The new menstruation-themed documentary “Periodical” will include stories from “activists, authors, journalists and doctors, with notable names including Gloria Steinem, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, actress Ashley Greene, and “Pen15” star Anna Konkle,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The project’s description says, “Periodical covers everything from the people who use their period blood for facials and ‘free bleed’ while running marathons, to the ones who want to forget it exists. The film uncovers the shocking truths, challenges taboos and celebrates the untapped potential of this nutrient-dense blood.”
Lina Lyte Plioplyte is directing the documentary, the publication noted, with Pegah Farahmand producing and Kourtney Gleason co-producing. MSNBC’s Rashida Jones and Amanda Spain will serve as executive producers along with XTR’s Kathryn Everett, Kathleen Flood, and Justin Lacob.
“For Periodical, I decided to look at menstruation through the lens of curiosity instead of stigma, focusing on people in the field who are treating periods as a valuable asset, not a curse,” Plioplyte told THR. “My first documentary looked at aging as a celebration and coincided with a pro-aging movement. Now is the time to celebrate the menstruating bodies, and acknowledge the movement to reclaim and empower those with periods.”
Spain noted how women’s bodies have become a political issue.
“One of the most political things in the United States and the world is the female body,” Spain told the publication. “Our bodily functions are the subject of great debate. Lina Plioplyte takes that reality and turns it on its head with ‘Periodical.’”
Flood agreed, saying, “Too many institutions and societal forces have told us for centuries that periods are dirty and taboo, and this documentary exposes that fallacy while bringing light to what’s beautiful and mysterious about the human body.”
Periods have been a hot topic in political circles for a while. Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) came under fire for referring to biological women as “menstruating people.”
“Not just women! Trans men & non-binary people can also menstruate. Some women also *don’t* menstruate for many reasons, including surviving cancer that required a hysterectomy. GOP mad at this are protecting the patriarchal idea that women are most valuable as uterus holders,” AOC wrote in response to a Daily Mail article, The Daily Wire previously reported. “Trans, two-spirit, and non-binary people have always existed and will always exist. People can stay mad about that if they want, or they can grow up.”
“Periodical” will air on MSNBC in 2023 before it’s released to Peacock. The publication noted how the film is being made by MSNBC films in conjunction with XTR.