Book Reviewed - Periods Gone Public: Taking a Stand for Menstrual Equity, by Jennifer Weiss-Wolf

The wisdom of menstrual activism

This book is too focused on modern day activists and emphasize the menstrual needs of a woman such as tampon tax repeal, enacting new laws for affordable and safe products for women going through menstrual cycle. Popular figures, actors, singers, and athletes have spoken openly about menstruation that helped to bring the attention of women and the media. Social media trending and activism was evident when comedienne Sarah Silverman tweeted, crime scene in your pants, can a man handle that? The author says that the menstrual movement is a collective accomplishment. They have seen a support for menstruation through a colorful array of music, poetry, visual art, recreation, athletic displays, media trends and pop culture moments. Menstrual activist Kiran Gandhi ran London Marathon while “free bleeding” with blood stained tights. The photo went viral with the title “Going with the flow: blood and sisterhood at the London Marathon.” 'Happy to Bleed' is another counter-campaign launched against menstrual taboos in Facebook page of #HappyToBleed.

Chandra Bozelko, a former inmate of Connecticut women’s correctional facilities and later became an activist for women in prisons has worked with law-makers to enact laws to better the lives of less fortunate women in a prison systems. Bozelko observes that prisons are called the new asylums and house more mentally ill people than hospitals do. But this is not the first time we have heard about such cruelty. The life of Hollywood actress Frances Farmer (1913-1970) serves as glowing example for the abuse of women’s rights in state-run facilities for mentally challenged. Farmer's posthumously published autobiography “Will There Really Be a Morning? Described brutal incarceration and denied women’s products to maintain proper hygiene. She claimed to have been abused, traumatized and mistreated. This part of the story is clearly shown in the 1982 film “Frances” starring Jessica Lange. Lange later received a nomination in the best actress category in the Academy Awards.

In early 1980s, women’s activists complained that inmates of correctional facilities do not provide enough hair products. Because prison officials do not understand the needs of such women’s products. The demands for fair treatment of women included menstrual equity since the days of suffragists’ movement. In 1912, the New York Times reported on the purported “militant hysteria” of suffragettes that highlighted women’s “physiological emergencies.” The year 1920 reached a point in the history when the 19th amendment was ratified, this granted American women the right to vote—a right known as woman suffrage.

Menstrual cycle has been widely discussed the holy scriptures of Tanakh, the Torah and the Old Testament. This is an old Hebrew tradition practiced in ancient Israel according to Leviticus 15:19-33, Genesis 31:35, Isaiah 64:6 and Ezekiel 18:5-6. They explicitly state that women are “unclean” and “impure.” The ancient Hindu scriptures such as Rig-Veda or Bhagavadgita does not mention menstruation and in fact none of the four Vedas ever state that a menstruating woman’s body is impure or that she cannot perform prayers. Many Vedic gods are female and they are spoken with veneration. The “impurity” of a women during menstrual period may have evolved in middle of medieval period. Perhaps during the post-Vedic time when Puranas were written to describe the Hindu cultural practices. A mention of menstruation may be found in Garuda Purana 15:7-10.

The author, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf works for New York’s Brennan Center for Justice that is affiliated to NYU School of Law. She could have done more research and provided the reader a historical account of activism since suffrage movement in early 1900s. But this book is largely focused on modern day activists.

Tights/pants soaked in blood is not a pretty sight for a man or a woman. Such displays as a part of feminist activism could backfire since many supporters of women’s rights may be repulsed or offended by that. Activists have lot to learn from the Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016 Presidential run. Pulling away from mainstream into extremism may do more harm than help women’s movements. Blood-soaked pants look more like crime scene photos. It could be considered vulgar. Does anyone display urine soaked panties to make a point? Women also have the right to pass urine but they don’t make a public display of it to cause awareness. Let us save that for the adult entertainment!