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Ahead of World Menstrual Health Day, publishers and authors should consider how they can be better allies to people with periods.
In Nielsen BookScan’s Weekly Top 5,000 children’s books chart in the past two years 17 books have been published for children, teens, or young adults with the words “poo” or “fart” in the title, while just five have been published with the word “period”. Over these two years, books with “poo” or “fart” in the title have spent 74 weeks in the top 100 bestsellers list and netted £3m in sales, while books with “period” in the title have spent precisely 0 (zero, none, nada) weeks there and netted just £35,000. All three things – periods, farts and poos – are bodily functions, so why the taboo around menstruation? With 23% of the world menstruating (this number doesn’t include people who are yet to start menstruating and those who have been through the menopause), it’s time for more period positivity in books.
When I was younger we were told: “You’ll bleed once a month – might be a bit painful but that’s normal – just don’t tell the boys because it’ll make them uncomfortable.” The rest I learned from Judy Blume and Mary Ann Simon. I’d hoped things had moved on in the 20+ years that had passed, but when promoting my first book in 2020, I certainly didn’t find that to be the case. Two particular incidents stick in my memory:
With so much negativity and secrecy around periods, how are young people supposed to have the confidence to ask questions about them? How do we know what a “normal” level of pain or bleeding is? Or how do we know if other people are experiencing anxiety and depression around their period, too?
When there’s so much to learn, isn’t it time we were being as open and accessible about periods in books as we are about our other bodily functions?
Books have always been a safe place for young people to go when they’ve got questions. They’re a sanctuary for them to be seen in and comforted by while they try to get their heads around this tricky world of ours. Why not include a bodily function that’s often overwhelming, and emotionally fraught in there, too? Let books be a sanctuary for those that menstruate. And, more than that, books could be a place where people who don’t menstruate can learn about periods. Because why limit the conversation to just those who have them? If everyone has the same knowledge, then no one needs to hide anything. Having more period positivity in books levels the playing field right from the off. And non-menstruators can empathise and gain vital knowledge to help their loved ones who maybe struggling.
Around 5% to 8% of menstruators in the UK suffer from PMDD, a very severe form of premenstrual syndrome, which can lead to suicidal thoughts, while one in 10 suffers from endometriosis, a condition often resulting in the need for surgery. For people with these conditions, being able to see themselves in a book character may be vital. In the case of PMDD, if a friend or family member can spot the signs, it may be what saves a person’s life.
When there’s so much to learn, isn’t it time we were being as open and accessible about periods in books as we are about our other bodily functions? While the poo and fart books are often funny, with pun-style titles, and are works of comedic fiction (Baby Shart was a personal favourite), no one’s publishing The Tiger Who Menstruated at Tea. Books about menstruation tend to be non-fiction and science based. While that’s great, not everyone learns that way. For the young people who want fun, exciting fiction, why not just include periods in the stories? Include characters that menstruate openly, honestly, mentioning the pain, or emotional effect. It doesn’t have to be the whole of the story, it doesn’t even have to be a main part, but it can be a small and effective step to creating a more positive world for periods.
I’ve long believed that talking about difficult subjects with humour helps break up any awkwardness. So if periods are a difficult subject for people to talk about, why not make them funny? In my book Murder on a School Night the main characters are solving a string of comedy murders committed with and linked to menstrual products. Incidentally, my working title for this book was Tampon Fatale. But I knew that I could never sell it as that.
Eventually I would love to see a book called The Tiger Who Menstruated at Tea or Where the Wild Mooncups Are, but in the meantime, small changes can make big results. Plus, a serial killer changing her tampon after disposing of a body over a cliff? It’s just realistic, if you ask me.