Red Tent Sisters

This entry is only tangentially related to women’s reproductive and sexual health. Here’s the explanation: I just finished university at the end of the summer. In school my main research interests were menstruation [specifically women’s experiences and menstrual product activism] and freestyle wrestling [especially women’s experiences with weight management for the sport]. Although they seem like disparate topics they can both be captured under the umbrella of women’s health and the politics of women’s bodies – I also participate[d] in both! Ha ha. Been menstruating since I was 13 and I was a wrestler for nine years until I “retired” in January 2007. Anyway, this weekend I attended the Olympic trials for wrestling. At the trials I had three “feminist” moments and I thought I would share them with you.

1. On the lapel of my black coat I have a black button that says, in white letters, this is what a feminist looks like [I ♥ my button!]. As I stood at the ticket table waiting for my friend to pay for her ticket one of the volunteers working the table [a male] said with a chuckle “that’s a pretty confrontational button”. I kind of smiled at him and in my typical fashion didn’t have a witty comment on the tip of my tongue. Luckily I was there waiting a few minutes longer and I had time to think of and say “it’s only confrontational if you think feminist is a confrontational word”. He didn’t really have anything to say to that. Do you? What would you have said to him? What do you think about my button?

2. Before the finals started, several awards were presented and speeches were made to honour the award recipients. While praising one award recipient’s commitment to the wrestling community a presenter said “[insert recipient’s name] made men men … and women women”. I appreciate the fact that he included women in the statement since women have been a part of the Canadian wrestling community for almost two decades. However, the juxtaposed statements made it clear to me the extent to which our culture has different connotations for the words men and women. It is clear how wrestling makes men men in the stereotypical sense, but it was so awkward to hear that wrestling, a combative sport, makes women women – the statement does not make sense according to what is normally associated with femininity. What is your response to the statement wrestling makes men, men and women, women?

3. Last but not least, during the finals past Olympians were seated along the right side of the mat. When there were lulls in the matches the male commentator would ask an Olympian to stand and give details about their career. Christine Nordhagen was the first athlete honoured and the only female sitting on the sideline. She has won six world championship gold medals, won countless other international tournaments and got fifth at the 2004 Athens Olympics [the first time women’s wrestling was in the Olympics]. The commentator said all this and then said “probably her greatest accomplishment is sitting there in her lap” … her 18 month old daughter was sitting in her lap. In some ways I can see where the commentator was coming from as I was recently told by one of my friends that she feels that having her son is her greatest accomplishment to date. However, from a perspective informed by feminism, women’s studies and sport sociology I take issue with the fact that while being honoured as an Olympian and World Championship medalist Christine’s baby was mentioned as her greatest accomplishment. I think the affront is most noticeable when you consider if a male athlete would ever be addressed in the same way and if such a comment would have been swallowed as easily and unnoticeably by the crowd. Am I overreacting? {How] Does this scenario illuminate the way society feels about women’s bodies?

That's all for now - your friendly feminist signing off.

I read Kim's most recent posting - I'm gonna have to get that book! I saw it last time I was at the store and considered getting it. I wish I had checked out the book circle titles before tonight b/c I would have loved to have been a part of that discussion group. Menstruation is one of my "academic"/personal topic of interest and women's wrestling is the other. I'm really interested in how women experience the weight management aspect of the sport. Through my participation in the sport and interaction with other women in the sport I have come to realize that the normalized perspective about eating habits [some people have eating disorders and everyone else is "normal"/healthy] is problematic. I believe that eating behaviours exist on a continuum with individuals who have eating disorders on one end and the vast majority of women being along the mid-section of the continuum [ie. having disordered eating]. Kim mentioned wanting another term to describe the problematic relationship women have with food and their bodies. For a variety of eating behaviour terms which are less well known check out this website: http://www.nedic.ca/knowthefacts/definitions.shtml

On December 13, two women braved the bad weather to join me for a discussion on December’s book club title, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters by Courtney E. Martin. We started by discussing the subtitle of the work, “the frightening new normalcy of hating your body.” We all agreed that although eating disorders are not a new phenomenon, what is new is the normalization of eating disorders. It has become standard for women (and girls) to count each calorie she consumes and for food to be associated with guilt and shame. Martin writes, “we live in a time when getting an eating disorder, or having an obsession over weight at the very least, is a rite of passage for girls.” Although only two of us knew anyone with a diagnosed eating disorder, we could all think of friends and/or acquaintances that obsess over their weight. One of the unique aspects of Martin’s work is her attention to those who do not fit the medical definition of anorexic or bulimic but whose relationship to food is nevertheless unhealthy. As a group we discussed whether the definition of “eating disorder” should be broadened to include these women. Our concern was that by doing so, those with more severe eating disorders might not get the intense treatment they needed. However, we agreed that a term should be coined to reflect the widespread obsession with weight that is affecting the lives of so many women in the hopes that it would become viewed as a problem to be addressed, rather than a norm to be accepted.

