Menstruation Myths, RPS Gallery, Bristol, 2021

“Are you sick?” I remember being asked when I was a teenager. People were questioning whether or not I was on my period. Even though I wasn’t supposed to exercise or swim —or apparently make mayonnaise; I never actually perceived those myths as affecting my daily life. However, I remember learning that society had mandated that getting my period should remain a secret. The same ritual that was supposed to symbolize that I had “become a woman,” came with an unbearable pain that was normalized. Decades later, I still come across gynaecologists that roll their eyes at me when I tell them that my pain is excruciating; “that’s natural, it’s felt by almost everyone”. —Laia Abril

20.05.2021 — 24.10.2021
RPS Gallery, Bristol Photo Festival
Curated by Aaron Schuman