Periods; Something many cannot bare to talk about, let alone see. But why and how does the media avoid the graphic reality of menstruation?
Menstruation is a phenomenon that is experienced by half of the world’s population. It is a natural part of being a woman. However, there is an innate shame that is felt by much of the female population, as perpetuated in many aspects of society; namely the media. In this essay, I will be analysing how the media maintains the idea that menstruation is something to be hidden and ashamed of. Periods are what give women the capability to bear a child, and yet, it is extremely common for women to feel self-conscious when menstruating. A poll in 2018 found that 58 percent of women had felt a “sense of embarrassment simply because they were on their period” (The New York Post, 2018). In this essay, I will be analysing how the media censors the natural process of menstruation and the discourse it creates which further fuels period shame. I will also delve into the feminist approach to the censoring of menstruation and semiotics.
Women are expected to keep quiet when it comes to the subject of their periods; even when it effects their business. Lili Murphy-Johnson, a creator on an online store called Etsy, sold items that reflected the stages of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). She did this in order to challenge the stigmatisation of menstruation in our society. In retaliation (and quite ironically), Etsy suspended Murphy-Johnson’s online store, deeming it “inappropriate” and said that the products would have to be rated age 18 and up. Lili Murphy-Johnson was made to feel that she had “done something wrong or bad” and she felt “almost guilty” as a result of the suspension (Chowhan, 2016).
With the average age of girls starting their periods in the UK being 12 years and 11 months old, it seems unreasonable that content relating to periods should be hidden until they reach 18 years old. “Nearly Half of girls (44 per cent) do not know what is happening to them the first time they have their period” so surely having girls under the age of 18, when they are most likely to begin their period, able to see such products as Lili’s would be beneficial in terms of education (Pashsa-Robinson, 2017). Depicting the image of what women experience every month was considered unseemly by Etsy, and it’s only the start. It is clear censorship of menstruation. Etsy’s reaction to the products made by Lili Murphy-Johnson create public discourse as through their actions, they represented menstruation as “inappropriate.” It made “it possible to construct” periods “in a certain way” giving people the impression that periods are in fact, inappropriate and should be deemed as censor worthy (Hall, 1992:291).
Rupi Kaur is an artist and poet who shared an image of a woman in bed with a small stain of menstruation blood on her trousers and bedsheets. Kaur shared the image on the social media application, ‘Instagram’. It was removed for breaching community guidelines. Kaur posted the image again and it was shorty removed another time. Instagram’s guidelines state that you cannot share content with “nudity or mature content.” You can also not share anything with “violence, spam and rudeness.” Rupi Kaur’s post had no nudity, mature content, violence, spam or rudeness. It is difficult to understand why it would be taken down, in light of this. Kaur was upset by this as “they allow porn on ‘Instagram’, but no periods” (Cascone, 2015). This incident is further evidence of the online censorship of the process of menstruation. It is seen as improper to have dialogue surrounding the topic or to even see the slightest speck of fake blood reflecting the experience. By removing the image, Instagram fuelled a discourse surrounding menstruation. They made it so that porn is allowed on Instagram, but not the reference of vaginas during menstruation. It represents vaginas on their periods as “the other” (Hall, 1992:205).
As a pair, the women share a common goal. Much like Lili Murphy-Johnson, Rupi Kaur posted the photo in order to raise awareness. She highlighted how periods “help make humankind possible” but is seen as “a burden. As if [the process of menstruation] is less natural than breathing” (Rupi Kaur, 2015). In recent years it has been an common occurrence for people to battle the stigma attached to menstruation. “Women can use menstrual discourse to resist hegemonic structures of shame and fear by using dialogue to create positive emotions about menstruation” (Marvan, M.L., & Molina,
2012). Women are challenging the unfair discourse around the medical and completely natural event of menstruation. This battle is also seen in areas elsewhere, such as advertisements which still have trouble removing the censorship of periods.
