Being Ashamed Of Natural Processes

[Lace Neil Singer]

As mentioned before, I first got mine at eleven. I'd already had the periods talk with my mum, who'd already bought me a starter pack (with pads, advice booklet etc) for me to keep in my knicker drawer. There was never any embarrassment factor, due to the fact that my mum had talked things over with me; my main issue was with the extremely heavy bleeds and bad period pains. -.-

For the record, I'd never say it was my period that was keeping me off work; not out of embarrassment, but cuz a lot of people, both men and women, have the opinion that a period isn't something that is going to stop you doing anything and anyone who says otherwise is either being a woobie or making a huge fuss about nothing. -.- Then again, all I get now is a bleed in between pill packets with some PMS and period pain; nothing bad enough to keep me off work.

[Amanita]

Here's something I would like the ladies here to have a look at. I found this on a Pagan website.
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.htm...words&id=11429

It's an essay by a Wiccan woman about menstruation. While I sympathize with her bad experiences as a girl, in regards to the shame associated with buying and using pads and the like, she completely loses me in the essay's second half.
She has nothing but harsh words and condemnation for any woman who doesn't celebrate their period, or for those whose periods are problematic in any way.
Her one-size-fits-all solution? Exercise. Seriously. She claims that no fitness instructors suffer from painful periods, and that if we don't exercise as she says we should, we are breaking the Wiccan Rede.

She also makes NO mention whatsoever about endometriosis or PCOS, or other disorders which cause painful or heavy periods, no suggestion that ladies suffering from excessive cramps or bleeding go get themselves checked out to rule out anything serious. No, just exercise more, or else!
Gah. Never mind that there are ladies out there fit enough to run the NY Marathon, who still suffer from painful cramps and bleeding.

[RavenStarr]

She has nothing but harsh words and condemnation for any woman who doesn't celebrate their period, or for those whose periods are problematic in any way.


.

I wonder what she would say to women who's had a complete hysterectomy. Or women facing menopause for that matter.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Never mind that; I want to know what they'd say, and do, to her. O_o My guess is that it wouldn't be pretty.

[RavenStarr]

Also, it says she loves the color of menstruel blood so much, she uses it in paintings Gross I need the throwup smiley, brain bleach or something. GAH!!!!

[the_std]

Okay, why is it gross to paint with menstrual blood?

[Rapscallion]

Stem cells, dude. Plenty of stem cells in endometrium.

Probably. I've heard people objecting to stem cell experiments, so...

Rapscallion

[Lace Neil Singer]

Okay, why is it gross to paint with menstrual blood?

Painting with any bodily fluid is gross, whether it's menstrual blood, semen, shit, piss... anyway, even taking out the grossness factor, wouldn't it smell? O_o

[blas87]

Blood is a biohazard.

There's accepting being a woman and menstruating, but painting with your blood is just messed up and crazy. Sorry, if I knew of someone doing that, I would hope someone would commit them before they found other "natural" things to paint with and get someone very sick.

[Hobbs]

Blood is a biohazard.

There's accepting being a woman and menstruating, but painting with your blood is just messed up and crazy. Sorry, if I knew of someone doing that, I would hope someone would commit them before they found other "natural" things to paint with and get someone very sick.

I read somewhere that an "artist" used poo and piss for their "art." It was, literally, shitty art.

[the_std]

Painting with your own blood, collected in a completely non-painful and safe manner, is worth being committed? How? And how is painting with blood a biohazard? Are you expecting people to be rubbing their faces on the canvas? Most art, especially visual art, is something people don't touch. Cadmium, which is a component in a lot of acrylic paints (especially in the red-yellow spectrum) is also a toxin. But it's only toxic if you touch it, lick it, ingest it somehow. Dried blood on a canvas is completely safe. And it's only likely to smell when it's still wet. Dried blood has little odour. So I still don't understand what's so wrong about it. I personally happen to think that dried blood has a cool colour and it adds meaning to a painting. It's personal. It's like adding a dead pet's ashes into your paint to make them a part of a memorial or some such. I also think the same thing of any other safe bodily fluid, like semen or urine. As long as you're not sticking your face in it, there's no problem.

So what's the problem with it, other than an instinctual ick factor?

[RavenStarr]

But the difference between ashes,and blood , shit and piss is that ashes don't come out of your ass or vagina.

If it comes out of your ass, mouth or vagina it shouldn't go on paper. I wonder what Doctors would say about painting with bodily fluids.

[the_std]

But why? Do you have a reason besides "I say so"?

[Lace Neil Singer]

Aren't hygiene reasons enough?

[the_std]

But there are no hygiene reasons unless people are going to be licking your paintings. People don't lick paintings. How is there a hygiene reason?