Don’t women do more than enough already? We carry children. We do the same amount of work for 7 per cent less money. We wind up doing the bulk of domestic labour at home. And, at the end of the day, no matter how much we try to deny it, we still exist in a world largely designed for men.
With this in mind, I think calling for a ban on working during the week of our periods is incredibly reasonable. Frankly, it’s the least we deserve. I’m not alone: Bella Hadid said words to this effect during her recent interview with British Vogue while talking about struggling with confidence as a teenage model. “I didn’t get that whole fluid thing going through,” the 26-year-old told the publication. “I was like 17, 18 years old, not knowing or loving myself a hundred per cent yet. I had just moved out of my parents’ house and gone straight into a world where you have to stare in the mirror every single day. And we get our periods.”
Hadid, who has taken a step back from modelling in recent years due to an ongoing battle with Lyme disease and depression, continued: “You’re shooting Victoria’s Secret on your period, with endo. That should be illegal. I’m going to talk to the White House about it, because we should literally ban women working on the week of their period. And the week before, to be honest.”
The model went on to reference her work alter ego, “Belinda”, whom she created as a coping mechanism to get through intense work days. “And then the minute that I get home, I’m on the couch, that’s just Bella again. Because Belinda just does her job.” Hadid continued: “She can be crying from 5am to 7am but by the time she gets to work, a smile’s on her face and she’s going to do her job and get through it … it’s almost a mask because when I get home, I am just a depletion. I’m a skeleton.”
It’s a somewhat grim depiction of the realities of being a very young, very in-demand (and very famous) model in the modern world. Smile as long as the cameras are pointing at you; you’ll have permission to be your miserable self later. But it’s also one that makes a valid point, however tongue-in-cheek Hadid intended it to be. On top of the daily grind of being a woman and all that entails, grappling with PMS while on the clock is, quite frankly, an astonishing ask.
It’s not just the period pain that can range from a persistent, dull ache to an excruciating experience that leaves you bedbound and writhing in agony. Nor is it the general feeling of malaise that tends to hit you during the luteal phase (the second half of the menstrual cycle, starting after ovulation and lasting until the next period begins) – although it’s not hard to imagine how both of these inevitable realities might hinder one’s professional performance. No; if you’re anything like me (and possibly Hadid), it’s the overriding sense of mania, sadness and dissociation that can strike in the run up to your period. Some months are fine. Others, depending on how burnt out I am, can be so brutal that it feels as if I temporarily live in an entirely different reality. One where everything and everyone is dark, and all I can do is cry and cry and cry. Suffice to say, during these times, work is not top of my priority list. Frankly, just getting out of bed and having a shower is a tall order.
I’m aware this may sound somewhat extreme – and yes, I’ve often wondered if I might have PMDD, a rare and more severe form of PMS affecting roughly between 5 and 8 per cent of women – but it’s something many of us deal with, whether it’s every month or just every few months. In Hadid’s case, her symptoms may be even more pronounced; symptoms of endometriosis, which affects one in 10 women, include excruciating period pain and heavy menstrual bleeding. But regardless of whether or not a woman has endo, I think Hadid’s point still stands. Because even the less intense symptoms of PMS experienced by most women – brain fog, fatigue, body aches – can hinder our capacity to work.
It’s harder to concentrate on anything aside from simply getting through the day, a fact that remains true regardless of your line of work
It’s harder to concentrate on anything aside from simply getting through the day, a fact that remains true regardless of your line of work. If you’re in an office job, you have the commute and uncomfortable seating to contend with on top of whatever your actual work entails. If you work from home, you might be able to answer emails from bed with a hot water bottle on your belly, but your energy and concentration levels will still be compromised. If you’re a supermodel like Hadid, well – with 12-hour days and minimal resting time on top of the pressure to look utterly sensational, I don’t think that job is anywhere near as glamorous as it sounds.
So, Bella, I get it. And while the idea of actually making it illegal for women to have to work during the week of their periods is probably far-fetched and delusional, it’s something I’m going to dream about the next time I’m in agony, feeling sad about literally everything, eating every last piece of chocolate I can find, and thinking about how nice it would be to be sent away to a tropical island this time every month. If Hadid wants to pitch that to the White House, I’m all in – I’d pay good money to see the look on Trump’s face.
