First Post: Sold

Different cultures, religions, and even families have very different reactions to young girls growing into themselves and experiencing puberty for the first time. In this novel, I sadly say that I'm not exactly surprised at the fact that Lakshmi's first experience with her period isn't exactly an experience that brings her much pride or even self esteem because a lot of different cultures have negative reactions to a young girl receiving her "first blood". On page fourteen, Lakshmi conveys to us that a woman having her period is something that shouldn't be brought up, shouldn't be mentioned, and that during the time in which you are having your period, you should be concealed from the rest of the world so you don't have to disgrace or un purify anyone or anything around you. Living in a country like the United States where a woman having her period is such a natural thing, it's really interesting to take a look through another civilization's point of view about the topic. According to "Culture and menstruation", an article on Wikipedia (I know it's Wikipedia, but just hear me out...), women in the Sumba, an island located in eastern Indonesia, are to keep their periods a secret. This causes men to be slightly paranoid of women because they are unsure as to when they could possibly be infected with a woman's impurity that is obviously spread by her "Aunt Flow".  Men in Sumba also believe that sexually transmitted diseases are created when men and women have sex when a women is on her period. According to this same article the disease known as gonorrhea translates to "disease you get from women" (www.wikipedia.org) in the Sumba language. When men receive a sexually transmitted disease in Sumba, they simply blame it on women and their periods because they can obviously get away with it. However, disrespect to women and their natural functions isn't just commonly found in citizens of Sumba, it is also heavily frowned on in Brahmin Hindu families which is an orthodox sect of Hinduism. When women are on their period in conservative Brahmin Hindu families, they are forcibly secluded to a special room where they can't make physical contact with people. As well as being secluded, women have special plates and utensils, are prohibited from leaving the house on festive days, and even aren't aloud to go into the kitchen or eat meals with their families. Through researching different cultures' reactions to women's menstruation cycles, I can't help but feel that I'm extremely happy to be living in an environment where something as natural as a period isn't something that leaves me ashamed and dismayed to be a woman.