British athlete Emma Pallant-Browne is championing the realities of getting a period as a female in sport after receiving criticism for her race photos.
The photos in question showed a spot of blood on Pallant-Browne’s race uniform as she competed in The Professional Triathletes Organisation’s European Open in Ibiza.
Nevermind that she finished the triathlon in an impressive fourth place, some men on the internet just couldn’t get over the blood.
One male triathlete, Xavier Coppock, commented on her Instagram photo saying: “Not the most flattering pic of @em_pallant – surely you can crop it a bit better”.
Giving a powerful response, Pallant-Browne wrote back, telling him, “thanks for caring but definitely something I’m not shy to talk about because it’s the reality of females in sport”.
A decorated athlete, Pallant-Browne has won 18 half ironman championships, podiumed 33 times and claimed silver in the world championships.
Source: Emma Pallant-Browne shuts down online trolls over visible period stain
You would think people in this day and age are aware of the frequency and purpose of menstruation and would not worry about it.
But menstrual blood has cultural taboos too many to mention. Hindu temples forbid menstruating women attending, Judaism has specific cultural conventions regarding this, and so on.
And of course, our darling Non Binaries like to call real women ‘bleeders’.
How infantile the whole thing is. We are no longer religious like we were but we still cannot handle the sight of menstrual blood. Unlike the blood on boxers of course. No mention of that as needing to be cropped…
what is it about menstrual blood that is so ‘powerful’ is has to be seen as separate and taboo?