Megan Rapinoe Talks Period Stigma and the Sport Your Period Movement with Knix Founder

Periods, as you’ve probably guessed, are everyday fodder here at Knix HQ. 

In meetings and around the (metaphorical) water cooler, we talk about periods as routinely and unflinchingly as we would, say, what we’re having for lunch.

It’s a level of comfort—and a lack of stigma—that’s pretty aspirational. But we also get that outside these four walls, in other office spaces, and in settings both professional and personal, periods are often not afforded the same air of nonchalance. 

And one area in which this can especially be the case is in sports. 

Periods are supposed to be discreet, we’ve been told. Periods aren’t supposed to be announced—they’re a facet of our physiology that’s supposed to happen quietly in the background of everyday life. 

But for people who menstruate, periods are everyday life. They’re everyday life when you’re managing a hectic schedule, or are the athletic star of a major sporting event. 

In fact, a recent survey powered by CAN Fund #150Women shows that an astounding 99% of athletes have competed on their period at an international competition.

Two-time World Cup Champion, former Olympic Gold Medalist, and all-around soccer legend, Megan Rapinoe, is one such athlete, having competed on the world stage during her menstrual cycle too many times to count. Never one to shy away from speaking out against inequality, period stigma in sports is the latest target of her advocacy.

With the launch of Sport Your Period, the seasoned soccer player is lending her star-power to breaking barriers around periods in athletics. And as part of the campaign, athletes everywhere are being encouraged to wear visible red stickers, signaling that fear of leaks won’t deter them from pursuing the sports they love. 

Ahead, I sit down with Megan to chat about normalizing the conversation around periods in sports.

Joanna Griffiths: Okay, so we're here to talk about the Sport Your Period campaign, and also periods in general. Why is reducing stigma around menstruation in sports a cause that’s important to you?

Megan Rapinoe: I think the big picture is just women's equality, equity, and growth in the world to be who we are. Depending on where you are in the world, there's obviously levels to it. There's places where gender apartheid exists and places where girls don't even have access to menstrual products—much less the comfortability to talk about periods.

I've been a girl in school who started their period. I've been in a sports environment where I've bled through—or where I’ve had to deal with having a period. It's a lot. 

Put that into the context, particularly around young developing girls—what that can mean for their confidence and how they see themselves in the world. I think sport always has an incredible ability to speak to the entire world at the same time. 

There’s a tactical element of getting girls into great products that can support what their body needs. Then, there’s the larger picture of how girls look at themselves, and think about themselves and the confidence they’re developing, which ultimately leads to a more equitable and safe world for everybody. 

JG: When you think of the conversation around periods with athletes in particular, do you see it mentally and physically benefiting them—and what does that conversation look like?

MR: Periods are as normal as any other function of humanity, like breathing. We need to de-stigmatize talking about periods and de-stigmatize talking about products. 

Whenever I have to change my tampon on a plane, I love holding my tampon up. Like, yes, this woman has her period and she is changing whatever product she has. But I think it’s really important for women and girls to understand that there's an array of products out there for a multitude of different periods. 

Sometimes it's lighter, sometimes it's more, sometimes you just want a different product. There's things that can support you in everyday life or in sporting life—and sometimes those are different. 

The educational piece is about getting into the zeitgeist; using the word period and talking aloud about the things we talk about in hushed tones.

JG: You've been outspoken about this for a little while. Have you seen a shift taking place? Does it feel different today than it did 10 years ago, 20 years ago?

I never feel like we've come far enough in almost anything, but I think we have made progress for sure. Especially in sporting culture, even just having an array of different products available from the trainer—whether it's different size tampons, different sanitary pads, and having products like Knix and other brands.

I think it's happening a lot, probably a lot more in certain areas of the world. Certainly in the U.S. we've done a pretty good job of having those conversations and just educating people, but we need more conversation around periods, especially with younger girls all over the world.

JG: You’ve shared that your team has experimented with cycle tracking and syncing. Has that been part of the training regimen for a while or was that a newer conversation? 

MR: I would say we started cycle tracking two, three years before the 2019 World Cup. It was a two-part research project, using the athletes as the subject and gathering data. What are your symptoms? When do they start? Is your period regular? 

