A Brief Theology of Periods (Yes, Really)

We need to talk about periods. After all, everyone else is.

Ok, so I’ll admit that having just published a book on the subject, my search history has probably skewed the algorithms of my news feeds.

But I really don’t think this is just me. The last few years have seen an explosion of books, podcasts and articles on the topic of menstruation. Social media is full of lively conversations on issues such as period poverty, the tampon tax, free bleeding, environmentally-friendly period products, health inequalities, the gender pain gap, menopause, specific conditions such as endometriosis, and what to call the people who have periods – women, menstruators, or something else? Even the most recent but yet-to-be-released James Bond film No Time to Die almost featured a scene where a female agent threw a tampon in the bin. In the words of journalist Jonathan Dean, ‘Nothing shows how much Bond, and indeed the world, has changed more than a testosterone-filled blockbuster wondering if the time is right for a bit on periods’ (‘What Next for James Bond?’, The Sunday Times Culture Magazine, 8 March 2020). And with world Menstrual Hygiene Day being celebrated on 28 May, my guess is that by the time you’re reading this, periods will have hit the headlines again.