman is "unclean" or is able to enter the temple. Nikita a firm believer in removing all full and partial bans on women entering temples started a social media movement with her hashtag, gaining followers who posted pictures holding signs saying #HappyToBleed. Women who are #HappyToBleed are communicating they are not ashamed or embarrassed of their periods in order to counter menstrual taboos. Here is an article expanding on the #HappyToBleed movement.
Menstrupedia, an Indian website that provides a guide to periods and everything surrounding menstruation in comic book form, has also joined the fight against menstrual taboos. Below is an independent TED Talk from the founders.
Like Menstrupedia, there are other movements to rid society of the shame and embarrassment associated with periods. Vice did a photography series called "There Will Be Blood" that challenges the idea that women should hide their periods. It's a super cool series but being completely honest I was initially grossed out. After a short time of disgust I had to laugh at the irony of the situation of writing a whole post about society's crooked view of a biological process but there I was making funny faces at pictures of some blood on a skirt.
I’m sick and tired of hearing that girls are “dirty” or “unclean” while menstruating. This is the thing that irks me the most about multiple cultures and religions in the world. Something biological, something that women have no control over, and something that brings life into this world has been twisted into something to shame and limit women. That is something I will not stand for. As an exchange student I am supposed to be the epitome of youth diplomacy and neutrality but I cannot remain silent about a cultural/religious practice that limits the rights of one gender, increases inequality, and promotes poisonous social stigmas. India is a country whose problems equal the size of their population, but the fight against menstrual taboos is not an Indian problem, not a Hindu problem, not a female problem, it's a human problem. We need more Menstrupedias, more Nikita Azads, and more people talking about something that makes us all a little uncomfortable. I'm going to continue to have fun in my Indian boarding house asking girls to talk about how we can make periods more normal and less taboo. I'm #HappyToBleed and I hope the Indian Supreme Court is as well.
I’m sick and tired of hearing that girls are “dirty” or “unclean” while menstruating. This is the thing that irks me the most about multiple cultures and religions in the world. Something biological, something that women have no control over, and something that brings life into this world has been twisted into something to shame and limit women. That is something I will not stand for. As an exchange student I am supposed to be the epitome of youth diplomacy and neutrality but I cannot remain silent about a cultural/religious practice that limits the rights of one gender, increases inequality, and promotes poisonous social stigmas. India is a country whose problems equal the size of their population, but the fight against menstrual taboos is not an Indian problem, not a Hindu problem, not a female problem, it's a human problem. We need more Menstrupedias, more Nikita Azads, and more people talking about something that makes us all a little uncomfortable. I'm going to continue to have fun in my Indian boarding house asking girls to talk about how we can make periods more normal and less taboo. I'm #HappyToBleed and I hope the Indian Supreme Court is as well.
Here are some more references to articles about menstruation taboos in India for further reading:
Why are Indian women 'Happy to Bleed'?
100 Women 2014: The taboo of menstruating in India
Why are Indian women 'Happy to Bleed'?
100 Women 2014: The taboo of menstruating in India