The censorship of periods is deeply exemplified through the advertisements of sanitary products. It is not uncommon to come across an advertisement for pads that depict women as joyful models in beautiful settings, with big smiles on their faces. This is an image that is more attractive than the more common experience of women menstruating. It is a patriarchal representation of women. It caters to the male gaze where women are “passive” and are “[objects] to be looked at… filmed in a soft focus” (Mulvey, 1989: p19). In reality, periods are uncomfortable, sometimes painful and an annoyance. The advertisements contribute to the censoring of menstruation in the media as they do not reflect the real experience of women on their periods. They simply shine a rose tinted light on the affair so that it is a more comfortable viewing experience for male viewers. This is extremely anti-feminist as it is an advertisement unarguably directed to women that is being created in order to satisfy the male populace. Sanitary towel advertisements catalyse “female ‘vulnerability’ in discourses of ‘protection’ in ways that a branded product is portrayed as ‘rescuing’ menstruating women by helping them conceal the ‘shame’ and embarrassments’ of blood, and even the very biological fact of menstruation” (Luke, 1997).
Advertisements have recently released commercials with less sexist presentations; such as that of the Heather Watson ‘Always’ advertisements. These adverts focus on the feminist approach with phrases such as “some people think being a woman means only soft and delicate. But watch me put up a fight when I need to” (Always, 2018). In terms of semiotics, at a denotative level, Heather Watson is a woman playing tennis; but looking closer, at a connotative level, she is a pretty woman, wearing white clothes and makeup, whilst on her period and she is still able to play tennis. The point of the advertisement is to show that women can do anything, even whilst menstruating. This narrative fights the idea of women having to be saved, as suggested previously by Luke. Heather Watson is shown to be self-sufficient whilst menstruating and able to do what she would do when not on her period just as well. However, despite this step forward for these advertisers when it comes to feminist values, it is far from perfect. Heather is wearing a full face of makeup, her hair is blowing seductively in the wind and her movements are done in slow-motion (with one moment revealing her rear.) The advert is praised for its progressive stance, but there is no doubt that it still attempts to attract the male gaze. There is no tangible reason this sportswoman must be portrayed as seductive, ergo the commercial still needlessly caters to men.
There is also the trend of sanitary product advertisements centring their narrative around sport, as seen in the Heather Watson commercial. It portrays the impression that women can engage in sport in spite of the barriers, the pains and mess that menstruation can create. Though this is a clever selling point for the products, it is not totally representative of the everyday woman’s experience with periods. Most women are not Olympic athletes and only twenty-five per cent of women actually involve themselves in sport (RTE, 2018). This shows how unrepresentative these adverts really are when it comes to women on their periods and it further censors the true experience. Of course, women play sport despite their periods, but not often enough for adverts to portray this experience so often. It further perpetuates the male gaze issue in these advertisements too when expert sportswomen like Heather are filmed in such a lewd manner. If they were filmed in their element, it may be less offensive, but as has been said previously, her rear was shown in slow-motion.
It seems evident that this image of a woman’s rear is only acceptable as long as it does not have blood on it (as shown by the fact that Rupi Kaur’s Instagram post was deemed inappropriate.) This further proves the notion that periods are censored as we are not afraid to show a woman’s buttocks in the mainstream media, but we cannot show it if it represents the medical experience that is menstruation. This again, perpetuates the male gaze and its influence on advertisements that should cater to women.
In retaliation to advertisements such as these, a Youtube personality named Emma Blackery, created a video highlighting the disparity between what advertisers portray, and what the average woman experiences. She portrays the pains one can often feel during their period, she vividly depicts the blood from periods and also, makes a humorous comment on the fact that adverts seem to use blue liquid instead of the signature red of blood to show how the pad works (Emma Blackery, 2015).
More recently an advertisement has been released by ‘THIS GIRL CAN’ which includes participants from several different races and body types. It includes non-sexualised themes where women are wearing very little, such as swimming costumes. It also shows a woman being lowered into a swimming pool in a chair. When looking at the semiotics of this, at a denotative level, she is just a woman swimming but at a connotative level, it suggests she is not an expert swimmer but can engage in sport on her period nonetheless (in contrast to the Heather Watson portrayal where it was an Olympic athlete). The advertisement showcases a woman in bed with menstrual cramps; an assortment of women in different situations, such as looking after their child, spending time with friends and women of all ages and capabilities playing amateur sport and exercise. At one point it even shows a woman’s tampon string hanging from her underwear. None of it is sexualised, the song in the background is empowering and though it does not specifically show a woman bleeding into a pad, it sufficiently portrays the experience of periods whilst also bringing in feminist themes of ‘This Girl Can’ (This Girl Can, 2020). The commercial does not censor periods of the painful experience of some women during their menstruation. The commercial also battles the previously mentioned stigma of this sense that women need “rescuing” from periods as these women come across as totally independent and unimpeded by their menstruation.
