Do people realize that with 11,547 Olympians (and around 45 percent being female) that some of them would have their period during the 16-day event? I can't answer for everyone, but Fu Yuanhui definitely is turning heads for telling a reporter the honest truth behind her recent performance.
With the 2016 Summer Olympics underway, many are focused on not only how the athletes compete, but how they have prepared and what is going on in their lives that has effected their ability. However, no one expected Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui to blatantly state that she had recently started her period, and this answer has gotten a lot of attention. Why?
In China, talking about periods or anything related to menstrual cycles is a big no-no. Television ads for feminine hygiene products are banned during certain times of the day and are seen as inappropriate. Only a small amount of Chinese women even use tampons, because it is still believed that they can take a woman's virginity, which isn't true. Few other countries, more so eastern cultures as opposed to western cultures, that are very conservative when it comes to talking about female periods and feminine hygiene products. Similarly, we live in a male dominated society where female problems are not considered important. The idea that if it is a female problem then females should be the ones to deal with it is archaic. Why is it so strange to acknowledge the existence of periods? Many would rather women to suffer in silence and never speak out about the matter because it makes them uncomfortable and they can't handle that. People have been taught to hide certain things that are deemed unacceptable and inappropriate. This is completely unrealistic considering that periods will continue to effect everyone, whether they are a female that has one or a male that was born because of one. We need to get out of our comfort zones and talk about females issues. Will Fu Yuanhui be the catalyst to get this conversation started?
Olympians are the greatest athletes in the world. They are constantly asked and criticized for how they've prepared for the games. Common answers have been recovering from surgeries, training in new environments, and different forms of physical therapies. So if other circumstances are considered valid, why is having a period any different? It is a fact of life that females have menstrual cycles. If approximately 5,200 Olympians are female, there is a good chance that at least a few of them would have their period at some point during the 16 day competition. The fact that Fu's answer has had so much attention is ridiculous. Why do people care? Just because she isn't ashamed to speak out about something completely natural? During the interview she is curled over in pain and the female reporter even asked if she had a stomach ache. After revealing that her period had started the night before she states that her period is no excuse for not swimming very well, and continues by saying that she also wanted to apologize to her teammates for her performance.
At the end of the day Fu Yuanhui still was a fierce competitor and gave it her all. Regardless of her physical state she competed hard and didn't let a period stop her. We are going to have to open the conversation about periods even if it makes others uncomfortable. If an Olympian can complete a swim relay while cramping and on her period and have the courage to say why she didn't swim her best, then we can have a simple discussion. Periods will always be a natural part of life, and they are crucial to the continuance of our species! So why not finally try to get everyone to accept them and move on already?
