That Bloody Scene

A Little Leaky

“Eat my used tampon, fuckers!” — Donita Sparks, L7

Donita Sparks, L7

Stephen King’s Carrie (the Sissy Spacek film version) is one of my favourite movies. Now, I think about menstrual blood more than the average person but I noticed something. Carrie is traumatized when she gets her period in gym class. The peers she is surrounded with laugh at her, bully her, mock her.

This might be a far-fetched analysis but it’s evident to me that Carrie is a human tampon. The pain of ignorance, lack of education from her mother, and of loneliness permeate throughout the film. The iconic prom night scene involves copious amounts of blood. I posit that because she is constantly bullied by her peers, she becomes a figure that must be stopped — much like a tampon collects blood, Carrie collects hatred and concentrates it by use of telekinetic powers. When she is bathed in blood, she becomes victim to the notions of menstruating people and how painful (physically) and traumatic (mentally) it can be.

I know that many people struggle with menstruation, others make note of this beautiful experience. Donita Sparks of the rock band L7 is known for being a strong woman in music. Whilst at a concert she threw a bloody tampon at the crowd because they hissed and booed at her for technical difficulties out of her control. Sparks refused to apologize, reiterating that she would give birth on stage if she was invited back the following year.

Thus, my menstrual cycle is one of a cyclical pattern in general. The aches and pains, the vulnerability, the emotional elements all in tow. Giving birth, bleeding as sacred, or sin. We are all entwined during “shark week” as one of my friends described it.