There is a strange phenomenon where advertisers use blue liquid on pads in their commercials. The blue liquid does contribute to the censorship of the experience of menstruation. Sanitary product companies have a tendency to use a mysterious blue liquid, in lieu of blood, in order to present to an audience how effective their products are. They will pour this substance on pads to show how well period blood is absorbed but they will never use the colour red. Advertisers are known to utilise the colour blue to “promote products and services related to cleanliness” (Frankwbaker, 2006). Though this is a known trend carried through in many advertisements, not just those relating to sanitary products, it stigmatises the fact that women bleed. The colour subconsciously creates a semiotic image of cleanliness for viewers, but the sheer fact that the blue is replacing the role of blood is puzzling. This would contribute to the shame and disgust women inherently feel from menstruating as the colour red, which everyone knows blood is, is considered too inappropriate to present. It helps to “conceal the shame and embarrassment of blood, and even the very biological fact of menstruation” (Luke, 1997). If one cannot even acknowledge the existence of blood in the process of menstruation, then there is a level of censorship still at hand. It also contributes to the discourse around menstruation as the audience is subconsciously being conditioned to find blood too ghastly to behold. Blue is the alternative that is more comfortable and the red of blood must be “othered” (Hall, 1992:205).
Literature is also not a safe place from the censorship of menstruation. Adolescence is the time where girls are most likely to begin their periods (around the age of twelve). In spite of this, literature made for young adults is rife with the suppression of the such themes. Many of these books explore extremely difficult and emotional topics such as violence, racism and rape – especially when it comes to the literature taught in education. Such books include Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. This inspiring book involves anti-Semitism, Nazism and the Holocaust. It is a series of diary entries from a Jewish girl experiencing World War Two in Amsterdam. Alongside this, she is also experiencing growing up. Though the book tackles sensitive themes like the aforementioned Holocaust, in many instances, editors censor “the author’s discussion of menstruation” (Pokorny-Golden, C, 2015). This suggests that periods are to be considered more adult rated and inappropriate for younger readers than murder, racism and labour camps.
In 1947, the publisher at the time asked that Otto Frank, Anne’s father to cut from the book any mentions of Anne’s sexuality for fear of “offending” old-fashioned readers. As the years went on, and attitudes evolved, the book became less and less censored. As extracts came to light over time, some complained that it was “pornographic.” However, upon actually reading them, it is clear that Anne Frank is discussing her vagina in “medical terms with regard to what is ‘going on’ with her body.” This is also reflected in her description of her experience with menstruation. Anne describes her feeling of “the pain, unpleasantness, and nastiness” (Frank, A. 1952). There is an innocence to it and a distinct lack of improperness. It is a simple description of Anne’s feelings towards her menstruation. Despite this, it is considered improper and too far for young readers to consume. By not including the extract, there is a discourse being created by editors that fuels the “otherness” of periods (Hall, 1992:205). Anne Frank’s diary is a window into the brutal life of a young Jew during the holocaust, but God forbid she speaks about periods too. That is too much. It is an uncomfortable topic for some (namely men) and as a result, has been omitted from texts such as this diary.
The media has a clear bias against presenting menstruation in their content; weather that be in advertisements, books or on social media platforms. From a feminist perspective this is unsurprising considering the media is run by a male majority. “The leadership of the 100 largest international media corporations is dominated by men. Thirty corporations have no women whatsoever in their top management” (Nordicom, 2018). With women who experience menstruation not having any significant amount of power in the world of the media, it is unsurprising that experiences such as periods are lacking in representation. In 1978, a women’s rights activist named Gloria Steinem wrote that if men could menstruate, periods would “become an enviable, worthy, masculine event” (Steinem, 1978). Through the lack of representation and the sheer amount of censorship of the biological act of menstruation, a discourse is inevitably formed that dictates that periods are to be a subject one does not discuss. It is something too shameful and inappropriate to show, even in advertisements for products directly made for periods.
In conclusion, there is an innate and institutional silence upheld in the media when it comes to periods. One must not be graphic, must refrain from mentioning or depicting blood and must avoid brining up menstruation all together if they can. As time goes on, improvements have been made. Etsy removed the suspension of Lili Murphy-Johnson’s products (only after some backlash), advertisements are beginning to use red liquid to represent blood, rather than blue and are also becoming more inclusive. However, censorship remains and menstruation is still taboo in society as a result of it. Through the examples shown in this essay I have revealed how this is the case and how it fuels a discourse that is biased against menstruation.
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