Woman have been bleeding in red tents, separate teepees, a hole in the woods in exile, rags, fibrous plants, tampons, and maxi pads with wings for a long time. As I stand on the subway in the morning on my long commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan, I wonder how many women on the train are menstruating. You wouldn’t know because we work very hard to hide it. Extra showering, feminine sprays, de-smellifying pads, super tampons clogging up our vaginas. A secret. Unless something leaks out.
What if we spent those three or four days every month at a menstrual lounge, a place that served coffee and tea only for menstruating women? The old red tent, with a new twist. What if we didn’t work those days, and more importantly, what if we didn’t have to worry about getting to the bathroom often enough during the workday? We already earn less on average then our non-menstruating male counterparts. Why not just skip work and go to the menstrual lounge instead?
A male colleague passed on some information he read not too long ago. He told me that according to what he read, woman work less than men on average, with the main reason being the time they take off during their periods. This can be directly linked to their lower earning power than men. So strange, that I learned this information on the very same day I was mulling over the possibility of us all creating the Menstrual Strike.
So whether we are in pain, bloated, sore, depressed, crampy, cranky, powerful, or bleeding HEAVILY and leaking through, here we are. I’m still afraid of bleeding through my clothes, but after writing this I don’t think I care as much. It just makes me realize—what’s a little menstrual blood anyway? Give us a break!
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