In France, it led to a passionate debate last to last autumn, when on the 14th of October, 2015, the National Assembly of France had to vote an amendment to lower the tax on hygienic menstrual products such as pads, tampons, and menstrual cups. The latter was at that date submitted to the normal tax, which is 20% in France. 

Following a petition launched by the feminist group Georgette Sand in February 2015 to lower this tax to 5%, like any first necessity goods, the socialist deputy, Christine Coutelle, proposed this amendment as part of the finance bill 2016. After a debate in a mostly empty lower chamber, the Assembly decided to reject the lowering of the tax and created at the same time a lack of comprehension and anger from women and activists. This led to widespread anger among the women activist. What could have been quickly shelved has instead triggered the beginning of what the news media called "the struggle for the 'tampon tax'".

Along November 2015, feminist activists multiplied actions to lower the 'tampon tax': demonstrations organized by Georgette Sand, pads stained with tomato sauce and stuck on the wall of the Assembly, or panties covered with fake blood were sent to politicians by the group Culotte Gate, allowed the touchy subject of menstruation to submerge the public sphere in a very little time. 

All these actions led to a vote in favor of the lowering of the tax by the Senate on the 20th of November and, on the 10th of December 2015, the Assembly decided to lower the tax on hygienic menstrual products, which took effect on the 1st of January, 2016. Through these actions, activist movements also managed to make menstruation visible.

Whether it was in the media or just in the language, menstruation is usually never showed or designated. Even though it is a natural phenomenon that most women encounter, menstruation has been drowning in silence by the taboo surrounding it. Between the shame and disgust provoked by their evocation, menstruation is often represented in pop culture like a villain that makes women out of control, mostly due to PMS. 

Due to this invisibility or the negative discourses about it, periods are often lived as something which needs to be hidden at the risk of being stigmatized. The menstrual taboo acts, indeed, as a feature of the social system which oppresses and discriminates against women and has, thus, a deep impact on human rights. This is why breaking the taboo is essential.

Although the perception of menstruation has changed through time, it is still a universal taboo that has negative consequences on the lives of women at every level and more especially on their health, well-being, sexuality, and social status. Even though menstruation has often been studied in the field of anthropology, the taboo around it has led to a lack of knowledge whether it be in the everyday life with the spreading of stereotypes, such as menses are dirty and, as a consequence, need to be controlled and hidden or in scientific fields. 

Although the reproductive cycle of women has been subjected to a wide medicalization and a lot of research about the suppression of menstruation, issues directly linked to menstrual troubles still suffer from a lack of knowledge. Regarding the maintenance of the menstrual taboo and the spreading of all the stereotypes related to it, several research studies point out the responsibility of mass media due to their central role in the public sphere. Indeed, the menstrual taboo is enforced and transmitted through discourses. 

In the past, the media has highly contributed to the change of behavior about taboo such as HIV/AIDS and homosexuality by framing it in another way. This is why the representations of menstruation in mass media have become a key point for the ones who want to break this taboo. 

Taboos also surround PMS or Pre Menstrual Syndrome. Media representation of PMS has been largely negative in that aspect, a lot of jokes are made on women PMSing whenever they’re not acting in accordance with social norms. A content analysis was conducted to evaluate the description of premenstrual syndrome in magazine articles that appeared during the years 1980-1987. 

Seventy-eight articles were identified and evaluated for their discussion of symptoms and treatments, the language and terms used in the articles and their titles, and the types of issues covered by different kinds of magazines. The results indicate a strong bias in favor of reporting negative menstrual cycle changes. 

Articles are generally negative in tone and present a confusing array of symptoms and contradictory treatment recommendations. The media coverage of PMS supports the stereotype of the maladjusted woman. Implications of this negative coverage are discussed and recommendations to improve media reports of PMS are made. 

Janet Chawla writes in her research paper, “According to historian N.N.Bhattacharyya, different areas of India have had notions of the menstruating goddess. In Punjab, it was believed that Mother Earth (‘Dharti Ma’) ‘slept’ for a week each month. In many parts of the Deccan, after the ‘navaratra’ goddess temples were closed from the tenth to the full moon day while she rests and refreshes herself. 

In the region of Malabar, It was believed that Mother Earth will go to rest during the hot weather until she got the first shower of rain. Still, today in the Kamakhya temple of Assam and in parts of Orissa the rituals of the menstruation of the goddess are celebrated during the monsoon season.” (Chawla, 1994)

In many of the cultures, especially in southern India, the whole cycle of menstruation was seen as a gift and when a girl would menstruate for the first time, it would be celebrated in public. But then, this is also a problematic view as the menstrual cycle was seen and is still seen in a majority of places as a boon for reproduction. Even in those previous times when people celebrated it, they had a reductionist view that a woman’s ultimate goal in life is reproduction and nothing more.

Writing in The Tribune, Swapna Majumdar, says, “Talking about menstruation has been a taboo even among planners. It received the attention of the Ministry of Health only in 2011. According to reports, close to 70% percent of Indian women risk getting a severe infection, at times causing death, due to poverty, ignorance, and shame attached to their menstruation cycle”. (Majumdar, 2014)

There has always been a deafening silence and shame around the menstrual cycle which has caused severe problems for girls. Take for example a survey conducted in 2011, which revealed that in north India, over 30% of the girls interviewed dropped out of school after they start menstruating. Reproductive tract infections (RTI) were 70% more common among women who were unable to maintain hygiene during their menstrual cycle. 

There is severe cultural neglect and this kind of cultural neglect of menstrual hygiene is reflected in policies as well because a larger number of adolescent girls (between 12-18 years of age) miss five days of school due to lack of toilets for girls in them or the general lack of hygiene.

Dr. Rani Bang in her book “Putting Women First: Women and Health in Rural Community” writes that women in rural communities and areas have very little knowledge about menstrual health. She says in her book, “Cultural perceptions such as the color of the menstrual blood govern their perception of what is normal and abnormal. 

They resist using sanitary napkins because it is difficult to dispose of them. They fear it might fall into the hands of someone who can use Jadu tona (black magic) against them.” Therefore, education and counseling is a major requirement regarding menstruation, especially in rural areas. (Bang, 2010)

Also, another problem at display here is the disposal of sanitary napkins, cause it being very dangerous for the environment. If we are concerned about the huge dumping sites and the ever-growing non-degradable waste, then we need to dig deeper. There should not be any compulsion for the use of sanitary napkins. The use of cloth is fine if it is used with proper hygiene. 

Cloths used during menstruation are often left uncleaned, this uncleanliness of the cloth is also directly linked with the taboo associated with it as women are unable to dry it properly in the sun or shade without it catching the attention of male family members, something which they don’t want to happen, as the taboos associated with it make it necessary to hide it. 

We can see how there are a strong need and requirement for spaces for girls where they can feel comfortable about their periods. Menstruation friendly school campuses are a must. Even working women, of not just small cities but metros too, also suffer from menstrual taboos in their workplace.