The first few chapters of Martin’s book touched all of us; I was in tears by page six. Like the author, I have read a number of books on eating disorders but never felt that the authors were able to fully articulate my own experience or that of my friends and family. Discussions on eating disorders often focus on the influence of “the media” but Martin writes that this argument is “too simplified and unconvincing on a personal level.” In contrast, the idea of the “perfect girl, starving daughter” articulated by Martin resonated with all three of us. Rather than seeing body image as an identity unto itself, Martin describes eating disorders as part of a larger phenomenon of women struggling to “do it all.” Not only are we trying to do it all, we want it to look effortless and perfect. Each of us could relate to the desire to achieve in all areas of our life – and the disappointment that inevitably follows.

While we all know that there is no quick “solution” to this enormous problem, we had hoped for a more optimistic conclusion to Martin’s work. Where do we go from here? What can we do to help future generations develop a healthy attitude towards their bodies? How can we help them understand that they don’t have to be perfect, nor do they have to do it all? One of the themes throughout Martin’s work is competition between women – we look for ways to tear each other down rather than help each other up. This must be the first shift in our thinking, for, as Martin writes “there is no social change in isolation; there is only the power and the poison of the company you keep.”

This past Friday night a fun time was had by all at the Red Tent Sisters - good food, good tunes and good prices! Wine, cheese and chocolate [mmmmm!] were compliments of “the sisters” J and Kim’s boyfriend was the resident DJ for the evening. Excitingly, from 8 pm to midnight all merchandise was 20% off. I was there from about 10:30 to midnight and there seemed to be a steady stream of customers mixin’ and mingling and buying a wide variety of products. Funny little anecdote, I was planning on buying a Diva Cup at the sale for my friend for Christmas. She ended up coming with me to the store and almost bought her own gift! Luckily I caught her prior to her trip to the cash register but as a result she knows what her gift is … ce la vie! At least I know it’s something she wants! And honestly … who wouldn’t want to find a Diva Cup in their stocking? Ha ha. Cheers.

- Ellen Macro

Labels: Adult Toys, Holiday, Party, Red Tent Sisters

We recently received the following link regarding an initiative by P & G, makers of Always menstrual pads and Tampax tampons, to provide free menstrual products to young women in Sub-Saharan Africa as a means of reducing female absenteeism.

http://www.pginvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=104574&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1076318&highlight

Ellen Macro, our resident blogger at Red Tent Sisters, shares the following reactions to the article:

1. I think it’s great that they’re going to be improving the sanitation facilities, providing nutritious feeding programs [using local, sustainable food sources?], and providing health support.
2. I don’t have a problem with education and hopefully increasing openness about women’s reproductive and sexual health but I do have concerns about mainstream menstrual product companies doing it! First of all I’m not so sure that the job they’ve done in North America has been so stellar that they should be the ones running the education programs in Africa. Secondly, they have a vested interest in maintaining a cultural ethos in which menstruation should be kept invisible. When women need to keep menstruation invisible they need products … P&G to the rescue!

My biggest concern is with the pad distribution initiative.

3. If only 1/10 girls miss school, what are the other 9/10 doing already?
4. Not only is P&G going to “help” the 1/10 girls but they are probably going to influence the other girls who already have sustainable methods of “managing” their menses.
5. P&G is going to make all/most girls reliant on imported products which cost money, drain resources, pollute the environment when produced and create a nightmare for disposal. There is a big enough problem dealing with the environmental and health issues caused by women in the first world using disposable menstrual products without women in the third world also becoming dependent on such products.

I also have a problem with P&G. Why have we made them the ones who are wealthy enough to put such a program in place?

