I’m not talking about menstrual blood (not yet). I’m talking about blood that comes from a cut, scratch or some other wound. Have you ever freaked a little bit about seeing someone else’s blood, or your own? Now. Has anyone ever said to you something along the line of “don’t freak out, it’s just blood!”? Do you see where I’m going with this?
Now. Let’s talk about menstrual blood. We are expected to get all but suicidal about it. And we are considered unclean if we say something to the effect of “don’t freak out, it’s just blood.” We are considered sissies if we can’t stand the sight of blood, yet, we must live in shame about a very natural process. A cut is not natural, it is a wound, and dammit, I’ll get freaked out about blood that I’m supposed to keep inside of me if I want to, and I will not stand for anyone telling me that my natural flow is gross.
I actually have few qualms over the sight of blood, but I am still sensitive to that stupid statement “it’s just blood.” Why can I not use it? My period is not the plague, it is not contagious, it is not evil. It is just blood. Don’t freak out. And please, please do not expect me to find PMS jokes funny all the time. Especially when I am PMSing. Does it sound like a smart thing to do? I find it amusing yet sad that guys will do anything to avoid discussion about Auntie Flo unless it is derrogatory. For some reason, although menstrual-speak is completely forbidden, it is perfectly acceptable to say “don’t trust anything that bleeds for five days and won’t die.” To be perfectly honest, I find that statement to be funny, if offensive. But, I also find the following statements to be just as funny, if not funnier: “don’t trust a bone that has no bone.” “the only good man is a dead man.” “shoving glass rods up a penis and smashing them turns me on.” “fingernail clippers make castration much more interesting.” shall I go on?
Growing up, I used to be so ashamed of my period. My step-father would make faces or walk away if my mother or I would say anything about our special friends. He would bitch about used maxi pads/tampon applicators being in the trash, for chrissakes. He said it disturbed him. Where the hell are we supposed to throw away trash? In the refrigerator? You know what disturbed me about him? He would miss the toilet when he pissed late at night. I think that is a tad (read: a lot) more disturbing. As I got older, I got a bit (read: a lot) of my mother’s attitude about it. It is a natural process, so nyahhh!
I mean, come on, people. I do not bleed every 28 days because I am ill. And fellas, when your gal is bleeding, it usually is a good sign; she is not pregnant! I bleed every month because the egg released by my ovaries did not combine with a sperm to produce new life. The egg, subsequently, did not plant itself along the lining of my uterus. Therefore, all the tissue and blood that my body built up all month is no longer necessary; it is shed.
Don’t freak out, it’s just blood.
Editor’s Note:
See also the rant: If it bleeds for more than two days and lives… by Isaac S.