Culture & Community: May 7th Is (Blush) Menstrual Monday

They say that you should be careful about meeting people on the Internet, that you never know what kind of person you're likely to meet in cyberspace. Well, I'm here to tell that's true. I know, from first hand experience, there's all sorts of people cruising around on the electronic super highway. People like Geneva Kachman, writer and publisher of The Traveling Menstrual Show, a book of poems that are all about...er, menstruation. But that was 1999’s project. By this time last year, she was busy getting a new holiday off the ground, Menstrual Monday, a holiday that celebrates the...well, I think you probably get the picture. Now it’s time for Menstrual Monday 2001.

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I met Kachman about two years ago when I joined an online club for women writers. At that time, she was in the process of printing her book and binding it herself in her apartment in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In the club, her spunkiness and enthusiasm made her stand out - you couldn't help but notice her. And her book...just the title alone was intriguing, reminding me of the early days of Ms. magazine, when the publication had been not only feminist, but fun.

“Traveling Menstrual Show started when I threw down the tampon...er...gauntlet... to myself as a writer and set myself the challenge of writing an entire book of poetry about menstruation,” she said to me in an interview conducted via email. “Was it possible? Or would I run out of things to say by the second poem? I was gratified to find, both as a writer and as someone who menstruates, that it is possible.”

She said that she saw the tome as a “back of the toilet book,” a book to throw in with the National Geographic, the Audubon Society magazine or the Reader's Digest that you might keep handy as reading material for those moments on the throne. “I like to think of a woman visiting a friend's house, using the bathroom and finding Traveling Menstrual Show there and reading a poem or two,” she said. “Something casual like that."

But, as I said, that’s old news. For the last two years it’s been Menstrual Monday.

“The idea came to me while writing a parody of Madonna's early hit, Holiday,” she explained. “In my version, I was imagining all these holidays, such as Valentine's Day and Thanksgiving, as menstrual holidays. Then finally I said, let's stop imagining such-and-such a holiday as a menstrual holiday and just make a menstrual holiday in and of itself! So then it became a matter of determining what day of what month would be most appropriate. I settled on the Monday before Mother's Day, because menstruation comes before motherhood, and usually long after it, too.”

At first, her ideas for Menstrual Monday were rather spotty, but after she enlisted the aid of four accomplices, the thoughts started flowing. They came up with a poster to publicize the event, as well as Menstrual Monday “starter kits” to set people on the road to celebrating the day in the proper spirit. “I can't really divulge the contents of the kit,” she said. “It's all very hush-hush. One item we have is the Menstrumobile, which can either be hung on a wall, from the ceiling or, if you're throwing a party, you could hang it on your front door. It's very pretty, and my cats think it is the most wonderful cat toy they've come across in a long time!”

Last year’s poster explains that the reason behind Menstrual Monday is “to create a sense of fun around menstruation; to encourage women to take charge of their menstrual and reproductive health care; to create greater visibility of menstruation in...media; and to enhance honesty about menstruation in our relationships.” It also suggests ways that women can celebrate the day. “Wear a red article of clothing (and) put a red tablecloth on the table at dinner; talk to an older or younger relative about her menstrual experiences; create some art or do some writing about menstruation...; share information about PMS, self-breast examinations, or menopause; create a ritual involving red candles and carnations...” In other words, “let your menstrutivity run wild!”

After choosing the contents of the starter kits and designing the posters, the group began emailing colleges, universities and anybody else that came to mind, asking them if they wanted to take part in Menstrual Monday. The response was nothing short of astounding. One Resident Adviser at a New York university requested forty starter kits so that every woman on her floor at the dorm could have one. Last year, at least thirteen kits went to France, where Mother’s Day fell on May 28th, with Menstrual Monday being celebrated on the 22nd. “The most touching request I think we had was from a father who wanted a kit for his daughter,” said Kachman. “Way to go, dad!”

From the first I heard about it, I thought Menstrual Monday was a good idea. I especially like what Kachman had to say about her goals for the holiday. “One day when I went to buy some different kinds of tampons to see which would be best for some of the items in the kit, I realized that I was smiling as I stood before the feminine hygiene products - that was a first! Then, at the check-out lane, I just wanted to burst out laughing. I felt like grabbing the cashier's intercom and announcing to the entire store, ‘Look at me! I'm buying tampons,’ so everyone could be in on the joke. That's what I want - millions of women, when they go to purchase menstrual products, or are using them, or have just gotten their period, or whatever - to be smiling and laughing and having a good time. I want all women to be ‘in on the joke’ of menstruation, rather than suffering and hurting and feeling they're ‘in the prison’ of menstruation.”

This year, Menstrual Monday will be celebrated on May 7th. For information on receiving your own Menstrual Monday starter kit, visit the Menstrual Monday web site at http://www.menstrualmonday.org (Ed: This site is no longer functional).

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