Point, Blank, Period: Transphobia in Mensuration Products
Menstrual care products have taken on a variety of identities as times have changed. From the rejection of actual periods through the use of thin blue liquid to show absorbency in advertisements to taking on the identity of female empowerment. Getting a period has been viewed as something not only absolutely repulsive, and should be hidden from all, but also something that women share and can find bonding through. These two identities come together with the marketing of period products as “Feminine Hygiene.” Proving that #1, the term period, or menstruation is disgusting and shall not be uttered and #2 that periods are a uniquely female experience. Periods have been branded by many exclusionary or preformative feminist movements as empowering. And if you find getting your period empowering and something that connects you to your womanhood, that is your experience, and there is no issue with that individual experience and view. The issue becomes when periods are pushed as something that all and only women experience.
That idea just isn’t true. Anybody can get a period. Women don’t always have periods, and not everyone that get a period is a woman. From a transphobic point of view that idea could be fought. But that argument would have a false basis, and holds no grounds in terms of gender identity. And considering humans made gender up, that means we also get to change what it means as a society and as individuals. That transphobic argument also holds no ground even from that transphobic point of view because not all cis women get periods. And the idea that all women should can be very damaging to women who struggle with not menstruating. Point is: bleeding profusely once a month or so does not directly tie to any identity, period.
I will acknowledge that in a world of misogyny and discrimination, finding something that ties women together is appealing, but that thing doesnt have to be periods. Because as established above, periods are not a uniquely female experience. TERFs, like JK Rowling, like to argue that women deal with so much, and taking periods away from them is cruel. But tying the complex and beautiful thing that is femininity, to menstruating, is unnecessary and almost purposely exlutionary
To untie the twisty knot that is women and periods we need to work on including transgender education in schools and period brands need to removing all “female” or “women'' marketing and labels from their products. It is unnecessary and harmful for non-women to have to use a product that is labeled as feminine, as that could be a trigger for gender dysphoria. And it is hurtful for women who don't get periods to feel like they are being excluded from this secret all women are meant to be in on.
Gendered period products contribute to gender expectations, and could be detrimental to a non-woman’s gender dysphoria. It's not hard, and it's not hurting women, let it go!
