menstruation: can one person's safe space be another person's trigger?
So, over at the Tumblr GrrrlVirus, they reblogged the picture I linked to here for some time ago (I'll get back to your comments ASAP, but this subject is obvious something that matters to me). She... got some negative feedback, where people requested her to make a trigger warning for the picture. She decided not to do so. I don't follow her myself, but it came to my attention when someone reblogged some criticising commentaries to her final note. But, due to this subject being so personal to me, I had to comment:
I don’t know if I’m going too much OT here, and if that’s the case: my apologizes.
But, I’m in doubt about this. Can we really make somewhere a safe space for everyone?
I generally have a rule: if something is triggering/I’m being told something is triggering/I can imagine something being triggering, then warn for triggers, ffs!
That being said, reading about people having a phobia against something that is a part of my monthly life is - well, it’s hurtful. How is it not hurtful that people have a phobia of something - something that historical has been stigmatized and used against my biological sex - that I go through every fucking month? Something I have to live with? I’m not a fan of my period - quite the opposite -, and in this society young biological female still get told that our periods are something to be ashamed off, and something we should hide - hell, and the adds for menstrual products missinform about how periods look like (blue liquid istead of red, for example). And I’m so fucking tired of it. Tired and angry.
No, phobia is not shaming, but in the history of menstruation, the two things have been closely connected due to cissexistic misogynism. And we can not remove this history.
I can - in all honesty - say that if somewhere have to be a safe space for me, then there shouldn’t be trigger warnings on pictures of menstruation. Why? Because of the above mentioned history. I get triggered by shaming of menstruation, and warning for pictures of menstruation - even if it’s due to possible triggering other people - is too close to shaming for me. Reading those post about warning for this picture, it, yes, made me shake and cry and shit. Because while I rationally know that these comments were not about shaming, triggers are not rational.
I don’t know, guys. How do make somewhere a safe space for everyone when we all have our individual histories and experiences? Is it even possible? Bah. I’m going to take a long, warm bath now.
Am I totally alone in this? Is it not possible that one person's safe space is another person's triggger?
PS. I need some love ♥ And please rec me friends :D
I don’t know if I’m going too much OT here, and if that’s the case: my apologizes.
But, I’m in doubt about this. Can we really make somewhere a safe space for everyone?
I generally have a rule: if something is triggering/I’m being told something is triggering/I can imagine something being triggering, then warn for triggers, ffs!
That being said, reading about people having a phobia against something that is a part of my monthly life is - well, it’s hurtful. How is it not hurtful that people have a phobia of something - something that historical has been stigmatized and used against my biological sex - that I go through every fucking month? Something I have to live with? I’m not a fan of my period - quite the opposite -, and in this society young biological female still get told that our periods are something to be ashamed off, and something we should hide - hell, and the adds for menstrual products missinform about how periods look like (blue liquid istead of red, for example). And I’m so fucking tired of it. Tired and angry.
No, phobia is not shaming, but in the history of menstruation, the two things have been closely connected due to cissexistic misogynism. And we can not remove this history.
I can - in all honesty - say that if somewhere have to be a safe space for me, then there shouldn’t be trigger warnings on pictures of menstruation. Why? Because of the above mentioned history. I get triggered by shaming of menstruation, and warning for pictures of menstruation - even if it’s due to possible triggering other people - is too close to shaming for me. Reading those post about warning for this picture, it, yes, made me shake and cry and shit. Because while I rationally know that these comments were not about shaming, triggers are not rational.
I don’t know, guys. How do make somewhere a safe space for everyone when we all have our individual histories and experiences? Is it even possible? Bah. I’m going to take a long, warm bath now.
Am I totally alone in this? Is it not possible that one person's safe space is another person's triggger?
PS. I need some love ♥ And please rec me friends :D