There is a lot of debate out there in Internet-land surrounding free bleeding. Many people point to 4Chan as the source of this internet hoax and use it to show that feminists will fall for anything. The idea has sparked artist revolutions and memes, and lots of people are still unsure. I felt that I had to take it upon myself to find out.

So first I would like to say that yes, 4Chan made it known to many modern audiences that free bleeding is a thing and it was a joke meant to ridicule women. What Internet trolls may not know is that people have been trying to stop their blood from flowing out all willy nilly for centuries. I'm talking about since Egyptian times, women were using makeshift tampons and pads as a way of keeping their blood to themselves. But in other parts of the world, people with uteruses have been letting it flow, like the Aboriginals in Australia. Native Americans often sat on piles of soft wood shavings to collect the menstrual blood, and other ancient civilizations advised women to sit in bowls of warm water, not only to collect the blood but to stop cramping. You can read some more about periods through antiquity from this awesome article

So here comes the debate: are people who free bleed just doing what their bodies want to do naturally and participating in a long line of uteri who have bled out on whatever they were near? Or are people who free bleed willfully ignoring the advances in women's health that have been made over the past centuries?

I would like to add to the discussion that most people who consider free bleeding in a modern sense don't necessarily mean that they are going to be letting it flow on the public bus, your school chair, or onto their seat at the movie theater. Bleeding into period panties which have a special lining meant to contain the blood is often considered a part of free bleeding and it is often done in one's own home.

I think it's strange that this is such a bone of contention for a country that does not want to talk a lot about the body and health issues. If you have read any articles online about it, you will understand the real hate and fear that people harbor towards menstrual blood. It is astonishing. People really have no idea what menstrual blood is made up of, where exactly it is coming from, and what it means for the person it is coming out of.

Now, I'm not going to weigh in on either side of this argument, but I will say that for a lot of people, the most commonly available period products on the market today are harmful. Tampons contain chemicals and can create micro-tears in the vagina, leading to toxic shock syndrome, and pads are the equivalent of holding plastics bags for hours up against your mucus membranes. Seeing blood in art or film can be startling, especially for people who do not experience periods, but it is a part of life for many people. It is something that should be represented and spoken about.

If you chose to use period products for yourself, then that is a beautiful personal choice, and if you choose to free bleed, seek out information if you haven't already and stop listening to Internet trolls. Actually, everyone, stop listening to Internet trolls. If you are being healthy and sanitary and not literally smearing your blood on someone else, you are living your life.

Just know that there are two sides to this argument and there is history and tradition to back up both sides, whether you choose to stop it up or let it flow. Do some research and find out the first people who were using the proto-pantiliners of today. And find out about the people who were banished for weeks because menstrual blood was supposed to weaken men. You are a part of this history now and your choices matter.