After receiving a bitch slap of flack, Apple updated its latest iPhone operating system to include a "Reproductive Tracker" in its ubiquitous HealthKit app. By doing so, Apple officially recognizes that women have periods – a shocking, progressive move for a major company in 2015. Really, Apple. Congratulations for including half the population's biological needs in an app that tracks our biological data.
“Period visibility" has become a thing in social media. There was that Canadian artist, Rupi Kaur, whose photos of her bloody, period-stained sweatpants were flagged and removed from Instagram twice for violating its community standards. The censorship went viral and ignited a feminist fire like none other after the artist herself wrote an angry statement about the so-called "offensive" image. Then, the period blood on Instagram became an even bigger thing with uterus-holder's speaking out about public blood on all platforms. “What about a woman's period is so offensive?” they asked. Furthermore, when has it not been seen as shameful and when is this going to end?
Let's be real here. The world is far too immature to handle the reality of a period. Kotex still uses blue liquid to represent menstrual blood in their maxi pad commercials. That's almost as ridiculous as the software I am writing this in now not recognizing the world menstrual as correct and giving no spelling suggestions when I typed it wrong. We only recognize a woman's period when we absolutely have to. Like when a disgruntled metal head hits you in the face with her bloody tampon, Donita Sparks-style.
I don't really give a shit if Apple recognizes my cycle or not. I know I have one and I know how irritating it is. I also know that being able to turn cum spit into a child inside my womb is so powerful. We make babies in all sorts of ways now. Women are manifested, not just born into their assigned genitals and gender. Sexuality and gender are at a height of decadence, while science and technology are dragging biology by the hand as she reluctantly stumbles behind. Mother Nature is mean and ultimately still in charge, but women are being listened to. Sometimes.
One thing that remains is the disgust with a woman's period. Why can't people handle it? Sometimes I can't even handle it. Why is a purse full of tampons "humiliating" when it spills on the floor in public? Why do girls munch down birth control pills to eliminate their periods before sex? Why do women even stress about anyone other than other women even hearing about their period problems? Why do we even give a shit that once a month, the wall of our uterus sheds, and we bleed?
I have a rule: if I hook up with a man and find out he is grossed out by periods, I walk. It's an instant deal breaker. If a man can not handle everything that comes along with a uterus and vagina, then he does not deserve to fuck one. I'm not saying that men have to be period fetishists or red-wing enthusiasts, but they simply should not be repulsed by the blood that brought them onto this planet. Besides, if a straight male adult has never bought box of tampons in his life, it means he's probably never been in a serious relationship. He will take some work.
That's great that Apple decided to include a "Reproductive Tracker" into their HealthKit. Pat on the back for the coders over at Apple who couldn't even bring themselves to use to word "period" (remember, menstruation must have a purpose, like birth, in order to not come across as totally disgusting.) Besides, we are all aware of the massive gender gap in the tech industries. Compound that with the dating success rate of most Silicon Valley nerds and the whole "lack of period representation" in the HealthKit was probably an honest mistake. Those boys haven't been around a period since birth.