Part of it was tracking for the World Cup. You're going to have your period, it's a month-long tournament. Hopefully you time it so it’s  in the middle, and not the front and the back end. I’ve definitely had that—I’m like, god damnit, I’m getting this twice in one tournament. 

It’s about having as much information available to ultimately perform at the very highest level, which is what we're talking about with elite athletes. But even from a medical perspective, being part of the study was like, okay, yeah, this is how I feel on this day. 

Particularly if you have a harder period or more severe cramping. I've had teammates who have had endometriosis or have had cysts. It’s for all of us to better understand the possibilities and realities around our periods. 

JG: Do you have any advice for young athletes who might feel embarrassed or hesitant about discussing their periods? I always think about who's skipping out on that practice or that game. Do you have any advice or words for your younger self?

MR: Part of me is like, come up with a snappy comment to the boys—but that's obviously not how it works when they're young. I think it’s about encouraging girls to talk to each other about it. This is something we often don't even talk to each other about.

It's like you want to either hide the pain or you don't know what to do about it. I think a lot of people are just like, oh, this is just how my period is, and it's like, no, that's a medical condition you can get treatment for. 

Periods are so natural and a beautiful part of being a human being. It's like making fun of someone for needing oxygen or water. It's something we all go through and that we all ultimately benefit from in keeping the species going.

JG: How has your approach to menstrual health evolved throughout your career? 

MR: Probably around 30, I became way more focused on my diet and recovery and all the marginal gains you can make as an athlete to be at your best physically. And certainly later in my career, I gained a better understanding of why I’m feeling the way I'm feeling in certain periods of my hormonal cycle. 

I'm going to be a little bit more tired here. My muscles are going to feel a little bit more like this. Planning for when my period is actually going to be here, what my training looks like and making sure I'm prepared.

JG: You touched on this for a moment, but your advocacy extends beyond sports to include LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice. How do you see the intersection of these causes and menstrual health awareness?

The more intersectional you are, the more inequality you confront and face in your life. Is it a young trans kid that’s dealing with periods and what does that mean? I always feel like marginalized groups are intertwined in the deepest ways. It's really hard to parse out the different parts of identity for yourself. 

To look at it in that framework is really smart. I think it gives us a better understanding of where to meet people and how to better tailor the information and education around periods.

JG: What role do you think brands can play in promoting inclusive and supportive environments for athletes of all genders in sports and for promoting gender equality? Do you have expectations of brands?

MR: I always have expectations of brands. I really do believe that everybody—in whatever way that they can—should participate in making the world a better place in a way that's authentic to them. 

Brands can have a point of view and have an ethos that's still authentic to what they do. There's a really cool opportunity with Sport Your Period to take an amazing product—one that athletes are going to use—and use the power of sport to marry product with an important cause.

JG: Tennis athlete, Genie Bouchard, talked about competing on her period two weeks ago, and it blew people's minds. Why do you think people just don't consider this—why is it blowing their minds?

MR: I don't think men have had to think about it—it's something they haven't wanted to understand. There's been a lot of shame around it, and I think women are made to feel embarrassed by it. 

I think in a broad sense, men have been in control of the larger narratives—whether that's brands, ad campaigns, broadcasting or in sports in general—and they don't deal with it. They don't have to deal with it. 

But for us, look in any woman's sports bag, you'll find a tampon.

JG: What initiatives or changes would you like to see in sports to further normalize—or at least acknowledge—that periods exist?

MR: Showing athletes competing at the very highest level, while also showing this other reality they're going through, is really important. In schools, there should be more education about periods for boys and for girls. 

That can work to de-stigmatize menstruation at a younger age. You can have a better understanding so you don't sensationalize it. Programming and policy around periods in education would be huge. 

Looking at the statistics of girls dropping out of sports, we can start to identify some of those points and have better structure to help them—whether it's them feeling embarrassed, their body's changing, or not having the right products to participate in sport during their menstrual cycles.

JG: What impact do you hope the Sport Your Period campaign has? What would make you high five or do a fist bump?

MR: Periods are an ever present reality that can be talked about. Athletes being able to talk about it or interact with it in a way that they don't have to hide would be a huge win. Getting periods more into the general conversation.

JG: Have you seen people talk about their periods at press conferences before? 

MR: I don't think so. 

JG: It would be cool if it happened.

MR: Yeah, very cool. 

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