Bonnie Jansen: Why it’s time to normalise period chat in sport

Waikato perform the haka during the Farah Palmer Cup semifinal last year. Photo / Photosport

OPINION:

The stigma around period chat, particularly in sport, is changing fast, and most seem to be going with the flow – except some people still seem unable to handle basic conversations around this natural process.

In recent months, sports organisations around the world have been announcing changes to their sportswomen’s kits, moving from white shorts to dark-coloured ones, which many women are more comfortable wearing when they’re menstruating. Last week, I was thrilled to hear about another Kiwi team changing their traditional white shorts for something darker due to “player concerns” – assuming, of course, that meant period concerns.

But when discussing the change with one official at the organisation, he became flustered, almost speechless after being asked basic questions about the change.

In the end, I couldn’t get the official or players to confirm or deny period concerns were the reason for the shorts change.

It’s all well and good that things are changing, but we need to stop treating ‘period’ as a dirty word.

I sit here in my office – ironically with period cramps – writing this piece, 11 months on from the infamous Lydia Ko interview where she admitted in a post-match interview that her period affected her LPGA tournament form that day.

The Football Ferns, Wimbledon tennis, the Irish national rugby team and clubs at the amateur level have made changes due to game-day “distractions” when sportswomen are menstruating. It’s great that these organisations are making a sensible change, and having sensible conversations about making female athletes comfortable.

This helps change the sticky stigma.

It’s okay to talk about it. Even trying to talk about it and getting it wrong – that’s fine, too.

More than half the world’s population talk about their period openly, naturally, because that’s what it is.

Gosh, you should have heard some of the conversations I’ve had with my male colleagues these past couple of weeks, as the subject of menstruation has been topical – it’s normal around here now.

My bosses, my football coaches and even my own dad have admitted to me the practicalities of periods hadn’t even crossed their minds, but they are all so glad they now understand what female athletes go through.

The majority of national teams at this year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup hosted in Australia and New Zealand won’t play in white shorts throughout the tournament. Having the world’s biggest women’s sports event advocate on this issue is huge.

But the shorts change in sport is about so much more than player comfort. It’s a movement. It’s an opportunity to normalise period chat.

If Ko – one of the best athletes this country has ever seen – can do it, if male coaches are open to being educated on it, and if my colleagues in the office can have an honest, open chat about the matter, I encourage everyone to do the same.

Change is good, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. Athletes, clubs and associations need to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk when it comes to destigmatising periods.