This presentation was delivered live over zoom on December 4th 2020 at our annual academic symposium. Edie was a third-year student at Ikon at the time of recording. This talk is the result of her personal final research project.
ABSTRACT:
Apparently it is ungraceful of me to mention my period in public, however I bleed each month to help make humankind a possibility. The majority of people are comfortable with the 'pornification' of women, the sexualisation of women, the violence and segregation of women. And while they don’t express their disgust about all that, some may be angered and bothered by the topic I have chosen for my talk. I menstruate and they see it as dirty, as if it’s not a bridge between worlds, a labour, a love, a selfless and strikingly beautiful process. I want to live in a world where people who bleed feel at home in their bodies and in their communities; no matter what cultural or religious ideals influence them. Primitive societies have made the threat of menstrual pollution as concrete as possible, whether it be a belief in an evil spirit, a strict domestic and social conduct or a fear and reverence for something they do not understand. When we take a look around the globe at the ancient, and not so ancient, beliefs around menstruation we can see the damaging effects of menstrual stigma and taboo. When we bring education and awareness into our households, schools, workplaces and society, we will make progress towards a society that accepts menstruation as the natural and essential function that it is. Shame has been termed the “master emotion of everyday life” however shame cannot live in the light, so let’s shed some light on this topic and combat menstrual shame.
Edie Bartley, Bachelor of Arts Psychotherapy