Let's Talk About Periods
Happy Periods😊
Well, there is a reason as to why I used the above emoji. And I guess its meaning is all displayed on your pretty face when you read the blog title. Oftentimes, many ladies embrace such a face when this subject is mentioned; and this is most prevalent among teenagers. Why? because they always feel shy talking about it. And who's to blame? Well, this is a sensitive question. And I guess you already got some answers running in your mind. I'll leave it to you to juggle on it.
Why the shyness when the talk about periods is brought to the table
Majority of girls when asked anything about menstruation, they'll most probably feel psychologically and emotionally constrained to freely talk about it. This goes to the ladies, when you first heard about periods, what was your reaction? Did you try to evade the conversation or did chip in the conversation to learn more? I bet the former took the lead. I will share some of my thoughts on this.
And I will lean more on the African lifestyle while discussing this. You see, in most African homes, children are socialized to become independent and learn to stand up for themselves from the earliest time possible. They are taught about social roles; little is taught about their biological roles and how they are supposed to play them. The boy child is taught hard jobs and labeled as the head of the family from an early age. He then learns to behave as per the label attached on in; in psychology, this is called the self-fulfilling prophecy - when one starts to behave in accordance to a label given to him by society. He's not told that he can impregnate a girl when he hits his teens age. And in occasions where he does impregnate a girl, some applaud him for being a man enough to sire- especially in native African regions.
Now to the subject matter Periods, do girls really receive enough information about menstruation while growing up? In the African context, and in pre-teenage, girls are socialized to take up feminine roles and behave as housekeepers. Parents seem not to care much about educating their daughters about menstruation until their first experience. They know little or nothing about ovulation and all menstrual stuff. Thus initiating such a conversation with them as an outsider will not be openly received by them because the first agents of socialization (family) never gave them any information about periods. And to them, they feel it's something that should be hidden and kept only to themselves.
Some dismal menstruation facts
Modernism has saved the human race through the tonnes of inventions and innovations taking place each and every day. In this regard, the credit goes to all who tried to invent sanitary pads and tampons to ensure girls' menstrual hygiene. Nonetheless, not every girl is able to access the said sanitary pads and tampons, the reason being extreme poverty. For instance in Wajir County, some girls are forced to sit on the sand all day long during their menstruation days because they lack sanitary towels to maintain their menstrual hygiene.
This situation compels them to avoid school for as long as they are receiving their periods. Sitting all day long in the scorching sun, with no one to have a conversation with. This is so disheartening for one to go through in the 21st century where such issues have got a remedy. It continues to
Others, where sitting on the sand is not an option, often get sexually exploited by "boda boda" guys in exchange for some little money to buy sanitary pads. (In Kenya boda boda guys are individuals who earn a living by ferrying people around using motorcycles; a public motorcycle is dubbed as a boda boda in Kenya). These among others are some of the setbacks towards realizing menstrual dignity.
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