Menstrual Art: An Interview with Scarlett McIntosh PART ONE

1.What got you into mxnstrual art?

Well, I don’t really remember what got me into blood before this but I took Female Sexuality during school and had an assignment that pushed me to do it. I was supposed to do something with a bodily fluid and I knew that people had painted with their blood in the past. I am not much of a painter usually but I really enjoyed painting with my blood- mainly, bleeding vulvas. After that first project I wanted to continue mxnstrual art with other mediums I was more familiar with.

2. Were you always this comfortable with displays of the body or moonstration?

Ha no. Growing up, I was super ashamed and embarrassed buying “feminine products” (which I think every pubing kid feels) and now thinking about it, even feminine products are very silly ideas. These pads & tampons to hide, prevent, unfeel, scent mxnstruation and uphold our ‘femininity.’ Like fuck that, just bleed. Sometimes I think it would be cool to collect stained underwear and sheets and make a bunch of patches.

Anyways, comfortability with my body is still something I am working on. Before I did this, everyone’s opinions around me regarding periods were really negative- that it was an inconvenience, painful, annoying, smelly. And yeah I get it. The first day of my flow I often repeat how badly I just want my uterus to fall out of me and leave it on the sidewalk. So turning it into art is really cathartic and helps me love it. This negativity is why I continue to do it-  it makes me feel connected to my body and appreciate what my body does. It is a sign of my fertility- not everyone has a period or a regular period- for me, it’s a reminder of rhythms of my body, my health, and some balance in my life.  

3. Are there other ways in which body positivity shows up in your life?

Being a birth doula and seeing a woman have a baby come out of her - with all of the fluids - not only does it work on my body positivity but I see it in them- it can leave me high for months. I think body literacy is extremely important for womxn’s empowerment. Getting acquainted with the way my mxnstrual blood feels, how much I let go of, what it smells like, how it fits in with my whole cycle, how to extract it when needed- it’s important to know.

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