At the Menstrual Cycle Festival, this year, we are there too Talking about how we talk about the menstrual cycle
You might have already guessed it. After talking about sexual activity during menstruation, free bleeding and not-so-fun facts about the menstrual cycle, we’re now talking about how we talk about the cycle. We always do it on our pages, of course, but we’ll also be doing it offline on May 24 at 5 PM as part of the Menstrual Cycle Festival at Rob de Matt in Milan. Registrations are open here, admission is free. We’ll be waiting for everyone: women, men, and non-binary people.
Talking about the cycle today: nss G-Club at the Menstrual Cycle Festival
Why? Because there is still (despite our efforts) something deeply contradictory in the way we talk about the menstrual cycle. On one hand, online the topic finally seems to be everywhere: we talk about menarche, chronic pain, PMS, libido, contraception, fertility, and hormonal health with a freedom that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. On the other hand, however, many people still experience their relationship with their bodies in solitude, between misinformation, shame, and languages that often remain too clinical, stereotyped, or simply detached from everyday reality. That is why the event starts from a simple but huge question: how many languages are really needed to tell the complexity of the cycle? Probably not just one, but an intertwining of experiences, expertise, and different sensitivities capable of turning the body into something that is not only biological, but also cultural, emotional, social, and creative.
The speakers of the talk, which is above all an open forum
From this idea comes the May 24 event at Rob de Matt: an open dialogue between photography, psychology, sex education, content creation, and storytelling, built from the real experiences of the community. Together with Ginevra Bonina, Donatella Fiacchino, Sally Saccarola, Giovanna D’Arco, and Beppe Salmetti, we will talk about blood, pain, adolescence, identity, sexuality, and representation, trying to understand what is still missing today in narratives about the cycle and why it is still so difficult to create a space that is truly accessible to all generations. The discussion will be moderated by Mariachiara Tirinzoni, Rebecca Tempestini, and Priscilla Lucifora. A moment to compare perspectives, listen, and perhaps begin to build new words to describe cyclicality without filters, simplifications, or taboos.