Menarche could be a bold-hearted transition from girlhood to womanhood.
Image by
Shamana Seery And yet…
It is the first silencing and first taste of invisibility.
The blood must remain invisible.
The change is a curse.
Society pretends we don’t bleed, and we must act as if we don’t.
Girls step into the unspoken rules of wearing masks and hiding feelings.
Girls graduate into likes on social media and the erasure of themselves with apps that widen eyes, minimize noses, plump up lips, erase bulges, create cleavage.
This hormonal invitation to step into boldness and self-hood never materializes because society no longer acknowledges the significance of the change. Rather it vilifies the shift in hormones and the ensuing changing moods and labels teenagers as lazy, rebellious, disrespectful instead of understanding that this is a challenging time of redefining self, identifying allegiances, drawing boundaries and testing them.
These changes bring a certain awareness and clarity to young girls as they begin to see the world with different eyes and forge new relationships. It is a similar awakening of motherhood and definitely menopause … but society does not tolerate those transitions either.
Another aspect that is never acknowledged in all 3 transitions, is the spiritual. And menarche is the initiation: ‘When the red rose bloom in her belly, the doorway between her eyes shall open.’ -Ancient Celtic saying via Moana Pearl.
With all of these transitions, it is always important to honor the wishes of the woman at the threshold with regards to a celebration. Some may have very specific wishes. Others may have no idea. Still some may not want a big event. And there is always a way to mark the occasion.
Maharani Faleiro
30 September 2020
