The History of Periods

‘It’s my time of the month’, ‘the painters are in’, ‘aunt flo is visiting’, or a simple ‘I’m on the rag’Periods are a fact of life for so many people. So how have they been understood? How have they been talked about and concealed? And why have periods stopped so many people from going swimming?In this episode, Kate is joined by Elissa Stein, one of the authors of FLOW: the Cultural Story of Menstruation to find out how menstruation has been dealt with throughout history. This episode was requested by Betwixter Lisa. If you also have a request, please let us know at [email protected].*WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Anisha Deva.Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. 

Om Podcasten

Why did kings and queens have spectators on their wedding night? Who had the very first boob job? And did our ancestors have their unmentionables pierced?Join historian, Kate Lister, Betwixt the Sheets as she unashamedly roots around the topics which seem to have been skipped in history class.Everything from landmark LGBTQ+ court cases, to political scandal, to downright bizarre medieval cures for impotence. The etymology of swear words, gender bias in medicine, and satanic panic and cults - there’s nothing off limits.She'll be bed-hopping around different time periods; from ancient civilisations, to the middle ages, to renaissance and early modern...right up to now.You’ll laugh, you’ll wince, and you’ll ask yourself how much has actually changed.So join Kate Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society - a podcast from History Hit.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.You can take part in our listener survey here.