Language is constantly changing. This shows in the way we talk about periods menstruation. The word menstruation comes from mensis – Latin for month. A beautiful term you’d think. Yet we try to avoid this noun and the supporting verb in any way we can. Worldwide, about 5,000 euphemisms have been documented.
The discomfort surrounding menstruation – actually around everything related to the reproductive cycle – is enormous. Shame and contempt are the norm. Hysteria, for example, comes from the Greek word for womb (hystera). In the Dutch language ‘pubic hair’ is called ‘schaamhaar’ (literal translation: shame hair). Words such as sanitary towels or bandages refer to a medical condition. Which in itself makes sense, because there’s blood involved. The term menstrual hygiene may indicate that menstruating women are impure. We should know better by now.
Hush-hush in all languages
Tracking your menstrual cycle and discussing the impact of hormones on your wellbeing is really hip these days. It used to be a different kind of story though. Because of the influence of those hormones, women were excluded from all kinds of professions, for starters. The fact that you were able to bleed for five days and still didn’t die, was highly suspicious. Menstrual blood was seen as highly toxic. Reason to banish you from work, school, temple, church, kitchen, stable, etc.
Therefore, the best thing you could do was not discuss the subject at all. Society kept silent too. For a long time, advertisements and packaging for menstrual products didn’t even mention the word menstruation. Which made shopping for menstrual products rather difficult. Luckily, in 1928 Johnson & Johnson (o.b.) came up with a solution: a magazine ad in the American Ladies Home Journal with coupons that you could silently hand over to a shop assistant.
Red see, red dress, red bike…
Loads of euphemisms refer to (not so) ancient menstrual taboos. In almost all cultures/languages there’s an aunt or grandmother who comes to visit. Aunt Flow sounds familiar? The Chinese don’t have one single aunt, but an entire family over for tea. In the Netherlands, ‘the womb cries’ is an example of a euphemism from a religious angle, from the time when the pastor came to inquire whether things were going okay with the expansion of the family. Same goes for Eve’s Curse or just The Curse. If Eve hadn’t taken a bite of that apple in Paradise, womankind wouldn’t have been punished with labour pains and menstrual complaints.
Other universal similarities are references to a certain regularity, the moon, and, of course, to the color red. The red flag is out, the tomato soup in on the boil, the red Ferrari is parked outside, it’s code red. Germans have a strawberry week. Surinamese talk about the red sea. In Latin America you wear a red dress and in Australia you ride a red bike. In Japan people speak of hinomaru (also the name of the Japanese flag with that big red dot) or Anne no hi (a reference to Anne Frank who writes about menstruation in her diaries).
Period is also a euphemism
The French say the English have landed (a reference to World War II). In the Netherlands during the Cold War, the Russians were in the country. In Denmark there are communists in the theatre. In Kenya it rains. Moontime is a well known synonym in all languages. Euphemisms from the United States: shark week, arts and crafts week, on the rag (‘rag’ means piece of cloth), having ketchup with your steak, riding the red tide, visiting the red planet and … period.
Menstrual magazine Period! is called Period! because period is the most commonly used euphemism for menstruation in the English language. Period also indicates the punctuation mark ‘dot’, which indicates the end of the sentence. The end of menstrual shame, we thought at Period! Funnily enough, the term period has become so widely accepted that there are now taboo-breaking actions with hashtags such as ‘just say period’ and ‘let’s call periods, periods.’ Let’s pop the question here now: schouldn’t this be #justsaymenstruation?
Don’t say period in Florida
Menstrual shame is of all times. That includes this time. In many cultures, menstruation is still an enormous taboo. Nope, not only in developing areas where curious menstrual myths reign. Just look at the recent ‘don’t say period’ bill in Florida. The words period and menstruation don’t appear in the bill, but there are no misunderstandings about the intention. This bill aims to prevent children from learning about sexuality and menstruation or the reproductive cycle at primary school. Tragic for all those children who already have their first period at age 9.
Yuk: menstrual hygiene
You may have already noticed: the word ‘hygiene products’ is nowadays a taboo as well. Companies that communicate this term – for example above the aisle with sanitary towels/tampons/menstrual cups or in advertisements – can count on mocking comments on social media. Even the first global event to challenge the menstrual taboo – Menstrual Hygiene Day – has been criticised. The name, according to the critics, should have been Menstrual Health Day.
What’s actually meant with the words ‘menstrual health’? Not feeling any period pain? Having a regular cycle? Not suffering from diseases like PMS or PCOS? Changing your tampon every 4 to 8 hours? Having access to menstrual products? It obviously has to do with menstruation and with health, but without a unified definition these words are left open to interpretation. Which could lead to confusion or misunderstanding. Not anymore: since 2021, the term ‘menstrual health’ has a formal definition.
The Global Menstrual Collective has defined menstrual health as: ‘A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in relation to the menstrual cycle’. Read more about why this terminology is important for menstrual equity, policy, practice and research here.
Women Humans menstruate
Hygiene isn’t the only modern period taboo word. The phrase ‘women who menstruate’ is too. Because there are obviously also non-binary people and trans men who menstruate, so ‘women’ therefore isn’t gender-neutral. People who menstruate then, if you don’t want to exclude anyone? Menstuating humans? Menstruants? Women+ is a nice find. Uterine owners sounds a bit contrived. Period! Magazine put the genderneutral term ‘menstruators’ in the editorial style book about ten years ago. Back then, the subject of menstruating trans men was still the superlative of taboo – you hardly read anything about it.
Times are changing. Yet gender-neutral menstrual language still manages to heat things up. J.K. Rowling – the British Harry Potter author – faced threats and boycotts after she made a joke about ‘people who menstruate’ on Twitter in 2020. According to her, there was a shorter definition for that (‘women’). Menstrual product manufacturers that create inclusive advertising campaigns are regularly pilloried. Companies that don’t do this are so too. Period! regularly receives angry letters or reactions because we write too much/too little* inclusive about menstruation. (*make your choice).
Menstrual language matters. That will be clear. The good news in this language story: nowadays, the term ‘the party week’ is used considerably more often.
Also read:
Menstruation in literature
Menstruation in advertisements
Menstruation in quotes
Menstruation in films
Menstruation in music
Period! is an independent, online magazine about all aspects of menstruation. Period! is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. If you’re suffering from medical complaints, always visit your doctor or GP. Editorial articles can contain affiliate links. Sponsored collaborations can be found in the category Spotlight. Do you have any questions? Check our contact page.
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