6. Check out Beinggirl.com – P&G’s website which is so stereotypically feminine and continues to link females with consumption and appearance.
7. At the bottom of the article is written: “Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands ….” This line almost makes me laugh out loud [a sarcastic cackle!!] because it was P&G that put out the Rely tampon. Here’s a quotation from The Curse – Confronting the Last Unmentionable Taboo by Karen Houppert (1999):

“Swasy (the author of Soap Opera: The Inside Story of Proter & Gamble) details a management paper trail indicating that Procter & Gamble executives knew that there were problems with Rely years before they put it on the market. According to Swasy, a 1975 internal memo disclosed that components of the tampon were known cancer-causing agents and that the product also altered the populations of the natural microorganisms and bateria found in the vagina. Though the company was receiving gas many as 177 consumer complaints a month about Rely, it simply dismissed them, telling salespeople to do the same. ‘If asked, the salespeople were given canned answers that denied any link between tampons and toxic shock’ Swasy reports. Though Proctor & Gamble is often lauded for voluntarily withdrawing Rely from the market in September of 1980, it seems clear that the company didn’t act until the FDA threatened to act for it. And the FDA didn’t act until women died.”

Mary Harrison, employee extraordinaire at Red Tent Sisters, shares similar concerns:

In general, of course I think that girls everywhere have a right to an education and that femaleness should in no way impact that right. However, in an increasingly privatized, globalized (which P&G seems to embrace, as they remark that they wish to empower American girls to be global citizens), it's a shame that so often it seems that these kinds of initiatives have 'no choice' but to be corporately sponsored, rather than being provided by governments as a basic human right. Although Always and Tampax ARE doing something great for some girls in these countries, is it also exploitative to promote this initiative as a way to sell Always and Tampax in North America? Imagine how this would be different if they went quietly about the business of helping and supporting young women without this press release. Further, to go to the standard international development critique, is P&G empowering girls and young women in these areas to develop sustainable living patterns which will remain in place and continue to be self-governed and functional when Proctor and Gamble eventually remove their corporate support? Or would this removal only cause further problems - i.e., is there a pattern of corporate dependency being set up? Along these lines, the HERO program states that it has sent American teen girls to African countries as ambassadors. Is this project approached with a reciprocal learning/empowering relationship in mind? And finally, P&G states that it employs 140 000 people in 80 countries. Does it provide jobs for people in these areas?

As one of the owners of Red Tent Sisters, I also have to play devil's advocate and share my own thoughts...

I have to challenge the whole question of it being a BAD thing that young women are missing some time from school during their menstruation. Our store is named after the concept of the Red Tent, popularized by Anita Diamant as a place and time where women are given permission AND GIVE THEMSELVES PERMISSION to retreat, rest, share wisdom and be present with their bodily experience of menstruation. Rather than promoting a world where women are expected to be emotionally, hormonally, and physically consistent, like their male counterparts, I would prefer a world in which women's cycles are honoured and respected. While I agree that education is a value and a right, I disagree with a system of education that demands homogeneity in behaviour and stifles the essence of what it is to be female. Just some food for thought...

Labels: Always, Education, Menstrual Products, Menstruation, Tampax, Women

This past Friday was the third screening of the Feminist Film Circle. About 18 people gathered in the back room of Red Tend Sisters to watch Giovanna Chesler’s film, Period: The End of Menstruation. On the homepage of redtentsisters.com there is a link to the Feminist Film Circle – click there for an overview of the film [and for upcoming films!!]. After the film people stayed for an hour to reflect on the film, the birth control pill and women’s health [a few individuals even dilly-dallied in the store until after 10 chatting about the film and making a few purchases!]. There was a good mix of “dialogers” and active listeners in attendance and I don’t think I would be wrong in saying that the evening was enjoyed by all! As was expressed by some grateful participants it was wonderful to be in an environment that was simultaneously respectful of a variety of [menstrual/health] choices made by women and also particularly focused on alternative, wholistic health perspectives. Overall the evening was one in which to learn and engage in thoughtful conversation, and I have faith that the educational opportunity will have a ripple effect – positively affecting the lives of those who attended and those whose lives intersect with the attendees!

The following is a [partial] list of “things” and people addressed in the movie and the discussion after, as well as points to ponder.

