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Janelle Monáe Won't Stand For Your Period Shaming

Reminder: periods aren't "gross."

Even though it's 2017, some people still think a woman's period is gross, and Janelle Monáe is here to remind us that in fact, it's not at all.

On Friday, the "Hidden Figures" star tweeted "Menstrual Period Blood. #WomensHistoryMonth" to remind folks that periods are a naturally occurring, and essential, function of women's biology.

Janelle Monae arrives at the 89th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Dan MacMedan/Getty Images)

She then added, "It's sad that there are prob folks more grossed out by and/or ashamed of menstrual period blood than they are the current administration."

Then she tactfully reminded us that periods allow women to give birth.

"Never forget girls & women birthed the human race and hold the power to unbirth it. Y'all gone learn. #WomensHistoryMonth," she tweeted.

However, some Twitter users commented that periods were "disgusting" and "gross," which made Monae retweet their comments and reiterate that they're a normal.

But fortunately, many people defended the "Moonlight" actress and clapped back at the period shamers with some education.

While others pointed out that girls are still taught to be ashamed of their periods.

And other Twitter users said they had no time for men who are uncomfortable with the fact that yes, most women bleed every month.

Monáe then doubled down on her point that by calling periods "gross," you are in fact period shaming.

And Monáe is spot on: it's about damn time we stop shaming girls and women for having periods because guess what? They're not going away (until, you know, menopause), they're nothing to be embarrassed about and they're an important part of a woman's biology.

As Refinery 29 points out, "Not being able to openly discuss periods can be harmful — those who suffer from endometriosis, (a disorder that involves painful periods), for example, can have a hard time seeking help when they need it, because issues involving menstruation are too taboo to talk about."

Like Monáe, other women are trying to put an end to the stigmas surrounding periods by being more open about them in public.

In 2015, Kiran Gandhi ran a London marathon without a tampon while on her period, hoping that by showing menstrual blood on her pants, periods would be more normalized.

"As I ran, I thought to myself about how women and men have both been effectively socialized to pretend periods don’t exist," Gandhi wrote about the experience. "By establishing a norm of period-shaming, [male-preferring] societies effectively prevent the ability to bond over an experience that 50 per cent of us in the human population share monthly. Everyone was running for their own personal mission. And all of a sudden it felt entirely appropriate that I got my period on marathon day."

And last year, a Torontonian launched a campaign called "No Shame" in a bid to end period taboos.

"Tampon showing – her friends are going skinny-dipping, she joins in and doesn’t care that her tampon string is hanging out against her thigh."

"I believe menstruation is still something that's looked on as taboo within our society," Alyssa Bertram, the campaign's founder, said. "We all know it happens but no one cares to talk about it."

So ladies, wave those tampons and pads high in the air cause you've got nothing to be ashamed about.

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