EXCERPT FROM GOOD GIRL, BAD PERIOD

Growing up I was taught to be a "good girl." Indoctrinated to be quiet and polite, to never speak out of turn, and to always put the needs of others before my own. I was taught to be ashamed of my body and its functions, and to hide the evidence of my monthly period and pain from the world.

But as I grew older, I realized this "good girl" mentality harmed not just me, but all women and society I realized the silence around socalled women’s issues, specifically the taboo topic of menstruation and pain, is oppression.

It's a well-known fact that women are more likely to be dismissed and ridiculed when seeking care for their own health. This is a problem that needs to be addressed and taken seriously. It is time to break the silence and speak out about the injustices faced by women in the realm of healthcare. It is time to see the gender role and mental prison of a “good girl”, as well as the dismissive slur of “just a bad period”, for what it is - misogyny and gaslighting.

Endometriosis is a chronic and often debilitating condition that affects an estimated nearly 200 million girls and women worldwide and unmeasured amounts of transand non-binary individuals. Despite its prevalence, endometriosis is frequently misdiagnosed or overlooked, with many patients going years or even decades without receiving an accurate diagnosis This is a result of the systemic misogyny and gaslighting that plagues society and the medical community, and perpetuates the notion that women's pain is not to be taken seriously. All health conditions facing gender bias and discrimination are social justice movements. Collectively we all need to fight for the rights of those who are suffering.

In the words of feminist writer and activist Audre Lorde, "I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own." We must stand together and support one another, for only by doing so can we hope to bring about real change and improve the lives of women everywhere.