The “P” word. Period.

A word that has become taboo in today’s society for many different reasons.

Males at school were surveyed on how they felt about periods and as it turns out, it’s a touchy subject for many of them to talk about.
It was concluded that the reason men feel this way is, because they can’t experience it for them for themselves.

“It doesn’t really affect all the population, even though it affects half of it,” sophomore Isaac Arias said. “I think the other half of it is, it just isn’t comfortable with the lack of knowledge they [guys] have about it.”

According to The Independent, in ancient Greece, the people used the blood from a woman’s period as medicine and fertilizer, but things started to become taboo when the Bible came along.

This is outlined in Leviticus 15:19-33. “And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.” (Leviticus 15:19 King James version).

While there are several versions of the bible, most of them include a verse similarly worded. The verse continues to explain that pretty much anything to deal with a woman while she is on her period is dirty.

“I completely disagree with that because they’re disrespecting our bodies and we have no control over it,” freshman Macy Hutfless said.

While religious doctrine hasn’t spoken kindly about the menstrual cycle, some believe that other types of literature can help change the stigma it created.

“Newspaper articles, blogs and stuff just telling people that they aren’t as bad as they may seem [would help],” freshman Natalie Besta said.

However, with only three male students, out of 30 surveyed, saying they have been taught about what exactly a period is, 40 percent of them said they felt uncomfortable talking about periods.

“They [guys] see blood,” senior Miguel Silva said. “They don’t know what to do and they freak out.”

The taboo ideology of periods not only affects school-aged males, but some girls who live in a single-parent family with their dad also note a problem.

“It’s just harder for girls to learn and actually gain some sense about what’s going on in their body because they don’t have a mom to tell them what’s going on and what’s normal,” junior Jazmine Howard said.

However, the stigma doesn’t sit will with all guys. Some like junior Marvin Chaparro-Mendez don’t find a woman’s menstrual cycle disturbing.

“If she [my girlfriend] doesn’t have any money or she doesn’t have time to get her own, and she can’t get one of her friends to get them for her, then maybe I can help her out by getting tampons for her,” Chaparro-Mendez said.

Continued education about periods is the solution to end the taboo according to students.

“Educating people more in health class would help a lot more,” sophomore Owen Kaminski said.