Free bleeding is the practice of menstruating without blocking or collecting the period flow. In recent years it has become a subject of public debate.1
History
The movement started in the 1970s as a reaction to toxic shock syndrome, a rare and sometimes fatal condition that can be caused when bacteria grow in tampons worn to absorb menstrual bleeding.2 It regained popularity in 2014 as a result of a prank originating on the internet site 4chan.3 Kiran Gandhi ran in the London Marathon while free bleeding as a symbolic act to combat menstrual stigma around the world.4 The movement focuses on women's and gender minorities' own comfort.5
Products
The experience of menstruating into period underwear has been compared to free bleeding.67
References
References
- "Free bleeding is a call to action". helloclue.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- Bereznak, Alyssa (2016-09-16). "Silicon Valley's Quest to Make Periods Cool". Archived from the original on 2023-10-21.
- Moss, Gabrielle. "What Is Free Bleeding, Exactly?". Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- "'Free bleeding' and the stupidly clever feminists who fell for it". 2015-08-15. Archived from the original on 2016-06-08.
- "Kiran Gandhi discusses free-bleeding while running the London Marathon, and using the period as protest". 2015-08-11. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25.
- "I Tried Free Bleeding Into Period Panties and This Is What Happened". 2016-04-07. Archived from the original on 2023-10-21.
- "What It's Really Like to Free-Bleed During Your Period". 2015-06-03. Archived from the original on 2015-07-29.
Further reading
Further reading
- Schomburg, Teresa (2022-05-02). Dobrosavljević, Valentina (ed.). "Menstruation: Raus aus der Tabu-Ecke". WDR 5 (Radio broadcast). Neugier genügt (in German). Westdeutscher Rundfunk. Archived from the original on 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2022-05-02. [1][20:40]