"Shh. Shh. Shhhh. Uh, do you have a tampon for me?"
"Excuse me? I didn't understand you. Can you speak up?"
"Uh, no, I can't...... I need a tampon!"
"Oh. I see. Shh. Wait a minute."

They now furtively rummage in their bag and finally pass a tampon under the table. The whole operation is so hidden that many a secret service would have a field day with it. But why?

Menstruation is not a disease

The year is 2019 and we live in a more or less sexually open-minded society. Nudity is everywhere and there is hardly a taboo subject that is not discussed, at least in public. Despite this, menstruation is still treated as if we women were suffering from an infectious disease during this period. Swimming pool visits and sauna days are canceled.

If it were a matter of a woman feeling physically unwell or suffering from abdominal pain during this time, then that is completely understandable. But because strangers might see a ribbon flashing out? Watch out! Look out, there's a fertile woman on the way!!! Oh my God. That's far too personal! On the other hand, more and more private individuals are becoming porn actors and actresses and showing everything about themselves here. But don't talk about menstruation! But that's exactly what we should change.

The most natural thing in the world is becoming an embarrassment

Before I bled for the first time, I was already well prepared for this time by advertising. However, this is meant ironically, as the subject was hardly talked about back then. The joke circulated that a woman could do anything with a tampon: Riding, swimming and cycling. Wow, what a devil of a thing that must have been! We still had no idea what it was really about. Then there were the advertisements for sanitary towels and panty liners. A blue-colored liquid was poured onto the tissue and lo and behold, nothing leaked out.

Today, menstrual activists ask themselves why a red liquid is not used. After all, in toothpaste commercials, biting into an apple also leaves visible red marks. If in one commercial, then in all of them, right? What's the difference?

The first step towards adulthood

We adults also tend to forget how girls feel when they experience their menarche. This is the name given to the first menstrual period. And this is a really decisive experience, as it marks the transition from girl to woman. I know this because it happened to me too. However, becoming a woman is associated with shame right from the start. But no girl should have to be ashamed of it!

Life is no walk in the park and menstruation is no walk in the park

There are many trivializing euphemisms for periods: A visit from the red Indians, strawberry time, a visit from Auntie Rosa, surfing the red wave. You could almost think that this time is a real treat for us women.

• What goes unmentioned is the sometimes cramp-like abdominal pain, which has forced many a woman to report for work.
• There is no mention of soaked tampons, bloody panties, bloody sheets.
• No mention is made of the changes that occur as we get older.
• Our secret remains about hemorrhage-like bleeding and squiggles of blood that can cause fright.
• Who has ever made a fuss to their loved one when they wanted to have sex?
• What do we do when we're out and about and the hygienic conditions don't exactly invite us to change our tampons?
• Who has ever been annoyed by the fact that the washbasins in public toilets are always outside the cubicle and women have to get dressed with bloody fingers before they can wash their hands? This may also be one of the reasons why menstrual cups have not caught on.

Do you find that disgusting? But it's just part of our lives! And especially when we are insecure, we should be able and allowed to talk about it! Menstruation has been with us for decades. Be it because it causes us discomfort, be it because it tells us that we are not pregnant, be it because it tells us that we are. How often do we tremble while we wait for it and how often do we get scared and anxious when it doesn't come. And when the period finally leaves us, some of us are sad as hell about the loss of fertility and others are delighted to finally be able to put this hardship behind them.

Let's bring a breath of fresh air to an old topic!

It's time to finally break this taboo! They have already started in the USA. The underwear line Thinx has not only developed briefs with an integrated pad and wants to shake up the market for hygiene products. No, it has also dared to put the word period in banners in its new advertising campaign, making it visible to everyone. This has not met with universal approval. But it was to be expected and someone has to start.

On the other hand, there is great approval. And so Time Magazine named Thinx one of the 25 best inventions of 2015. Now that's something! An entrepreneur from Ohio has set herself the goal of making tampons as well as toilet paper available free of charge in all public toilets. What a great idea! Because we all know how deep we have to dig into our pockets for these hygiene products. And it's absolutely incomprehensible that these items are subject to 19 percent VAT! It really is time that something was done about this issue in Germany too!

Anja Drews - qualified sex educator for ORION