In part two of Chill… It’s Just Blood, we zoom out from biology and look at the bigger picture.

If half the population menstruates, how did something so common become so stigmatized?

We explore how ancient myths, religious beliefs, and limited biological understanding shaped the way menstruation was viewed across cultures. From sacred power to ritual impurity, we unpack how those historical narratives still influence social norms today.

Then we bring it into the present.

We talk about period poverty, global gaps in menstrual education and sanitation, what the World Health Organization reports about schools worldwide, and why menstrual products are still taxed in some U.S. states. We also look at menstrual leave policies and free product initiatives in places like Spain and Scotland, and what happens when supportive policies meet workplace stigma.

We close with a true or false pop quiz and practical tips for supporting yourself or your partner during menstruation.

Because menstruation is biological. But stigma, access, and policy are social.

If we’re going to destigmatize periods, we have to understand the systems around them.

📚Resources

1. Alliance for Period Supplies
2. UN Women
3. World Health Organization
4. Smithsonian Magazine
5. Lévi-Strauss, The Origin of Table Manners
6. Sturm, Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
7. Faure, The Power of Denial: Buddhism, Purity, and Gender
8. Leviticus 15:19–30
9. Tadros, Reconstructing the Origins of the Coptic Church through its Liturgy
10. Ellis, Man and Woman
11. Dharmacari Jnanavira, A Mirror for Women?
12. Shahi, Period & Emotion

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