Surat woman shares video of daughter sitting apart from family while menstruating, slammed

A Surat-based influencer has come under fire for a video ‘glorifying’ the practice of menstrual seclusion.

Moneycontrol News

December 05, 2023 / 13:12 IST

Rupal Shah shared a video showing her daughter sitting apart from the family due to periods (Image: roopalshahshah/Instagram)

A Surat-based influencer has come under fire for a video ‘glorifying’ the practice of menstrual seclusion. Rupal Mitul Shah shared a video which shows her entire family sitting at the dining table – only her daughter sits apart from the rest, cross-legged on the floor with a plate in front of her.The content creator explained that her family still follows the custom of avoiding direct contact with menstruating women.

While the practice of ‘exiling’ menstruating women is not as widespread as it once was, it is still widely followed in parts of the subcontinent even today.

Menstrual seclusion or menstrual exile has its roots in the belief that menstruating women are impure and must not come in contact with other family members. In some cases, like in Shah’s, families avoid direct contact with menstruating women. Other families go further and ‘exile’ the woman to a small room for the duration of her period.

Even in families where these customs are not followed, menstruating women may be asked to avoid certain things – like entering the temple or washing their hair.

In her Instagram post, Rupal Shah explained that she and her daughter “strictly avoid person to person contact during those days of month.” She said they “respect that decision taken by my family since ages, and till today we observe it very strictly.”