Period Piece

The above art piece is a recreation of an ancient cave painting done by artist Jess Cummin. The painting depicts two women under the moon, seemingly dancing, meditating, or participating in some kind of ritual. Though the figures are fairly crudely drawn, their female anatomy is clearly emphasized. However, that’s not the most striking thing about this image– Cummin painted this using her own menstrual blood. 

According to Douglas, period blood can be considered a “margin of the body.” This term applies not only to bodily fluids like blood, urine, feces, but also to transitional parts of the body such as hair and the skin, as well as body openings such as the mouth, nose, eyes, anus, vagina, or anus. These margins are seen in society as polluting and taboo, and almost all cultures have specific rituals designed to clean and purify them. In the US, periods are still highly stigmatized despite a growing movement to normalize talking about menstruation. Jess Cummin had this stigma in mind when she created her artwork, and people’s reactions to her work often illustrate the very phenomenon Douglas highlights in her work. Cummin says that the practice of painting with menstrual blood is one that goes back to the time that the original cave paintings were created and feels that it’s perfectly natural. Despite the backlash she’s faced from both the general public as well as her close friends and family, Cummin says she will continue this practice and keep working towards a societal view of menstrual blood as neutral rather than a mark of impurity.