I don’t remember “the talk” that was given to me when I got my period. In fact I can’t even remember if there was ever even one. I do, however, remember the one that my late Godmother said she received. It was drenched with fear-inducing language with the hope that it would deter her from interacting with boys. She was told that having her period meant that if a boy were to even simply touch her hand, she would get pregnant immediately.
As much as we would like to call ourselves progressives and liberals as it relates to our way of thinking, we simply aren’t 100% there yet. Shame over our bodies and what they go through, particularly for women, has always been felt through language and social cues. So much so that we are constantly reminded that the natural process our bodies undergo is dirty.
