Taboo

Why is sanitary pad such a taboo?

This happened a few years ago. I was working. A colleague approached me. She made small talk and then whispered to me, "do you have a that?" I could not understand what "that" meant. I asked her again. She signaled with a forming rectangular shape with her hands. I thought she was asking for printer papers. I gave her the papers, only to receive a disgusted look from her. Then she spoke, "it is that time of the month for me. I forgot at home, so I need 'that'. Do you have it?" This is when I decoded what she meant. She wanted a sanitary pad. I had one so I took it out of my bag and handed it to her.

She wided her eyes and gave me an envelope to keep the pad in it, "you are so direct. How could you take it out in front of others?" I followed her orders and kept the pad in the envelope.

I told her, "being a healthcare professional, it is sad to see that you still treat this as a radioactive material. You need to treat a biological process better". I was shocked to see that a nurse treating periods like it was a biohazard.

Yesterday, I went to a supermarket. I had brought groceries and a pack of sanitary pads. I went to the cashier. The lady cashier saw the sanitary pad and started searching for a newspaper. She screamed at her colleagues for not keeping paper at the register and the apologized to me for not being able to cover the packet of sanitary pads. I told her that I was okay with it not wrapped in paper like a birthday present. She asked me a bizzare question, "ma'am would you be comfortable to carry it without being wrapped in paper? Most women do not prefer that?"

I was shocked with her question, "paper is not needed. I am the buyer and the user. I am not ashamed of it".

"Ma'am you are very direct," she made a remark that made me furious.

"Maybe I am direct because that is the truth. It is a biological process. We cannot stop it. We cannot control it. We do not need to feel guilty about it. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Both of us are women and we do not need to feel uncomfortable about it," the healthcare professional in me could not hold it back. The poor cashier looked at me in confusion.

I apologized for venting out and told her once again that I did not want paper covering the packet of sanitary pads.

I returned home and kept thinking why is there a taboo around periods and sanitary pads? If the same principle needs to be applied, then the taboo should be around bandages too. But it is only female health and hygiene that suffers and gets considered as 'forbidden'. Even in 2026, the discussions are female health are kept hidden and that bothers me.

My fellow women, what do you think?