1. A major topic of discussion was the need for real informed consent before going on the birth control pill. While women learn about the pill from a variety of sources, mainstream info sources such as doctors, the public education system and the mainstream media do not often/ever educate about alternatives. One reason for this is the difficulties grassroots educational initiatives face when competing with large corporations. This is especially the case because:

· the current socio-political context creates and supports the quick fix, pop a pill, short sighted orientation towards health

· not all people have access to information about alternatives – alternative explanations of what is going on with their health and/or alternative solutions for their health concerns

· wholistic approaches often take resources such as time, energy and money, that people do not have – they also often require a paradigm shift that may not be supported by one’s personal context or society at large

Film circle participants recognized both the need for increased education about alternatives as well as the difficulties faced in getting this information and putting it into practice. While there may always be some women who need to be on the pill to reduce the pain they experience when menstruating, the participants seemed to agree that the number was less than those who are currently using the pill in this way. The consensus was that with truly informed consent the pill would have a different role in society, and in particular a different place in the lives of young women, than it does now.

2. Some participants expressed concern that today’s users of the pill are guinea pigs for pharmaceutical companies. We don’t know what the long term affects of taking the pill[s] is because the versions of the pill that are on the market right now have not been around for very long. The fact that a lot of the research done about pharmaceutical products such as the pill is funded by the companies themselves was also a cause for concern. The film also pointed out that birth control pills are becoming THE option for birth control, decreasing the knowledge base about other birth control options and making other options more of an afterthought than actual options. Consider this: why would a company promote diaphragms which are purchased once and can be used for many years when the same company can promote their version of the birth control pill which has to be purchased monthly? Not talked about in the movie but in a similar vein, why promote menstrual cups or reusable cloth pads when companies can market and sell disposable menstrual products which have to be bought time and again?

3. An f2m individual expressed his lack of internal tension over the fact that he’s a man who menstruates. Although he could up his dose of testosterone and suppress his menstruation he feels that since his organs were made to menstruate it is best to let them keep doing that. It appeared that any attempt on his part to justify/explain being a man who menstruates was done for others’ confusion and not his own. For him the combination just is and it makes sense. During the discussion after the film one individual wondered about the negative health implications of using hormones to transition and if there was a parallel between the problematic nature of using the pill [synthetic hormones] and using testosterone to transition. Another individual suggested that there’s a difference between “popping the pill” – a mostly unconscious use of hormones – and consciously using hormones to transition. In particular, emotional health is important and therefore using hormones to transition maybe/is just as important to shoring up someone’s health as it maybe/is to causing problems because transitioning may be crucial for someone’s emotional well-being.

4. Related to #2 is the double edged sword about reclaiming menstruation as an important part of being a woman. While a psychologist who was featured in the film stated that menstruation is central to being a woman this has problematic implications for men who menstruate and for women who don’t [individuals who are m2f or women who don’t menstruate for a variety of reasons such as menopause or hysterectomies].

5. Several women shared menstrual stories. A few of them had had painful periods and at the advice of their doctors had gone on the pill to deal with the pain. After several/many years they came off the pill for various reasons and desired a more natural approach to dealing with their menstrual pain and contraception. The result of opting out of using the pill? Increased body literacy, decreased pain and an awareness of the interconnectedness of their menstrual health, emotional well-being and taking care of their physical health [eating well, sleeping enough, being physically active, etc.]. In my opinion the stories were a demonstration of the importance of sharing menstrual experiences as such stories can act as a form of education. It also makes obvious that painful periods are not anomalies and perhaps this is something we as a society need to be dealing with proactively and in a different manner. [The Justisse Method is one such option which teaches women body literacy for contraception, conception and well-being.]

6. We learned from Zahra that during their cycle women experience four emotional and energy phases which mirror the phases of the moon; two phases of being extroverted and bubbly and light and two darker phases in which reflective energy is turned inward. Going with the flow of these phases honours one’s body and maximizes one’s abilities. A little promotional plug: check out Moon-Goddess Yoga in the Services – Fertility section of the Red Tent Sisters website.

7. Geneva Kachman and her artistry were featured during the film. Kachman uses her creativity to re-imagine the relationship between women, society and menstruation. Check out her Museum of the Menovulatory Lifetime at http://www.moltx.org/ and in particular take a peek at the information on Menstrual Monday – an annual day to celebrate menstruation [the Monday before mother’s day].

As one participant mentioned, menstrual blood is viewed uniquely. Think about this, if you cut your finger you would suck on it. If people saw you do this they wouldn’t recoil in horror. Compare social attitudes towards this type of blood and menstrual blood. Yet another example. Think about blood in action movies. Think about love scenes with intercourse. Now think about a menstrual sex scene. What would the audience response be to each of these movie scenes? What is your personal reaction?

Written by Ellen Macro, an honourary sister of the Red Tent Sisters.

Labels: Justisse, Menstruation, Moon-Goddess, Period