Can’t touch plants on your period? Or bake bread? You will find numerous myths around the world about the “time of the month”. Most of these are behavioral precincts that, that are not only false but also play a role in gender-based taboos and discrimination.
Owing to these myths has made it increasingly difficult for women to freely talk about their period — which leads to silence, shame, and misconception.
Here are just a few of the global myths which are practiced by women on their period:
US/UK
1. You’re clumsy.
2. Tampons will break your hymen and make you impure.
3. Can’t take a bath.
4. PMS is always manifested as crankiness/irritability, and everyone gets PMS.
5. Don’t go camping because the bears can smell it from far away.
6. You cannot perm your hair until after you have had your first period.
7. You are forbidden to touch any vegetable before or during the pickling process lest they would not pickle and would go bad.
Nepal
8. You can’t be in homes or have contact with anybody.
Israel
9. Want to have beautiful red cheeks? Get slapped on your period.
10. Showering with hot water on your period can result in heavy flow.
Columbia
11. Cramps might be caused by cold drink or other beverages, so you are not allowed to consume them during your period.
12. Don’t wash or cut your hair.
Poland
13. Having sex can kill your partner.
Romania
14. You can’t touch flowers because they’ll die quicker.
Malaysia
15. You need to wash your pads before throwing them out. Otherwise, ghosts will come and haunt you.
India
16. You can’t enter a kitchen or cook food for anyone else.
17. You can’t enter a place of worship.
18. You can only enter a place of prayer once you’ve washed your hair on or after the fourth day.
19. Washing your hair on the first day of the period is mandatory to clean yourself completely. Butttttt on the contrary…
20. If you wash your hair, your flow will be less and it will affect your fertility later in life.
Mexico
21. Dancing to active rhythms is advised against to take care of your uterus.
Dominican Republic
22. Painting your nails, washing your hair, or drinking lemonade is avoided.
Brazil
23. You can’t wash your hair.
24. You can’t walk barefoot (you might get cramps).
Argentina
25. You can’t make whipped cream, it will curdle.
26. It is believed that taking a bath during this time will stop your bleeding which is harmful to your health.
Philippines
27. When you get your first period you need to wash your face with the first menstrual blood to have clear skin.
Italy
28. The dough won’t rise.
29. You can’t touch plants.
30. Everything you cook will be a disaster.
31. You can’t go to the beach or pool (no contact with water basically).
via telegraph.com
France
32. You can’t make mayonnaise, it will curdle.
Japan
33. You can’t make sushi because you have an imbalance in taste.
Taiwan
34. You must blow dry your hair after a shower.
Venezuela
35. Avoid shaving your bikini line as the skin will get darker.
Bolivia
36. You can’t cradle babies or you’ll cause them to get sick.
So, these were a few myths from various countries of the world, which shows that we have to still accept menstruation as a natural and life-sustaining cycle.
Read also- Myth Behind Why Pencils Are Yellow In Color.