Me and My Menstrual Cup
BY SARAH BURACK
I made this comic about my own experience as a cisgender woman. There are many discourses surrounding periods in the United States and world wide, but I chose to focus on the story I know the best: my own.
I have been using a menstrual cup for a little over a year now, and I am very proud for what it stands for in terms of environmental waste and toxicity (of things that I put into the most vulnerable part of my body!). It has also functioned as a protest of the ‘period tax’ - the disproportionate amount of money menstruating humans spend on period related products. I also, for health reasons, like knowing the amount and consistency of my blood which is made possible by the measurement lines in the cup. It’s sort of like how it is gross to look at someone else’s snot, but you are always a little curious what it yours like. I want to acknowledge that while I see my period as a natural part of my body, there are not only women who do not menstruate, but also men and other non-women who do menstruate. While a menstrual cup has been empowering for me, the approach to menstruation in the public health sector must continue expanding to include more than just environmental and feminist discourses. |