User:KDIDIER21/sandbox

History
The Free Bleeding movement has one main focus, and that is for women to menstruate openly and without the shame (specifically from men). This movement is something that has been discussed between other women for centuries. From middle class women using nothing to stop their flows to the elites using rags, menstruation has been looked down upon for ages.

Indian Menstruation Practices
Many cultures have different approaches to this monthly experience for women, some which are celebratory and others shameful. These may differ from rituals to extreme isolation. For example, Menstruation huts, used in Balinese and Hindus in South India as well as by Rastafarian societies, serve as a “protection system” for women who are menstruating to keep them separated from their families. They believe these huts protect one, especially during their first period, from bad dreams as long as they stay awake all through the night.

These extreme forms of shame and suppress come from the same social agents as they do in many other countries and areas in the world, including media, parental sensitivity, and peers/people within the community. “In India [menstruation] is considered unclean, and young girls are restricted from participating in household and religious activities during menstruation." This sense of uncleanliness is partially due to only 12% of women being able to afford the necessary sanitation needed for periods.