Free Bleeding Movement

The Free Bleeding Movement is a menstruation movement focusing on women's right to menstruate openly and without shame.

History

The movement started in the 1970s as a reaction to toxic shock syndrome, a rare and sometimes fatal condition that can be caused when bacteria grow in tampons worn to absorb menstrual bleeding.[1] It regained popularity in 2014 as a result of a prank originating in the internet site 4chan.[2] As a result of this prank Kiran Gandhi ran in the London Marathon, while free bleeding.[3][4] The movement focuses on a woman's own comfort.[5] The movement has also led to free products for women in school bathrooms.[6] More recently, efforts have been made to extend this movement to transgender people who also menstruate as part of "menstrual equality". Some campuses are adding free menstrual products to men's bathrooms as well.[7]

Products

Free bleeding panties are a result of the free bleeding movement that have received media attention.[8] These products are in response to the use of tampons.[9] Thinx, a popular brand of free bleeding underwear, launched a boy-shorts product in honor of Trans Awareness Week. The company changed their slogan to "underwear for people with periods" and hired a trans man to model the product.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Bereznak, Alyssa (16 September 2016). "Silicon Valley's Quest to Make Periods Cool".
  2. ↑ http://www.bustle.com/articles/109552-what-is-free-bleeding-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-controversial-menstruation-movement
  3. ↑ "Latest Health News - Current Health News Stories, Natural Health & Fitness News Articles - Zee News".
  4. ↑ "'Free bleeding' and the stupidly clever feminists who fell for it". 15 August 2015.
  5. ↑ "Kiran Gandhi discusses free-bleeding while running the London Marathon, and using the period as protest". 11 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Free tampons and pads are coming to U.S. schools". 6 September 2016.
  7. ↑ Arriaga, A. (May 16, 2017). "Tampons in Men's Rooms? It's Just a Small Part of "Menstrual Equality," Campus Activist Say". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  8. ↑ "I Tried Free Bleeding Into Period Panties and This Is What Happened". 7 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "What It's Really Like to Free-Bleed During Your Period". 3 June 2015.
  10. ↑ "People With Periods". THINX. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.