10 Ridiculously Sexist Myths About Periods That Made Me Roll My Eyes So Hard, I Saw My Brain
It's the 21st century, and somehow, periods are still being treated as a taboo subject. From the ideas that surround tampons and "virginity" to period blood being seen as "dirty," there is so much false information and stigma associated with a completely natural process. Throughout history, harmful myths and superstitions involving periods have negatively impacted the lives of those who menstruate...
So, the other day, talking to a friend about a story my great-grandmother used to tell — that when she and her sister were teenagers in the 1930s-40s, their mother would boil rusty nails and have them drink the water to prevent period-induced anemia — made me want to research other odd rituals, myths, or superstitions surrounding menstruation throughout history. And honestly? I was NOT expecting some of these. Without further ado, here are 10 of the most bizarre myths and superstitions about that "time of the month":
1.A baby conceived during menstruation will be born a monster:
According to the book The Curse: A Cultural History of Menstruation, this myth originated in Ancient Rome. Although it is mainly credited as a French belief, the Romans took hold of the theory because they attributed the deformity of their mythological deity, Vulcan, to his parents conceiving him while his mother, Juno, was on her period.
The French later wrote that a child conceived during menstruation would be "puny, languid, and moribund, subject to an infinity of fetid maladies, foul and stinking as a result of the matter from which it was conceived." The writing continued to list that the future child would be subject to a multitude of diseases and "entirely unskilled to do anything good."
2.Period blood could cause — or cure — leprosy, depending on who you asked:
In Medieval times, there were contrasting opinions on period blood and leprosy. Many people thought that if a man and woman had sex while the woman was menstruating, she would transmit leprosy to the man — even if she had no prior history of the disease. It was also believed that if a child were conceived from this encounter, the infant, in turn, would be born with leprosy.
However, a 12th-century nun, Hildegard of Bingen, instead argued that period blood could be used as a cure for leprosy. Like most people of the time, Hildegard still believed that leprosy was caused by lust or intemperance but that an afflicted person could be cured by washing in the "nourishing properties of menstrual blood … as much as he can get."
3.Have a heavy flow? Try some burnt toads!
You read that right; it's toads, not toast...In Medieval Europe, pain relief was not allowed for those on their periods because the Church wanted cramping to be a reminder of the curse of pain inflicted due to Eve's Original Sin.
However, one homemade remedy was to find a toad and burn it to ash in a pot. Then, transfer the ashes to a pouch and wear it near one's vagina to stem a heavy flow.
(I think I'll stick to Tylenol...)
4.Periods were also completely evil:
While this might sound true if you've ever started a period while wearing white pants, society used to believe menstruation was evil in a completely different way.
In the 13th century, Albertus Magnus, a German scientist and philosopher, wrote a book called De Secretis Mulierum (Women’s Secrets), which focused on the "retention of the menses" and the calamities that could arise from such a scenario. One of his beliefs was that those nearing menopause were toxic because they had had so many periods in their lifetime. Simply put, more periods = more poison. It was thought that menopausal individuals were so venomous they could kill a child simply by looking at them.
5.Cramps were viewed as a rejection of femininity:
Until the past few decades, complaints of period cramps could get one sent directly to a psychiatrist, as cramps were viewed as a rejection of one's natural femininity.
As feminist historians Rosalyn Baxandall and Linda Gordon note in their book Dear Sisters: Dispatches From The Women’s Liberation Movement, the belief at the time was “The adult woman who presents [dysmenorrhea] very often is resentful of the feminine role. Each period reminds her of the unpleasant fact that she is a woman.”
6.The National Park Service blamed bear attacks on period blood:
On August 13, 1967, two women were killed by grizzly bears in Glacier National Park. The tragic incident was later blamed on the fact that one of the women was menstruating, and the other woman, while not on her period, was carrying tampons. (However, the fact that the grizzly had previously tried to invade a camp comprised only of men was overlooked.)
The National Park Service (NPS) continued pinpointing the "odor" of menstrual blood as a cause of bear attacks. Even going so far as to tell those who menstruate to avoid bear country while on their periods in a 1981 pamphlet.
In the late 1980s, scientists began to debunk the long-held theory of menstruation-based bear attacks. After reviewing hundreds of grizzly bear attacks, including the 1967 Glacier National Park tragedy, research found no evidence that menstruation was a factor.
7.Periods were a punishment for being lazy:
The ancient Greek physician, surgeon, and philosopher Galen believed that periods were, in essence, a punishment for laziness.
In the second century CE, he wrote: "I imagine that the female sex, inasmuch, as they heap up a great quantity of humours, by living continually at home, and not being used to hard labour, or exposed to the sun, should receive a discharge of this fullness, as a remedy given by nature."
Galen's ideas also harkened back to the theory that housework was not "hard work" because it was considered a woman's domain.
8.For a brief period (pun fully intended) of time, menstruation was deemed unnatural:
According to the book Under Wraps: A History of Menstrual Hygiene Technology, in 1875, Dr. A.F.A. King, an obstetrician, deemed "in the strictest sense of the word, therefore, menstruation is a disease; it is not merely a psychological process, but also a departure from nature."
He reasoned that a menstruating person's natural state was pregnancy, so if one wasn't pregnant, they were doing something wrong. King argued that "menstruation is the result of an interference with nature" and that if the uterus was not functioning for its intended purpose (aka growing babies), it became prone to decay and disease. King viewed procreation as "the most natural and only strictly natural course for the female economy to pursue." If menstruating people followed this "law," then they would be free from the perils of a cycle.
9.Period blood as a love charm?
Menstruation has long been associated with special abilities and witchcraft. Many cultures used to believe one of the uses of period blood was its ability to create love "potions" or "charms." It was said that adding a drop of menstrual blood into a crush or partner's food would ensure that they would fall madly in love with and devote their life to the "spellcaster."
In fact, as recently as 2009, a maid in Hong Kong was charged after being discovered mixing her menstrual blood into her boss's soup in an effort to improve their relationship.
Ancient Roman author and naturalist Pliny the Elder (more on him in a moment) also reported accounts of husbands mixing menstrual blood into their wives' food to ensure her fidelity.
10.And also, according to Pliny the Elder, periods ruined, well everything...
Ol' Pliny believed that people who menstruate had mystical, and sometimes dangerous, powers that could influence nature. He wrote that menstruation “is productive of the most monstrous effects."
Some of Pliny's other theories about menstruation included the ability to make fruit fall from trees, turn dogs rabid, sterilize seeds, change the course of destructive weather such as hailstorms and lightning (pretty useful, if you ask me), kill entire bee colonies, "dim the brightness of mirrors, blunt the edge of steel, and take away the polish from ivory.”
Which one of these menstrual myths did you find most bizarre? Do you know of any other strange period superstitions? Let us know in the comments!
