I first encountered anything related to menstruation when I was in elementary school. One day, after school, the teacher called all the girls outside. She seemed impatient, and as we girls walked out, curious, the boys peeked out from the windows. The teacher handed each of us a small black plastic bag from a box without saying much else. I remember the bag being really small. When I opened it, there was just a small sanitary pad with the brand name "xx Pad"—nothing else.

We all whispered to each other, occasionally glancing at one girl. She quickly threw the bag to the person next to her, ran to the bathroom, and started crying. This girl, whom everyone called "Big Sis," had developed earlier than most of us. In fact, it wasn’t the teasing from the boys that embarrassed her—it was the girls’ mocking stares. From that day forward, whenever she headed toward the bathroom, the girls would secretly watch her. She’d put one hand tightly in her pocket, and the other would swing awkwardly as she walked. I asked one of my classmates what was going on, and they told me, “She got her period.” Confused, I asked, "What?" and my classmate leaned in and said, “You know, her ‘time of the month,’ when there’s bleeding.”

To me, menstruation was just a normal biological process that happens at a certain age. My mom had taught me how to use a sanitary pad long before, so it didn’t seem strange. But seeing my classmate’s weird walk and hearing the whispers made me realize how society viewed menstruation—like it wasn’t a natural process, but something shameful. Looking back, I can now compare the girl's embarrassment to the feeling of having your skirt caught in your underwear in public.

Words like “development,” “underwear outlines,” and “menstruation” flooded our minds, associating these things with maturity in women.

The Truth About Menstruation: Societal Stigma

The famous Chinese writer Lu Xun once said, “People instantly associate bare arms with nudity, and from there, thoughts move quickly to sexuality and reproduction.” Despite advancements in technology, it seems the younger generation still struggles to understand menstruation scientifically and openly. In fact, misinformation online often distorts people’s views, fueling the stigma around something natural.

Because of our shared extracurricular activities, I became closer to Big Sis. Not long after the incident, she hurriedly asked me, “Did you bring a sanitary pad?” It took me a moment to realize she meant the pads my mom had always talked about. I handed her one from my bag without thinking about the other students around us. She quickly snatched it from me, hid it inside her oversized school uniform sleeve, and scurried off. That was one of the few times she didn’t thank me.

But I couldn’t understand why something so normal had to be hidden.

A few years later, I got my period too. Every month, I would take a pad out of my bag, put it in my pocket, or even hold it in my hand. A few close friends would help me by covering it with their bodies, and I’d proudly say that I wanted to go to the restroom without any shame. They’d just laugh and stay silent.

When I stepped outside my friends' "protective circle," nothing happened. No one noticed or made fun of me. But when I crossed paths with my teacher, she glanced at the sanitary pad in my hand and said, “Come to my office after school.”

The office was air-conditioned but still felt uncomfortably hot. We stared at each other awkwardly. She frowned and doodled absentmindedly with her red pen. A minute passed, and then she asked in a low voice, “Did you get your period?” I nodded. She then sighed and said, “Girls need to take better care of themselves. You can’t be so reckless.”

That comment stuck with me. In the days that followed, whenever I reached into my bag, even if I wasn’t looking for a sanitary pad, I felt a weight on my back, like an invisible hand pressing against me, reminding me to be cautious, as if I were doing something wrong.

My Early School Years: Menstrual Shame and the Sanitary Pad

My elementary school memories are mostly tied to the shame of menstruation and the small sanitary pads I had to hide.

My connection with Big Sis ended after elementary school, but throughout middle and high school, I met many girls who were just like her. They were careful and cautious, always slipping their sanitary pads into their pockets and sneaking off to the restroom by themselves.

In high school, I left that teacher behind and embraced a more “reckless” attitude, not ashamed of something natural.

The Reality of Menstruation in Adulthood: Growing Up

Once, during a history exam, I didn’t notice my period had started until I stretched after finishing the test. A girl came rushing up behind me in shock, saying, “You got your period on your pants!” I turned around and saw a red stain on my chair. Panicking, I looked around for paper, but since we were in a different classroom, I couldn’t find any tissues. As I searched, a boy I had known since middle school was quietly wiping the blood off the chair with a tissue. He wasn’t rude or excited—he just bent over and cleaned it up without making a fuss.

I thanked him later on WeChat, and he simply replied, “It’s nothing.” I jokingly replied, “The world has really changed, huh?”

This incident made me think of Big Sis, of menstruation, and of the shame I had experienced. Growing up, I always thought women would be supportive of each other, understanding the monthly struggle. But men? They were usually awkward, crude, seeing sanitary pads as reminders of childbirth or other uncomfortable things.

When I pulled out a sanitary pad in elementary school, everyone laughed. In middle school, the girls would rush to hide it, while the boys pretended not to see. By high school, the girls would look at it and whisper, “Put it away!” while the boys still pretended not to notice, though they’d blush.

Breaking Free from the Shame

As children, we treated menstruation like a joke. As we grew older, the boys became more respectful, but the girls couldn’t reconcile with their own bodies. They feared mockery, so they hid their pads in black plastic bags, imagining the world was harsh. They’d even tear the bags open to peek at the truth, only to hide again in new bags.

But we need to believe that they’re growing. And we must grow too.

Conclusion

The shame surrounding menstruation is more than just a personal discomfort—it’s a societal issue, deeply embedded in our culture. Even as we progress in technology and information, many still feel uncomfortable discussing menstruation openly. It’s time to change that. Menstruation is natural, and we should break the taboos and speak about it without fear.

For the sake of the next generation, we need to create a world where menstruation is normalized, not hidden or shamed. It’s time for all of us to grow and embrace a more open, supportive, and scientifically-informed perspective.

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